Clarity from haziness

Hazy Summer Night at the Cabin

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Hazy Summer Night at the CabinHazy summer night with the moon showing through gathering clouds at a camping cabin in Thompson, Ohio

"Sharpness is a bourgeois concept". Henri Cartier-Bresson

Bresson was making a quip at his own expense as he aged, and his hand was less steady when he made his famous quote. His photographs told eloquent stories even if somewhat less than possessing perfect clarity. Being French, the actual word he used for "clarity" was "netteté". It becomes obvious that the man had a dry wit because he also used a double entendre. It can also mean "flatness" (blandness) or a satire of the language of art criticism of the time. He was not a fan of clarity of clarity's sake but favored all the story telling virtues together.

Standing in a place that is not normal for me while camping is a place to contemplate these thoughts about clarity. The previous night, I shot the Moon in Grand Island, New York. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was dark with little light pollution. The Moon was clear.

On the following night, my family and I were camping a few hundred miles away in Thompson, Ohio. There were storms brewing over Lake Erie (not unusual on a summer night). Haze formed in the clouds and stratified downward to Earth. The ability to take a clear photo was nonexistent. But in the lack of clarity, there was still a story to tell.

This is why we leave our normal environment from time to time. What we will find is not clear; it is hazy. But once we conclude the journey, we discover something new about the places we visit. Along the way, we also discover something about ourselves. And it all becomes clear when all elements pull together.

Hazy Moon of 3 August 2022

Hazy Moon of 3 August 2022Hazy moon in the hour before a thunderstorn strikes in Thompson, Ohio, 3 August 2022

Waxing Crescent Moon 2 August 2022

Waxing Crescent Moon 2 August 2022Waxing Crescent Moon 2 August 2022
Illumination: 21%
Moon Age: 4.43 days
Moon Angle: 0.52
Moon Distance: 386,421.20 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 151,806,245.76 km

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