Days before heading to Birmingham, I spent hours planning the shoot and virtually walking the city streets with the little "Google Street View" guy to discover a precise location. 

The location had to be clear of building, trees, and utility poles and of course, had to align the Moon with the statue on the mountain ridge. Vulcan was not always so grand as we see him today, having experienced various changes since he made his debut at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.  The sculpture and pedestal was renovated in 2004 to the form we see today.  I have childhood memories of riding through Birmingham and seeing Vulcan holding a red or green lamp in his hand instead of a spear point.  The lamp would be changed to red when there had been a traffic fatality in the last 24 hours.  That was a very long time ago.  

Seeing Vulcan proudly inspecting his just forged spear point is certainly more dignified for the Roman god of fire and the forge.  Seeing him hold it up to the full Moon would be simply amazing!     

So I made my trek to Birmingham, found the spot and set up my tripod and camera.  I then waited for the Moon to rise up over Red Mountain, adjusting my position slightly to get this composition. Vulcan - Forging by Moonlight was taken at 8:23 pm from a distance of 3,450 feet with a 600mm telephoto lens.  

The Vulcan statue is a registered trademark of The Vulcan Park & Museum in Birmingham, Alabama.  Visit their website to learn more.  

Vulcan weighs 101,200 pounds and stands 56 feet tall from toe to spear point atop a 124-foot pedestal, a total height of 180 feet. Vulcan is the largest cast-iron statue in the world and the largest metal statue ever made in the United States.