Organic Light Pan

This evening as the moon made its appearance once again, I was out along the Skyline Highway.  It was a smashing way to greet in the new Islamic Year.  This evening the year 1433 Hijri started.  Without any fanfare or incendiaries the year came in silence, exactly how I like it.  Sublime moments bring there own grandeur to share with those open to seeing and recognizing them.  I was fortunate to be among the audience.

Muharram Crescent & Venus 1433

The year has gone by very fast, faster than I could have imagined.  Endings and beginnings are always times of retrospect and introspect.  As I look back over the past year, I find that I have some regrets and some gratitude.  It also brings hope and resolve to continue on.  Much has changed over the past year both internally and externally.  Nonetheless we have no choice but to accept the changes and move on, hopefully attaining growth as a human being.

I have much to share with you, my dear readers, in the weeks to come, and I just hope I can find the time, a commodity that has been in short supply with me lately, to bring out many new and exciting photographs and to share some interesting developments with Organic Light Photography.  Its never boring here, so stay tuned.

Sunset # 1, 1433 AH

One thing that you can be certain of is that the beauty of our fragile world will continue to grace the pages of this web journal and its parent website.  And along with them my reflections that will hopefully keep us growing as individuals leading us to the nexus of love and action that will change the tide that is rapidly eroding our home.

To all my readers, Happy Islamic New Year and Peace to you all.

Wow, it has been too long since I have posted.  I am sorry.  I have been swamped with teaching, and it only looks like its going to get busier.  In any case several things have developed over the last month.  I promise to get to that news as soon as I get back from the Autumn in Yosemite Valley workshop taking place this weekend.

However tonight, like clockwork we went out to search for the new crescent moon of the 12th month of the Islamic Calendar, Dhul Hijjah.  With good fortune we were able to see this incredibly thin crescent and photograph it.  This moon not only marks the beginning of the 12th month, but also the Hajj or holy pilgrimage to Mecca for the Muslims.  Approximately 2 to 2.5 million Muslims make the annual pilgrimage in a human spectacle that is unsurpassed anywhere else in the world.

To all my Muslim readers, Dhul Hijjah Mubarak and to all the Pilgrims, Hajj Maqbool (may your pilgrimage be accepted).

Crescent Moon of Dhul Hijjah 1432

Oh, the particulars of this moon.  Captured at 6:40 pm PDT, at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve in California in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains 37.2° N latitude, 122.2° W Longitude at an elevation of approximately 2300 feet above sea level.  With an altitude of approximately 2° and an azimuth of 242°.  The skies were completely clear.

Peace.

This is the followup to last night’s moon sighting trip. Only this time no one was with me, well not entirely true as I had two of my usual four assistants with me. It did not take us long to see the moon and as always it was stunning.

No noise, no distractions, not even a breeze rustling the grass. All we heard were the faint screes of red-tailed hawk in the distance. We stayed nearly 45 minutes watching the moon slowly sink in the sky and vanish below the horizon.

We bid farewell to Ramadan, a most blessed time of the year, and hoped that we would live long enough to host it once again in our lives.

To all my Muslim readers I wish all of you a heartfelt Eid Mubarak!

Oh yeah… the moon.

Shawwal 1432

Peace to you All.

Nothing

Last evening the 29th day of Ramadan 1432 came to a close.  It being the 29th day of the lunar month meant it was time to go out and look for the new moon, marking the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal and of course Eid Al-Fitr (the festival of breaking fast).

Astronomically the new crescent moon was not going to be visible here in North America.  The moon was to set only 7 minutes after the sun and its elongation was below the Danjon Limt for being easily visible with naked eyes.  We were not going to see it, but maintaining the tradition is just as important as seeing the moon, so off we went.

Meanwhile down in South America, there was a good possibility that someone in Chile might see it and bring fasting to an end.  People in Chile were in contact with the CrescentWatch.org project and all were ready to convey and record the sighting report.  To our surprise the report came back as Negative – crescent not seen!

This seemed like the future had been sealed and fasting would continue for one more day.  But that would be too easy, right?  Suddenly, out of nowhere another independent sighting report appeared on one of the older moon sighting report websites, moonsighting.com indicating that someone in Chile had actually seen the moon.

The sleuthing began in search of that person so that the particulars could be ascertained.  Once found, it is discovered of course that our sighter in question only spoke Spanish, oh wait Farsi too.  Great, find a translator and then begin the dialogue.  After much discussion, and well into the night, a decision had been reached.  Only one solitary sighting under very favorable sighting conditions did not provide the certainty needed to declare the end of  Ramadan.

It was nerve racking carrying that kind of pressure knowing that the decision resting on your shoulders would effect so many people.

Contrast all this with our carefree 40 minute trip up the mountain, a leisurely 1/4 mile walk to the top of a hill overlooking the fog enshrouded canyons of the Santa Cruz Mountains and below all that the mighty Pacific Ocean.  Allow our eyes to feast on the ethereal afterglow of sunset and then enjoying a communal breaking of the day’s fast on the 29th day with good friends.  We stayed there for no more than 30 minutes when we were sure the ‘moon’ had set seeing nothing of it at all, and then turned around and came back home.  Our conclusion as we walked back to our cars, we have one more blessed day of fasting and then we would all celebrate on the following day.

In the end both endeavors yielded the exact same result – Ramadan would be a 30 day month.  Need I say which undertaking issued the greater return?

Peace to you All!

Ramadan Light

Well it was a long night.  Reports came in from many locations and they needed to be tracked down and confirmed.  Reports came in from as far away as South Africa, and several locations in the Caribbean and South America.

Here in the States, the best location astronomically was in San Diego, which by the way suffered like we did in the Bay Area with cloudy or foggy skies.

Fortunately there were two separate sighting groups in south Texas that helped us confirm the beginning of Ramadan this year.  In one case there was a group of 16 individuals that saw the moon initially with binoculars and then of the 16, 3 were able to see it again with the naked eye.  In the second case we had four individuals that saw the new crescent with their naked eyes alone, not far from the the other group but completely independent.

Here in the Bay Area, the day played out nicely.  Fog in the morning that burned off by mid morning and mild temperatuers and clear skies for the remainder of the day…that is until the temperature started to drop.

We headed out with a group of nearly 40 adult individuals and counting the children we had to number well in to the 60’s.  We headed up to Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve hoping for clear skies there, but as we neared, the fog started to climb up from the coast and covered us over.  The marine layer had to be nearly 2700 feet thick!

The above photo shows the full extent of the light we saw on Borel Hill, the highest hilltop in the Bay Area’s Peninsula region.

Nonetheless, we managed to get the sighting confirmations we needed to mark the start of Ramadan.  To all my Muslim readers, Ramadan Mubarak.

Peace.

Shabaan 1432

This evening the new crescent moon of the 8th month of the Islamic calendar known as Shabaan was sighted marking the beginning of the month.  It was not a very young moon, thus making it very easy to see, but none the less it was a beautiful moon.  Every month has its appeal and its beauty, and this moon is no different.  The light was sublime and thankfully again, I did not need to go far to see it.

Shabaan is also known as the Month of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) and it was in this month that he fasted the most of any of the months other than Ramadan, which begins on the next new moon.

Make this a special month of remembrance and peace.

The drawing was held just a short time ago on Random.org.  If you sent in an email, or left with me at the open studio event you can go to the drawing page on random.org and type in your first and last name as it was given to me and verify that you were in the running.  You can verify your entry by clicking HERE and typing in your name in the entrant box.

The winner this year:  Julia O’Connell.

Julia is the winner of two studio sized matted prints of her choice.  Congratulation Julia and I await your reply with your choice of photos.  And a heartfelt thank you to all who participated.

The 2011 Organic Light Photography Open Studio starts today!  From 11 am to 5pm both Saturday and Sunday this weekend May 7-8 and for the next two weekends May 14-15 and May 21-22 I will have the photos and more on display and for sale.

All photos, posters and note cards are discounted during the open studio by 15%!

If you have been admiring one of my photos, then this is the time to make your purchase.  This sale only comes once a year!

Once again I am running the FREE Photo Giveaway Contest.  Just visit the Exhibit and leave me you name, address and email to enter the random drawing for 2 Studio Series Matted Photos of YOUR CHOICE!  The winner will be chosen randomly using Random.org.  Winner will be announced here on Organic Light Pan on Wednesday May 25th.

Good Luck and I hope to see you here at the studio.

I will have more to say about this moon in the days to come.  It was an amazing sight to see this moon.  Not the youngest I have seen but certainly one of the thinest.  It marks the beginning of the third month in the Islamic Calendar, Rabi Al-Awwal and is also the month in which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born.  This year it also coincided with the beginning of the Chinese New Year.

Rabi Al-Awwal 1432

So Rabi Al-Awwal Mubarak to all my Muslim readers and Happy Chinese New Year to all my Asian readers.  It is a good time.

Peace.

This year I thought I would post a wrap up of the best photos I made in 2010.  I am not as prolific as some photographers, but I have always been of the bent that quality is better than quantity.  I am not sure how many photographs I made in 2010, but these 25 photos mark the ones I liked the best.  I know that most will give the year’s top 10, but only 25 photos for the whole year, that averages out to about one good photo every 15 days.  I think I am doing pretty good with that given that Ansel Adams said a crop of 13 substantial photos in a year is good. Are all these 25 photos substantial, I don’t know, but they are what I consider the best for this past year.

Clicking on a given photo will take you to the Organic Light Photography website photo gallery where you can read more about each photo and make a purchase if you wish.  Enjoy and please let me know which is your favorite.

The year started out in pursuit of this small waterfall. For years I had seen where a winter waterfall could be present and this past January I managed to finally come away with a photo of it that I liked.

Ephemeral Veil

This portion of Gazos Creek has always intrigued me. There are these nearly perfect circular holes in the mud stone bed. I slowly inched my way out onto that slippery mud stone to come away with this photo.

Gazos Hole

Reflections have started to fascinate me ever since the 2007 Rippled Reflection photo. Here is the next addition to that portfolio.

Light Palette

This composition alluded me for years. This past October I finally came away with a photo from this location that meets my approval.

The Stage

A friend of mine calls this section of the Merced River “Cramer Alley” in honor of photographer Charles Cramer. Some of the photos produced by Charles Cramer are very inspirational and have gotten me to work along this portion of the Merced every time I visit the park.

Nestled

I have been photographing along the Big Sur coast line for over a decade. Garrapata Beach is one of my biggest attractions, but I have never photographed it from its northern end. I have seen photos from this side of the beach but was never impressed. This past August I found access to this view point on the North end and made my first attempt. I will need to go back, so expect more from this location.

Mystery Rocks

Spring found me leading a workshop about 2 weeks before the peak flower color. Carrizo Plain is a magical place when the flowers give a good showing. This was the California place this year.

True Value

Electric Dreams is a photo that I had in mind for years. I conceived the idea back in 2001 when I placed my then 35mm Nikon F4 camera with a 24mm wide angle lens on the ground in the sand pointing up into the sky with the camera on auto exposure and it captured my company logo. This was the first attempt at something similar with the 4×5 camera. My neck hurt for days after this photo.

Electric Dreams

When I was a graduate student at Stanford University, these flowers, Icelandic Poppies and Fireweed grew all around campus especially along the median strip of Campus Drive. They have always captured my imagination but have alluded my camera for years. These two photos come close to how I see them.

Impressions

My Heart Pops

I seem to always find myself photographing in strong harsh lighting. Its not easy to work with but one that I find challenging. This one I did not think would come out nearly as well as it did. The film held together very well.

Last Drink

Dogwoods are the most alluring of the deciduous trees here in California. Not tall like the Redwoods or Pines, not stoic like the Oaks or as graceful as the Maple, they leave nothing to desire when they bloom in spring or when they ignite in autumn.

Dancing With Dogwoods

I was incredibly disappointed when I discovered that I had underexposed this sheet of film by 2 stops! I was equally pleased when after developing the film and processing the photo that it came out as nice as it did.

Hidden

This photo was made in 2006, but sat in my files for the last 4 years until a client had asked for such an image for web use. It turned out that the request came in at the same time while I and my family were dealing with Whooping Cough and I was questioning the choices I had made in my life up to that point. This photo came to life at the right time.

Choices

Trees continue to fascinate me and the following four photos are new to that portfolio.

In The Trees

Pine and Moss

In The Glow

Cathedral Grove

This is one of the most dramatic views in the Park. It is not difficult to get to and one that stays with you for a lifetime.

The View

This scene took my breath away and was one that I knew would result in a great photo. It was just chosen as the California Nature Photographers January Cover photo!

Guardians

I must say that I have been unfaithful to the moon. It was the moon that first forced me to put a camera in my hand, and I have chased this little sliver of light in the sky nearly every month for the last 20 years! Yet I have shared very few of the photos. That will change from here on out.

Rabi Ath-Thaani 1431

Farewell Ramadan

The Moon, Venus and Me

Muharram 1432

This is the last photo I have made in 2010 and I really don’t expect to have time to go out before the new year. It was a unique event in our lifetime and one that I am very fortunate to have seen.

In Earth's Shroud

All these photos are now online at the Organic Light Photography website with my reflections and are available for purchase. All photos, including these Best of 2010 photos will be on sale until the end of January 2011 with 20% discount. So don’t miss out.

I want to thank all of you for your continued support and I hope that the coming year will be a prosperous one for all of us.

Peace.