At this time of the year, mornings are dark; sunrise was at 9:02 a.m. this morning. On Christmas morning, we were struck with the setting full moon in the west. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a thing before—a full bright moon disappearing on the horizon—and it was quite magnificent. So magnificent, in fact, that we made a plan to head out the next morning with our grown up Canon cameras to capture an image or ten or more (one has to shoot a lot in order to capture one photo you’re pleased with).
So there we were. Two seniors and a Yorkie sitting in a Ford Escape on the side of a country road that’s just a hop, skip, and jump from our home as we live on the edge of the city. Molly, wisely, snuggled down in her crate in the backseat and went to sleep while Gerry and I braved the -12C / 10F temperature to set up our cameras and take a few test shots.
Gerry sat in our warm vehicle, stepping out every five minutes or so to capture another photo of the setting moon. I set up my tripod and spent more time outside playing with camera settings and taking photos. I’m rusty and need to get to know my camera again after taking a hiatus from shooting. It was grand fun.
At some point, directly opposite from where the moon was setting, the sun began to rise. One could, and my husband did, take a photo of the western setting moon, then turn 180 degrees and take another of the eastern rising sun. It was the best time I’ve had in the morning for ages and I was full of gratitude that I get to live in this beautiful province with my husband who enjoys photography like I do.
We are setting a joint intention to focus more on it in 2024. I spent the rest of the day on computers tweaking this and that and taking steps to prepare for a year spent taking pictures. Photography, for me, is a contemplative practice and I catch glimpses of the Divine through the lens of my camera. I’ve missed it, and I can’t wait to dive in again. Especially here in Saskatchewan, the place I love, my heart’s true home, and the land of living skies.
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