Supermoon 2019Advance notice - long story today.
Perseverance in the face of adversity is lauded widely as a virtue. It is the character strength found in heroism as well as a pillar of American exceptionalism. More than any other attribute, it is what our stories and movies promote. Perseverance in the face of adversity truly is an admirable and lofty goal.
It is, or can be, a fool's errand as well. When not tempered with an accurate and realistic understanding of the results to be gained versus the price to be paid it can be a trap that leads to pain and ruin. It can be the alluring nectar of Dionaea muscipula; a promise of fulfillment that ends in despair.
Sometimes instead of persevering on a fools journey, it makes more sense to accept the reality and make the best of it. That is how this image came to be. I have been planning a supermoon shot for over six months. I had the location mapped, the angle calculated, the timing locked in and the settings completely covered. It was to be my shot of the year. It was to be epic! An extraordinary testament to my talent that paid homage to God.
It was not this shot.
Four days before the supermoon I got the flu. The fever broke the day before, leaving me weak and unable to sustain long periods of activity. But, I would persevere, I told my wife. I was going to go for the shot. I couldn't pass up this once in a lifetime image.
Reality soon set in. I might have made the two and a half hour drive without incident. I might have got set up and captured the image as well. But it would have taken everything out of me and, most probably, incited a relapse whose outcome could be crippling. I love my life, my family, the stunning beauty of the southern Arizona High Desert and the wildlife that lives here too much to take that risk.
So this is my Supermoon 2019 shot. It was taken from right outside my front door. Is it the shot I dreamed of? No. Is it the shot that allowed me to capture and share the miracle of Gods world with others? Yes. And, it is a shot I will look at in the future to remind me to be humble and understand my limitations. It took fifty-eight years to learn that lesson. I guess that result is sort of epic when you think about it.
Today's story was written to myself as much as to those whom I am sharing it with. It is long (my apologies) and, for me, somewhat cathartic. I pray it is a reminder in future times that God's grace does not always mean we will get what we want, but instead we should be grateful for the Glory of getting what we need.
I remain His scribe
Supermoon 2019
©RGallucci Photography
Shoot Date: February 19, 2019
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Aperture priority 13.0 sec at f/8.0 ‒ 2 EV
Lens: TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011 @ 500 mm
ISO: 400
Advance notice - long story today.
Perseverance in the face of adversity is lauded widely as a virtue. It is the character strength found in heroism as well as a pillar of American exceptionalism. More than any other attribute, it is what our stories and movies promote. Perseverance in the face of adversity truly is an admirable and lofty goal.
It is, or can be, a fool's errand as well. When not tempered with an accurate and realistic understanding of the results to be gained versus the price to be paid it can be a trap that leads to pain and ruin. It can be the alluring nectar of Dionaea muscipula; a promise of fulfillment that ends in despair.
Sometimes instead of persevering on a fools journey, it makes more sense to accept the reality and make the best of it. That is how this image came to be. I have been planning a supermoon shot for over six months. I had the location mapped, the angle calculated, the timing locked in and the settings completely covered. It was to be my shot of the year. It was to be epic! An extraordinary testament to my talent that paid homage to God.
It was not this shot.
Four days before the supermoon I got the flu. The fever broke the day before, leaving me weak and unable to sustain long periods of activity. But, I would persevere, I told my wife. I was going to go for the shot. I couldn't pass up this once in a lifetime image.
Reality soon set in. I might have made the two and a half hour drive without incident. I might have got set up and captured the image as well. But it would have taken everything out of me and, most probably, incited a relapse whose outcome could be crippling. I love my life, my family, the stunning beauty of the southern Arizona High Desert and the wildlife that lives here too much to take that risk.
So this is my Supermoon 2019 shot. It was taken from right outside my front door. Is it the shot I dreamed of? No. Is it the shot that allowed me to capture and share the miracle of Gods world with others? Yes. And, it is a shot I will look at in the future to remind me to be humble and understand my limitations. It took fifty-eight years to learn that lesson. I guess that result is sort of epic when you think about it.
Today's story was written to myself as much as to those whom I am sharing it with. It is long (my apologies) and, for me, somewhat cathartic. I pray it is a reminder in future times that God's grace does not always mean we will get what we want, but instead we should be grateful for the Glory of getting what we need.
I remain His scribe
Supermoon 2019
©RGallucci Photography
