The moon was nearly full when it rose over the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I’m a proponent of as little travel as possible when the presentation is before me. Dewitt Jones said, “The banquet is spread constantly, with no thought of whether anyone will attend. If I were receptive enough, perhaps I would see it in everything. But I’m not, so photography is one of the tools I use to help me concentrate, to help me see deeply, to block out all that is extraneous and see that which is essential.” I shot the moon rise last night and the following two images looking out from our deck early this morning. The potential for a vibrant eclipse diminished through the night as clouds moved in. Around 3 am the moon vanished altogether. At 4:30 am, my alarm went off. There was a faint moon with clouds surrounding it. I nodded off. By 4:55 am I was dressed and standing outside with the camera set up. I surmised that the moon would perhaps emerge from and disappear behind intermittent banks of clouds. It did as I thought but not with the resounding determination I’d hoped for. It seemed to pulse faintly as it set and then it was gone. At 5:45 I was back in bed. I woke up at 7:15 am with a feeling that I had traveled miles. In effect, at that moment I had hitched a ride with the moon. I think I’ll also need a nap later.
Below is a new print I’m working on. It’s a very large panorama of the sacred Fajada Butte in Chaco Culture National Historical Park. I’ll have this image ready for purchase on my fine art prints landscape page this weekend.
As always thanks for looking. G
16 thoughts on “Full Moon, Eclipse, Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon”
I’m very grateful you got to see the Eclipse, as I got up and was quite disappointed! The photos are magical looking, surreal.
As I was driving back from Santa Fe, late last night, I saw that beautiful, almost white moon on the Horse Shoe curve. It was stunningly pure looking…..
Thank you for your magnificent posts! And your photo of the Fajada Butte is gorgeous, great clouds.
I held out for a super moon eclipse like some in the past I’ve seen. I’m grateful for the chance to see the moon rise and set anytime, no matter the conditions. This eclipse was subtly beautiful. Glad you got to see the full moon rise. Thank you, Mary. G.
I got up at 4:00 to go about 15 minutes to a great location for shooting the total eclipse. Clouds came rapidly. I have some wonderful totally black and blank shots if you’re interested. ? But I turned the other way and got a spectacular shot of first light “kissing’ Pikes Peak so worth the lack of sleep.
Hi Paul. Great to hear from you. Thanks for checking in. I just went on your website. You’ve been busy and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing your work, old and new. Thanks, Paul. I’ll take a rain check on the black photos. I have quite a few so if you need any extra ones let me know. G
Those shots of the eclipsed moon make it easy to imagine floating serenely in space right along side…
simply magical & visceral…thanks ‘bro
I always appreciate your thoughtful insights. Thanks, John. G
Wonderful as always?
Thanks so much, June. I hope you are well. G
Glad you were able to capture the eclipse. I was set up to take photos out the back door in Seco, got up at 4:50, didn’t see the moon or any stars through my bleary eyes (may have missed a few stars) and went back to bed.
I almost missed it but only just. I resisted for an hour which means I was awake procrastinating. Glad I got out there. Thanks, Gary. G
Absolutely stunning! I saw the half red image a little after 4am, then looked again about 5 and the clouds almost made the image disappear, and no color came through. It is delightful to see what you caught!
I almost stayed in bed but… glad I got up. Thank you, Susan. G
I appreciate your images and tenacity. Thanks so much.
Thank you, James. I really appreciate your compliment. G
That quote from Dewitt Jones perfectly captures what we do.
Thanks. ??
I’ve kept it with me forever. The quote helps me to focus. Thanks, Gary. G