Anatomy of a Composition - Celestial Presence

In economics we talk about the paradox of choice - that in a choice rich environment we can get overwhelmed and lost in the process of making a choice.

When it comes to the night sky and all of the celestial events that occur in any given month it could become a full-time job just keeping an up to date calendar of them. Throw in the variability of weather and you’ve created a mix that can be equal parts a creative wonderland and an existential crisis.

I know I don’t always do the best job balancing these two opposing ideas, but it always feels so good to be out behind the camera, peering through the viewfinder. I don’t normally follow these celestial events unless they stand out in a news story that happens to catch my eye. The Jupiter Occultation is exactly one of these events - one I know is breathtaking and rare, but one that I might pass on because it so hard to contextualize in our modern world.

This was a first attempt at this sort of event.. I would love to have an earthly foreground feature, but Jupiter’s such a powerful presence passing behind the crescent moon, it was easily worth the early, hectic morning.

a celestial presence - Sony a7iv w/ Sony FE 200-600G - ISO 640 | F/9 | 1/20 sec ~ 1260mm