DIAMOND NIGHTS ARE BEAUTIFUL NOW

BETH MOON

Known best for her portraits of ancient trees, Moon has continued to chronicle them, now using the hours of darkness to photograph their magnificence under the light of the stars.

As urban sprawl and human constructs rob our night skies of their darkness, polluting them with artificial light, it is more difficult for us to see the stars. Moon sought out the most isolated places, in search of the purest darkness to find the clearest twinkles as a backdrop to the oldest trees.

While Moon is known for her medium-format film and large-scale richly toned platinum prints, this series marked the transition not only from film to digital capture, but also from black-and-white to color.

The long exposure time needed to photograph at night was not possible with film. Digital technology, however, offers features such as lower noise option levels and higher ISO settings to enable nighttime capture.

In the darkest pockets of our planet, Moon’s long exposures captured constellations, nebulae, and the Milky Way galaxy, in rich hues that are impossible to be seen by the naked eye.

Moon used a wide-angle lens and an ISO of 3200 to 6400. Exposures up to 30 seconds allowed enough light to enter the lens without noticeable star movement. Each location required considerable experimentation and different lighting techniques.

The “Diamond Skies” series was inspired by 2 fascinating, scientific studies that connect tree growth with celestial movement and astral cycles. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have shown that trees grow faster when high levels of cosmic radiation reach the earth’s surface.

The studies showed that cosmic radiation impacts tree growth even more than annual temperature or rainfall. Furthermore it was found that tree buds changed shape and size rhythmically, in regular cycles all through winter, directly correlating to the moon and planets.

Moon cites David Milarch, founder of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, who said, “Trees are solar collectors. Most people equate that with the sun’s energy. But the sun is only one star, and there are billions of stars that influence Earth with their radiation. . . . I also believe energies inside the earth are transmuted and transmitted into the cosmos by the trees, so the trees are like antennas, senders and receivers of earth energies and stellar energies.”

In her quest for darkness, Moon’s first journey was to southern Africa, on what she calls a “celestial safari.” “I don’t think I was prepared to see the enormity of the universe laid out so starkly above me, the Milky Way stretching from one end of the horizon to the other,” she exclaims.

Paper choice is key for Moon. She uses Arches Platine, a 100% cotton, water color paper with natural deckle edges that has been made by the same mill in France since 1492.

Moon’s extraordinary talents, both in framing and capturing her images, as well as with her extraordinary skills in printing are what make her photos more like “art-objects.”

Check out “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees,” Moon’s recently published book, which features her “Diamond Skies” works. And see more of her incredible images in her acclaimed first book, “Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time,” featured in our previous post.

You can view Moon’s original works at Verve Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, NM; Corden Potts Gallery, San Francisco, CA; and the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge, LA.

And see her upcoming Diamond Nights exhibition at the Bolinas Museum, California, March 30, 2019 – -June 2, 2019.

You can learn more about “Diamond Nights” on Moon’s website.

Read more about Night Beauty all this week on BeautifulNow, including Night Time Mega Beauty Captured, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Beautiful Darkness Becomes Us Now and Deep Dark Pockets of Starry Skies Now. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Beth Moon. “Caelum.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
2. Image: by Beth Moon. “Volans.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
3. Image: by Beth Moon. “Vela.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
4. Image: by Beth Moon. “Triangulum.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
5. Image: by Beth Moon. “Lycerta.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
6. Image: by Beth Moon. “Aludra.”  Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
7. Image: by Beth Moon. “Orion.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
8. Image: by Beth Moon. “Fornax.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
9. Image: by Beth Moon. “Hydra.” Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
10. Image: by Beth Moon. “Mizar.”  Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
11. Image: by Beth Moon. "Polaris." Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
12. Image: by Beth Moon. "Lyra." Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
13. Image: Courtesy of Abbeville Press. “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees,” by Beth Moon.
14. Image: by Beth Moon. "Corvus." Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
15. Image: by Beth Moon. "Eridanus." Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.
16. Image: by Beth Moon. "Andromeda." Baobabs in Botswana. From “Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.” Courtesy of Abbeville Press.