Moonlight Images
30 images Created 4 Nov 2016
Moonlight Images
When, in the stillness of the night the full moon rises, shapes and shadows replace the colors of the day. You know that the colors are there. A quick scan with a flashlight reveals them to your eye. But film doesn’t need the flashlight, only the light of a clear night’s moon, and time.
For over 23 years years I have stalked the perfect scenes lit only by the moon. And avoided the perils of the night – hidden rocks and limbs in my path, skunks, malaria, and unseen objects – power lines, distant lights, and cars or airplanes which appear suddenly. There are always exceptions to the rules. Moonlight Ocean Beach-2 has a tiny ship on the horizon.
When I first wondered if I could shoot by moonlight, it was over 2 decades ago, and just a curiosity. I had no idea what would follow, let alone know if it was even possible. Each success compels me to continue. The goal is no longer to just make images by moonlight. It is to make striking images that aren’t seen, but created in the camera over time.
Using a variety of films, and now digitally, I have documented a pair of jetties on Fire Island, NY. The scene is a man vs nature battle with the sea and the sand. On a great night, I can compose 10 shots digitally, and a few more with a film camera, which still has the digital beat. Being that this work carries on with such blazing speed, it may be years before I finish here. And there are other places far from here that call out to me.
When, in the stillness of the night the full moon rises, shapes and shadows replace the colors of the day. You know that the colors are there. A quick scan with a flashlight reveals them to your eye. But film doesn’t need the flashlight, only the light of a clear night’s moon, and time.
For over 23 years years I have stalked the perfect scenes lit only by the moon. And avoided the perils of the night – hidden rocks and limbs in my path, skunks, malaria, and unseen objects – power lines, distant lights, and cars or airplanes which appear suddenly. There are always exceptions to the rules. Moonlight Ocean Beach-2 has a tiny ship on the horizon.
When I first wondered if I could shoot by moonlight, it was over 2 decades ago, and just a curiosity. I had no idea what would follow, let alone know if it was even possible. Each success compels me to continue. The goal is no longer to just make images by moonlight. It is to make striking images that aren’t seen, but created in the camera over time.
Using a variety of films, and now digitally, I have documented a pair of jetties on Fire Island, NY. The scene is a man vs nature battle with the sea and the sand. On a great night, I can compose 10 shots digitally, and a few more with a film camera, which still has the digital beat. Being that this work carries on with such blazing speed, it may be years before I finish here. And there are other places far from here that call out to me.
