03/19/2025
Lunar Eclipse Blood Moon 2025
I never planned to capture the Lunar Eclipse Blood Moon on the night of Thursday, March 13th into the early morning of Friday, March 14th 2025. Truth be told, I had been battling a heavy wave of depression, and staying awake all night for a photography session was the last thing on my mind. But something deep inside me urged me to step outside, to embrace the night, and to witness this celestial event over Buffalo, NY. And so, despite my exhaustion from a full day of work, I grabbed my camera gear and headed out into the cold darkness.
Setting up my tripod and telephoto lens under the crisp night sky, I reminded myself why I fell in love with photography in the first place—to capture the extraordinary in the everyday. My goal for the night was ambitious: to photograph the eclipse every 15-20 minutes, documenting each phase to later create a stunning composite of the full transformation. For those who slept through this rare event, I wanted to craft an image that would bring them right into the moment, as if they had witnessed it firsthand.
As the hours stretched on, the cold nipped at my fingers, and fatigue threatened to overtake me. But the sight unfolding before me was pure magic. At around 2:30 a.m., the Blood Moon emerged. The challenge was immense. The moon moves fast, requiring quick adjustments to my camera settings to maintain sharpness and clarity. Every second mattered. I dialed in my exposure, tweaked my focus, and held my breath as I pressed the shutter. And there it was—a crisp, clean image of the Blood Moon in all its glory.
I pushed through the exhaustion, capturing every stage of the eclipse until the final moments at 5:15 a.m. when I packed up my gear, knowing I had something special. But I wasn’t done just yet. Before heading home, I took advantage of the serene pre-dawn light and captured a stunning blue hour shot of Buffalo City Hall. I knew this would be the perfect foreground to composite with the lunar eclipse sequence, blending the beauty of our city with the grandeur of the cosmos.
Back in my studio, reviewing the images, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. Each frame held a story—a journey of resilience, passion, and the undeniable beauty of the universe. The final composition, featuring the lunar eclipse phases rising over Buffalo City Hall, is a testament to the harmony between Earth and sky.
link to photo: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1889267107/lunar-eclipse-2025-blood-moon-print
link to my site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/zackmikolajczakphoto