Moon Halo Above the Dragon's Gorges

From the photographer: “My journey in search of mysterious and fascinating places in Sicily continues and this time I want to show you the dragon’s gorges. The gorges are small canyons carved by the Frattina river which flows in the territory of Corleone and laps the Busambra rock near the Ficuzza wood reserve. The small stream has dug several pools of water into which many small waterfalls flow. Once reached the place at its highest point, you can already hear the sound of the roar of the water while the sun has just set, coloring the hilly view of the Sicilian countryside with orange. In the distance, a small cypress tree stands alone against the sky and small cloudy veils paint the distant horizon with streaks. Reached the stream downstream, you can see the first waterfall and the first pond but to grasp the beauty of the canyon, it is necessary to reach a rocky spur on the opposite side of the river. The water is freezing cold and deep enough to cover my knees. Fording the river is not easy due to the slippery rocks at the bottom of the bed. However, the effort is rewarded by the suggestive view of the waterfalls and the dense Mediterranean vegetation that grows on the rocky walls illuminated by the light of the Moon in alignment with Regulus in the constellation of Leo. I start shooting by framing the canyon but, after about an hour, a beautiful moon halo appears in the sky. It is an almost perfect circle that forms at 22 ° from the Moon thanks to the presence of some ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere that seems to scrutinize you like a big eye. What to do? Interrupt the sequence of shots giving up the original idea or leave everything unchanged? With great fear and a pinch of courage I decide to use my fish-eye and to shoot the celestial vault with the halo that overlooks the pools of water and waterfalls. I smile pleased because the final effect goes beyond all my expectations: the image has just captured a moment of pure magic. I admire the shot and it seems to observe the canyons that characterize some rocky landscapes of America. I can’t help but think once again that we are a single people under a single sky and that Sicily is a small micro cosmos that contains a treasure trove of beauties.”

Technical details: Canon 6d, Canon 8-15mm, f/5.6, iso 800, 30 sec