The Moon is Full of Drama

Why Photographing the Moon is a Magical, Spiritual & Incredibly Fun Experience as an Artist

I have been taking pictures of the moon for almost 20 years now. That's a long time in photography years. What are photography years? That will have to be another article. So the statement I am making is, Why is the moon full of drama? I guess my reverse question to you is, How could it not be? Look at the picture above, for example, this image screams, “I am ready for a night out on the town.” It has glitz and glam and all the makings for an evening of fun. I took this image as a few different shots, some out of focus of the stars and then of the moon, blended to give you a feel of depth. It is a fun little photography trick.

Let’s also talk about the ancients; they loved and feared the moon. Countless stories have been told about it. It holds a huge significance in our history. It is in countless paintings; it represents dynamic storytelling. The moon brings fear and suspense in aspects of horror movies or shows that require no words. It just shows up and immediately we are in suspense. That is a huge amount of power over the human psyche.

I also love to capture the moon during a storm. The conditions have to be right; it has to be clear enough that the moon is still visible, but also a wind blowing helps; the clouds have personality and flare as they move and float across the sky like an angry toddler. The picture I took above shows exactly that level of drama. It is almost like the moon is on fire.

When the moon is low enough on the horizon, it changes color so far as it rises. The light is more orange in the atmosphere at lower altitudes; that’s more about the science of it, and we are focusing on drama for this article. Much like anyone or anything that is consumed with drama, its mood can change quickly. I think the above image captures its mood change rapidly changing throughout the evening.

Many years ago I was so fascinated by the moon that I wrote a book for children, and it has since been published and even available at my local library and on Amazon. The story is short, simple, and just right for its age group (3–5 year olds).

How close can I get you to the moon? Well, look below. I think that it is pretty close! Remember that cartoon called “Wallace and Gromet” in the episode “A Grand Day Out” I love it so much because the whole point is to get to the moon and enjoy some cheese. The drama that unfolds in that episode is beautiful, hilarious, and incredibly fitting for those characters and the backdrop of the moon in place.

I will now start closing out this article with a few final thoughts, but I feel I may come to visit this topic once again because I do have so much to say on this subject.

Let’s finish by talking about solar eclipses for a moment. I know the sun is the star of the show, but the only reason it’s the “star” of the show (no pun intended) is because the moon sneaks in and steals the show. Without the moon, there is no solar eclipse. The moon is like a jealous child coming in and making a scene. Oh moon, learn some manners but don’t ever stop being dramatic.

What fitting way to end this is with the above image, which is a series of shots all put together of different moments I captured during a solar eclipse. I love the personality it creates in this visual. Once again proving that the moon is truly just all about the drama.