On September 7, 2025, the skies promised us a spectacular Red Moon. Like any curious photographer chasing a celestial event, I knew exactly that Karim would pick the best location to capture it: the rugged, elevated hills of Falougha.
Karim Boukarim and I packed up our gear and headed up the mountain. The evening started with immense promise. The air was crisp, the terrain was perfectly dramatic, and our expectations were sky-high. We scouted our spot, framing the rocky foreground and a lone, resilient mountain tree, just waiting for the lunar show to begin.
Then, nature decided to rewrite our itinerary. If you know the Lebanese mountains, you know the weather has a mind of its own. Just as the anticipated moment approached, the notorious Falougha fog decided to crash the party. It rolled in thick and fast, swallowing the horizon and turning the sky into a massive diffuser.
The grand, crimson spectacle we had drive up for? Completely obscured.
The photo is the only solid shot I managed to pull away with before the visibility completely tanked. It isn’t the blazing red moon we were chasing. Instead, it’s a bright, glowing orb piercing through the deep blue twilight, casting just enough light to illuminate the rocky path and the silhouette of that single tree.
It’s a classic photography tale, you can plan the location, the gear, and the timing, but nature doesn’t take requests. Still, looking at the moody, atmospheric shot I ended up with, I can’t be too disappointed. It might be a “failed” Red Moon mission, but it’s still a beautiful reminder of a great night out in the mountains.
We didn’t get the shot we wanted, but we got the shot the mountain gave us. Next time, Falougha. Next time.
