My mentor, Tom is a big-time moon lover. I used to see his magnificent moon shots in Facebook posts. I reached out to him by messaging him asking "Will you be able to teach me how to take great shots like you?" He showed up at my booth at the local Farmer's Market one Saturday morning, he said "I think you are my friend!" I did not know what he looked like, so I froze for a second. Then I saw him with his camera hanging down from his neck. I asked him" Are you Tom?" and he said "Yes!" with a big smile. That's how our photography journey got started. I was so excited to finally meet him. Right then he starts teaching me all of the technical stuff about the camera that I didn't understand.
I started to practice taking pictures of the moon. He will come over to my house during the day, and teach me where the moon is going to come from, about what time, and everything! One day, he came over and said " I have a gift for you!" and he gave me his 400mm zoom lens and a "doubler." I was so happy because with the lens that I had, there's no way I could take crystal clear moon pictures like he does. The moon is so far away!! But with 800mm zoom, I can see the craters on the moon! Every time I take pictures, I e-mail him, so he knows what I was doing.
One day, we went to a wide-open desert near my house to shoot the moon. That was the "Pink Moon."
Since then, every full moon, I just know that it's "go" time! Tom and I are waiting for the boy to show up on the tip of the quarter moon fishing!
I started to practice taking pictures of the moon. He will come over to my house during the day, and teach me where the moon is going to come from, about what time, and everything! One day, he came over and said " I have a gift for you!" and he gave me his 400mm zoom lens and a "doubler." I was so happy because with the lens that I had, there's no way I could take crystal clear moon pictures like he does. The moon is so far away!! But with 800mm zoom, I can see the craters on the moon! Every time I take pictures, I e-mail him, so he knows what I was doing.
One day, we went to a wide-open desert near my house to shoot the moon. That was the "Pink Moon."
Since then, every full moon, I just know that it's "go" time! Tom and I are waiting for the boy to show up on the tip of the quarter moon fishing!
Pink Moon (4-26-2021 )
Field trip to the desert with my mentor, Tom. |
Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse (5-26-2021)
Miserable night drama of Eclipse! Cloudy, windy, Eclipse is happening between 1:30am-5am. Not sure exactly when I will see a moon... I was up all night! Super Flower Blood Moon was Super Freaking Nightmare! But after a long nap, I can laugh about how horrible this experience was! |
Strawberry Moon Set (6-24-2021)
About a couple of hours after this capture, Tom text me asking: " Did you get the moon shot?" I said, " I sure did!!" I think he tested me to see if I will get up on my own to go take full moon shots without his notification. Of course, I did! I am a good student! This time, I waited till the moon set/sunrise to see if I could add more "perspective" into the moon shot.
About a couple of hours after this capture, Tom text me asking: " Did you get the moon shot?" I said, " I sure did!!" I think he tested me to see if I will get up on my own to go take full moon shots without his notification. Of course, I did! I am a good student! This time, I waited till the moon set/sunrise to see if I could add more "perspective" into the moon shot.
