Skoll’s Journey
In centuries past different cultures had different explanations for the eclipse. Beasts eating the sun whole, plunging the world into an eternal night. In my reading, perhaps my favorite such legend was from the Viking culture. In Norse mythology the sun is a goddess drawn across the sky by two steads, chased from east to west by the offspring of Fenrir and Angrboda, Skoll. The legend says that at Ragnarok three winters in a row shall come with no spring to revive nature, then the two wolves will swallow the sun and moon. Despite these dire tales, we today can look up at the sky, watch this celestial event, not with horror, not terror, but with awe. Though I suspect, somewhere in the back of all of our minds, there is a hint of worry that the ancients knew something we did not.
This was really something, I had been planning this trip for seven years. Ever since 2017 when my attempt at capturing this event was a failure. Not because of weather, or equipment failure, no no… I failed because I didn’t understand enough about what I was doing, about the technical nature of this shoot. For seven years the failure haunted me, knowing I would get another chance if the stars aligned once more. This photo is the culmination of seven years of hard work and dedication to my craft, and the elation I felt upon completing the shoot was, in my humble opinion, well earned.
The reality is, the editing process in this photo isn’t really anything special. Through a little research you can get a full technical breakdown to create a composite like this one. The advice I give you here isn’t technical, it’s about goals. Setting them, and even if you fail to meet those goals, you should work to achieve them. Failing to meet your goal, does not mean you are a failure, you at least tried. The photo in 2017 that haunted me so, did not mean I was a failure, and until I understood, and accepted that, I couldn’t move on. Don’t let setbacks hold you back from growing, take those setbacks and build a bridge to your next goal. Ever onward.
Until Next Time!
Aperture: f11
ISO: 250
SS: 1/800th
Focal: 560mm
Fujinon 100-400mm
