04/15/2024
“Life is a process. We are a process. The universe is a process.” ― Anne Wilson Schaef After traveling for three weeks after the art show, photographing across three time zones and finally ending up here, outside Dallas, Texas, I woke up the morning of April 8, 2024 and walked out the door to fog, clouds and mist. I'd been watching the forecast the last few days before eclipse, and it didn't look very promising. But knowing Mother Nature pretty well by now, I also knew anything could happen. The fog lifted as the morning wore on but there was still thick cloud cover. I was already exhausted after photographing several other locations over the past three weeks. It would have been easy to go back to bed. Still it was time so I took my tripod outside and set up, preparing for what was supposed to occur. Through the eclipse glasses I could occasionally catch a glimpse of the sun but only for a few seconds through the still heavy clouds. To find the sun through a lens pointing upward at the sky is a feat on a good day. In this cloud cover it seemed like it was going to be almost impossible. Finally, a window of thinner clouds and I was able to grab the sun in my viewfinder. I began trying to track it during partial, took a couple of test shots and continued to try and track the sun into the totality phase of the eclipse even though it was disappearing into this cloud cover more than not. As the moon began to form a crescent on the sun, I could see some parts of the sky with the clouds thinning. I pleaded with the semi cloudy sky to come my way, but it seemed like it wasn't listening. At times the clouds would thin and I could catch the crescent shape as it crossed the sun. Just before totality, I could hardly tell at what point the process was at. How much crescent was left? Do I need to take my filter off? I needed a glimpse. Would the image even show up through the clouds. I quickly changed my settings and removed my filter and began shooting and this is what happened. The clouds thinned a bit through the rest of totality and two minutes after totality, the skies began to clear. True story! At first I kept saying to Gary, why couldn't that have happened 4 minutes earlier? Why all of a sudden now after totality is over. Well, as I looked at my images on the computer after returning home, I fell in love with this shot of diamond ring and realized that had it cleared sooner, if I would have had the ease of clear skies during totality, then this wouldn't have happened. I'm always learning from my photography experiences and so thankful for them. What seemed utterly impossible in a shot became a gift. I've had several people want prints, so I'll send in an order next week. I can have yours dropped shipped to your address Fed Ex for only $10. If you would like a print, just get with me privately to discuss how you'd like it printed. Our universe is miraculous, the timing of the planets, the moon, stars and sun in their orbits. To be a part of the unique moments we are blessed with is special. As the sky darkened and turned day to night, as the temperature dropped bringing on a surreal coolness to the air, the wonders of the heavens were made manifest that day with all their miracles.
