Solar Eclipse

Lesson From A Teen

     Countless people around the globe trekked to places they assumed would offer unique vantage points. Astronomers estimate this miracle only occurs every 350 years in the same longitude and latitude. Two of my closest friends fought off thousands of cars to drive to the Oregon coast. Sadly, although one is a professional photographer, he forgot to bring his camera.

      A mere 30 minutes before the solar eclipse appeared, a 13-year-old called and said: “you don’t have to travel across the nation; just go to our local library.” I grabbed my Nikon and 300 millimeter lens and rushed to meet at the library. When we arrived I felt a sense of peace when I saw about 100 people together with their children and dogs waiting for the eclipse. They were laughing and looking in awe at the sky. Some even put solar glasses on their beloved dogs.

     I captured this precious shot of the sun and moon being protected by a cloud that resembled a dragon. An ancient Chinese legend states that the dragon appears during a solar eclipse to protect the universe. After I spoke about the dragon cloud, numerous patrons at the local Library asked me for a copy of this photo because they did not have high-powered lenses with which to shoot the eclipse. I want to share this with the community.

Hal S. Kataoka, M.A., Educational Psychology 

inspirantphotographer.com