Photographers can be a bit crazy, often going to extremes to capture that perfect image. I have a friend who regularly takes his camera to the depths of the ocean, bringing back beautiful photographs of the creatures of the sea.

My father was a photographer, among his many other skills, but he took very different risks with his camera. I have memories of more than one occasion when the family gathered around a holiday meal, faces in expressions of dismay, watching our lovingly prepared food grow cold as Daddy set up his tripod, examined his light meter, set and reset f-stop and aperture and shutter speed in an effort to capture that perfect exposure! He survived the danger, as photographers will; evidenced by the many images we enjoy in publications such as National Geographic.

I, too, have been bitten by the camera bug, I’ve played with photography for many years, and I do have a handful of images that I am proud to display. I don’t take my camera to the depths of the ocean (although maybe I should add that to my growing bucket list, right after exploring the length of Route 66!). These days I tend to point my lens more often towards the heavens, capturing sunrises and sunsets and clouds and horizons. And my favorite model? The moon!

I bought a new camera over the summer, a Fujifilm X-T30. This one is a mirrorless camera, a new technology different from the old standard Single Lens Reflex. With it, and a proper zoom lens, I have been able to capture some lovely detailed images of the face of the moon.

I sat outdoors at 2 AM this morning, in near freezing temperatures, in an attempt to capture a historic partial lunar eclipse: the longest lunar eclipse in 580 years. It began at 11:02 PM MST last night, not finishing until 5:03 AM this morning: six full hours in duration. The peak was, as you may have guessed, at 2:02 AM MST.

I am sure there are many more beautiful images scattered about the ethernet this morning, produced by photographers far more skilled that I. But here is my humble offering. I hope you like it.

As I pondered this eclipse, as the Moon crossed into the shadow of the Earth, I was struck that even in the darkest of times that beautiful light does not disappear; it can never be extinguished. May your light so shine, my friends, as we approach this holiday season, and may your morning skies be filled with beauty.