No Moon On Monday...

The absence of the moon in the sky gives everything a moodier feel. I know that the celestial orb is hanging up there per usual, but as with every new moon we can't see it with the naked eye. Shadows caused by the moon's glow aren't present at these times. There are plenty of dark spaces...they are just created by absence of light rather than the shadows caused by the directed light of a partial to full moon. These times are equally as mystical and mysterious as when the moon is in full glow, projecting the sun's fire from the other side of the planet.

The sky was a beautiful shade of blue on my short evening walk. Without the moon's beams, the trees looked flat, and one-dimensional. They looked like they had been meticulously cut from black felt and laid against the sky.

The only immediate light sources were of an electrical nature. Headlights of cars in the distance as they made their way back from Tybee Island (it was Memorial Day's end). The few street lamps dotting the drive through the condos, accompanied by a sprinkling of porch lights. Whenever I go out for a stroll, I'm usually looking up in admiration of the moon and the stars. Since the moon was on break I focused more on my immediate vicinity down here on planet earth.

I am not a big fan of the camera flash. I do use it from time to time, but I prefer to turn it off. For me the flash negates so much of a scenes feel. When I see something that moves me to photograph it, I want to capture what I see. The camera's flash can kill a shot for me. It blows away the elements I wanted to grab, so that I could experience them again later. However, there are times in the darker hours of the day when turning the flash off can get tricky. There is an ability one needs to possess to take 'clean' pictures. To avoid them being fuzzy. You need to be able to hold the camera rock steady. I, unfortunately, do not have that skill. Unless I'm using the tripod, the 'fuzz' will be there.

I was on my way back home when I decided to snap a few more pictures. The lights dotting the condos in front of me proved to be difficult to capture clearly because of the various light sources. (The picture above is a cleaner shot of where I was headed.) I decided to play a little, and came up with some more abstract photos that I have posted below. I think they're kind of interesting...