Snow Moon

by

Photography: Snow Moon

I’m trying to use my camera’s manual mode more, but it’s not going well. The night of the last full moon, I went to the lake and left in tears. The lighting wasn’t good, and the moon hid behind the clouds. Every image was a mess.

I spent the rest of the night thinking about quitting. I’d secretly been considering making photography my new career. Maybe another year and I could start charging real money for my work and help my family pay down our debt. Failing at the moon photos felt like a rejection—a confirmation that I’m wasting my time.

The next morning, I woke up early and headed to my local park to try again. These photos are the result. I’m still not thrilled with these images, but at least I’m getting better at making fast adjustments. The sky went from totally dark to a bright sunlight in the hour I was there. I had to keep tweaking my settings, popping in and out of light and shadow. But, unlike the previous night, I didn’t let it get to me.

These aren’t the best, not even my best. Not by a long shot. But, I edited them to be cohesive. Some of these shots have potential. I’ve taking a few online photography classes. I’m still going to keep trying.

You should, too.

I believe in you.

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 75-300mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

by

Photography: Snow Moon/Hunger Moon

You aren’t here with me in these blue woods. I’m alone. Hands hanging loosely at my sides, I track the full moon until it peeks through the dark silhouetted branches. The sky morphs from cold white to warm gold and back again. A breeze blows gently and my skirt dances around my knees. It feels like butterflies and Spring, but it’s still February. Still winter. Snow falls softly in the nearby mountains.

My mind forgets and remembers things as I walk, a circle of thought looping and playing. Soon a song cuts through and clears out everything else. “All this joy, all this sorrow.” Maybe I hummed it then, alone in the woods on the night of the Hunger Moon. The night I was missing you. Maybe you did too.

“We’re both looking at the same moon, in the same world. We’re connected to reality by the same line. All I have to do is quietly draw it towards me.”—Haruki Murakami 

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This was my second attempt at photographing the full moon this year and it was nearly as frustrating. There were a lot of clouds and I found myself more interested in the trees than the moon. I wonder if I’ll tire of this project or stretch my photography skills further. Time will tell.

Let me know if you like these and if you have a favorite. As is usual, these photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.