Blood Moon

I created this composite photograph of a complete blood moon lunar eclipse during one of the most difficult times in my life. My wife and I were coming to the end of our two years serving as missionaries in Haiti. The country was under lockdown due to roadblocks and protests against the government, so leaving our house was basically impossible. On top of that, I was dealing with PTSD from several events I experienced while in Haiti and had no idea I was in the middle of that battle.

Photography has always given me an escape. Knowing I needed to take a breather, I stayed up all night to photograph multiple exposures of the night sky during the complete lunar eclipse at multiple focal lengths to create this photo. I can remember sitting in the tall grass on the mountain surrounded by dogs and tarantulas and sipping on a beer while watching the beauty of the cosmos. I'm thankful that photography has continued to help me deal with my PTSD to this day.