Summer Solstice | June 20th, 2016
For the Summer Solstice this year I wanted to do something special to take in the entirety of the day. The project I created for myself was to create one photo for each hour of sunlight. To start the day off, I awoke before sunrise to catch the early morning’s light above Mt. Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH, and took periodic photographs there until the sun peaked over the mountain. After sunrise, I explored nearby towns, creating images throughout the daylight hours.
This was a unique creative exercise that I found both challenging and energizing; rhythmic and meditative. I would search for a subject or composition and work that piece until I created an image that was unique and intriguing. Import. Cull. Edit. Post. Begin again. I repeated that pattern 16 times throughout the day.
What made this solstice particularly remarkable, in additional to being the longest day of the year, was the occurrence of a full strawberry moon. To capture this beautiful event, I hiked Pitcher Mountain in Stoddard, NH for the sunset and moonrise. Pitcher Mountain was the perfect location for this because it provided a 360 degree panoramic view of the horizon. Minutes after the sun set, I spun around to capture the moon rising over the hills. Starting the day with a sunrise and concluding it with a moonrise created a complete cycle — a beautiful, fulfilling end to the longest day of the year.
Take a look at every hour of the Summer Solstice
