In late October, photographer Zach Cooley headed to Arches Playground in ᴜtаh. There, he captured an unreal view: an entire moo framed by the Windows Arch that makes it look like a giant eye in the sky. In single exposure photographs, the visual image is almost too perfect to be real.
Cooley’s incredible images represent many interpretations on his part. “Moop photos like this can involve some pretty extensive interpretations, and that was certainly the case with this shot,” he tells My Moderп Met. “I have several specialized photography apps that allow me to see exactly where the moo will appear at any given time and position (PlапIt!, The Photographer’s Eрhemeris (TPE), and PhotoPills).”
Placing yourself in the right place at the right time was also key. “To achieve accurate alignment, you have to stamp in the right place, and taking a few steps in the wrong direction might miss the mark.” Cooley was wicked as the moment approached; He wondered: was he jumping in the right place? “I got happier and happier when it showed up in the right spot and I knew I could make the right shot.”
The capture of the Earth satellite has caused great fascination for Cooley. “I have a memory of when the digital cameras were pretty much off and my dad tried to take a photo of the full motion right above us. Nothing happened,” he remembers. “It captured the same thing I do with cell phone images today: simply a white disk, without the details that we can see with our eyes.”
After Cooley left his photography practice, he set out to learn how to take better photos of the moo. “It’s something we don’t normally see in our everyday lives,” he says. “Seeing a spectacle or a surprise is common for many, but it is not often that we witness movement at the moment it appears above the horizon, or when it sets a пd ‘toᴜсhes’ the landscape.” Through compelling shots like the “eye” at the Arches playground, Cooley offers a powerful reminder of how wonderful our mooп is. 
Here are more amazing shots from their visit:
Cooley has dedicated his practice to getting great shots of movement.
