Slow Photography #70: Pointing a Shutter Finger at the Moon

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How can I possibly sleep this moonlit evening? 
Come, my friends, 
Let’s sing and dance 
 All night long.  

  ~ Basho. *

 
Lunar eclipse super moon and heron, Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.











A SLEEPLESS, POINTLESS PURSUIT


Silent moonlight found me one night.

I was clicking away at the moon. Eclipsed by the earth, its pumpkin hues of orange and red perplexed the senses. 

It was late September ( 9/27). Shining through my film and digital cameras, the bright sphere kept me awake through the night, as I tried to photograph its delicacy.  Trying to get the essence of the moonlight, and failing, was like pointing a finger at the moon, to borrow a phrase from Zen.
Full moon behind goose feather and reed, Oriental North Carolina. Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.

Lands End Lighthouse with full moon, Provincetown,Massachusetts. Copyright Jim Austin Jimages Summer 2015.
Captain Jack's Wharf Moonrise Provincetown, Massachusetts Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.

Snail and yachts, Broad Creek North Carolina. Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.

Full moon sequence, Bahamas. Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.

Full moon over Cupid's Cay, Eleuthera, Bahamas. Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.

Full moon over the mill, Pictou Nova Scotia. Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.



Captain Jack's Wharf and full moon, Provincetown West End, Massachusetts.
 Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.

 
TRYING TO MASTER THE MOON's MAGIC
 
This super moon I was photographing wasy 226,000 miles away, much closer to the earth than usual. Its presence is a rare event; a super moon lunar eclipse has only happened in  1910, 1928, 1946, 1964, 1982 and in the year 2015.
 
Many have tried to predict, master, and comprehend the moon. These predictions are dire, they all call for "a bad moon arisin' ". Mormon leaders predicted a major earthquake would strike Utah on the night of this blood moon. This did not happen. While there was an earthquake of magnitude 2.9 in Utah, it occurred on July 29th. So sorry, you false prophets of moon doom.



A LUNATIC?
 
This super moon challenged photographers to solve technical issues like getting a photograph of it that was sharp and well-exposed. This takes practice, but my attempts to photograph it do not fail for technical reasons. My moon photographs seldom connect me to the essence. The magic of the moon escapes me, I do not truly know it.

An eclipse, perhaps, cannot be defined. All I know, photographing a super moon, is that it points to something larger, more complete, and more timeless than my tiny, imperfect life.

The essence of the moon defies space and time. As a photographer, I am comfortable with small spaces like the aperture of my lens. I manage short time periods, like those of a range of shutter speeds. A lunar event like the eclipse transcends space and time. 
 
The light of the moon is magical. Its essence can't be captured by a photograph. I can't dwell on this paradox for long. Gotta go grab the tripod. There's a silent, luminous moon out tonight. I'm curious to see how the photos will look.

Call me a lunatic.
Melting Moon ,Cat Island, Bahamas. Copyright Jim Austin Jimages 2015.







*Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf:  Zen Poems of Ryokan, translated by John Stevens, Shambala . Boston, 1996. 

Lunatic : gaily or lightheartedly mad, frivolous, eccentric.

 

Comments

BT customer service telephone number said…
You have a good Blog and great content on your blog,Thank you for taking the time to post this.
October 12, 2015 at 3:41 AM
Anonymous said…
"Why point a camera at the moon? In the end, it is not about success, or failure. It is about the effort and pleasure of the chase."

I think that just summed it up for me! Thanks for the article - and the beautiful work.

(And yes, there may be some who call me a lunatic as well!)
October 27, 2015 at 2:26 PM
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