I adore being outside, especially after dark. Or, perhaps more accurately, I adore being outside and enjoying the transition from daylight to nighttime. There’s something magical, mystical even, as the day fades and night begins to creep in. At first, the world loses its color, but then it transforms into something even more intense as starlight illuminates the landscape. It’s during this transition, though, that the world becomes very interesting, and even more so when the moon is involved. Twilight Crescent is the culmination of a long journey for me to create the vision I held.
Wolf Moon was one of my first photographs and remains to this day one of mine, and your, favorites. It has a certain ethereal quality to it that defies description. Everyone notices, and remarks, on it. It has this certain quality to it that transcends time and space. I’ve tried, many times, to create a companion piece, and despite several excellent versions, never quite succeeded.
I’ve thought long and hard about what I wanted to create, and eventually had stetted on a plan. I wanted a rising crescent moon, in a deep blue sky, filled with stars. Simple, right? But, as it turns out, not so much. It took me a lot, and I mean a lot, longer than I would have ever expected. The making of Twilight Crescent would take longer than I hoped.
At first, I thought I would wait for the precise right phase of the moon, step out my back door, photograph it, and present my masterpiece. Funny how that simply didn’t work out.
The two most difficult obstacles I had were clouds and place. Yes, the moon has the phase I wanted each month. But either the moon rose before or after twilight, or I wasn’t in a position where I could photograph it, or, clouds were in my way. Because I travel, I am not always in a place where I can create a moon photograph at exactly the right time. I know—it sounds simple, but in practice, it is not. And, as it turns out, there were only a few windows of time every year that I could use.
Or, if I was in the right place at the right time, clouds would obscure the moon. While the clouds provided the exact right atmosphere for Wolf Moon, my vision here was absolutely no clouds at all.
The conditions, as I knew they would, eventually came together. When they did, I learned another lesson: this wouldn’t be straightforward at all. Figuring out the correct exposure, framing and timing turned out to be way more complicated than I anticipated, so a couple of times ended up being a learning lesson. I know, I know. I could have tried again the next night, but I am quite particular, and it has to be “just right.”
So back to the drawing board I went, now waiting for the exact right phase the next month, which meant I was back to my time and space, as well as clouds, problem.
Anyway, you get the idea. This took me far longer than I ever expected, but… when you are looking for the perfect image, it takes time.
The final result, Twilight Crescent, is one I am proud to present to you. It represents the vision I had so long ago, and it feels good to complete this simple, yet fantastic, photograph. It has the feel and the vibe I was looking for. Furthermore, it tells the story I wanted to tell, and it came out exactly how I wanted it to. The making of this photograph was a mini adventure in itself, but it sure ended well!
I couldn’t be happier with it. Now, it’s on to the next adventure!
Twilight Crescent will look great in your home
Bring Twilight Crescent home, and place the moon where you can see a perfect moon every day, rain or shine.