On art and photography: By the light of the silvery moon

A friend of mine recently noted that it must be nice to live in Washington, D.C., and have access to so many varied museums. Indeed, it is – and the great thing about it is most of them offer free admission, too. Take the National Gallery of Art, for instance, which has grown into our favorite museum to visit in the two years we’ve resided inside the Beltway.

In addition to regularly attending the NGA’s monthly “Evenings on the Edge,” in which the east gallery stays open late the first Thursday of selected months, from time to time the NGA also sponsors insightful lectures in conjunction with its ongoing exhibitions.

Last week, my wife and I attended one of these lectures, “Photographing the Moon,” which featured curators from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum discussing the history of photographing the moon and how photography played both a significant role in preparing for the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969 and in shaping the cultural consciousness of the event.

We learned how “the mission, launched within the framework of Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union, was not merely one of scientific discovery and technical prowess. It was necessary, as President John F. Kennedy explained in a famous 1962 speech, ‘to win the battle ... between freedom and tyranny’ and held nothing less than ‘the key to our future on Earth.’”

Buzz Aldrin’s Footprint, July 20, 1969

David DeVorkin, senior curator of astronomy and space sciences, spoke on “Mapping the Moon with Telescopes,” in which he illustrated the interplay of the eye and hand with the development of the photographic process of the moon over the past 150 years and how it impacted the Apollo space program.

Then, Matthew Shindell, curator of planetary science, in “Geology from Orbit: Robots, Cameras and Photogeology,” described the development and impact that photogeology, which provided for early photography of the earth and moon from airplanes, had in establishing a pathway for mapping and selecting landing sites for manned missions to the moon.

Finally, Jennifer Levasseur, curator of space history, showed how images captured by the Apollo Era astronauts formed a framework for our ability to understand human spaceflight today.

The hour-long lecture tied in nicely with the “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, which we viewed afterward. (The exhibition opened on July 14 and continues through January 5, 2020 in Gallery 22 of the NGA’s West Building.)

“By the Light of the Silvery Moon” contains some 50 works including a selection of photographs taken by the unmanned Ranger, Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter missions that were preliminary to the Apollo 11 manned space flight. The landmark event is represented by glass stereographs that were taken on the moon by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. They show close-up views of three-inch-square areas of the lunar surface. There are also many iconic NASA and press photographs of the astronauts, which brought back memories of my childhood, that received wide recognition and dissemination following the success of the Apollo 11 mission.

The exhibition also includes lunar photographs collected from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Warren de la Rue’s late 1850s glass stereograph of the full moon and Charles Le Morvan’s photogravures from Carte photographique et systematique de la lune that was published in 1914, in which he tried to “systematically map the entire visible lunar surface.”

Collectively, the photographs displayed in “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” ranging from the 19th century to the “space-age” 1960s, “merged art and science and transformed the way that we envision and comprehend the cosmos.”

Credits: Cover photo: By Michael Dickens. Other photos: Courtesy of “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” exhibition. Video: Courtesy of YouTube and National Gallery of Art.

Thoughts on 2019’s arrival: It’s time to write another book

We are barely removed from the end of 2018,

which is a good thing because it was a very challenging year.

The world lost a lot of dear and talented people: 

Stephen Hawking, Tom Wolfe and Penny Marshall come to my mind.

And, there were lesser known but just as important ones we 

lost such as Irena Szewinska, 72, a sprinter and long jumper from 

Poland, who won seven medals in five Olympic Games, tying an 

Olympic women’s record and becoming a national hero in her country. 


For the entire year, the U.S. dealt with a President named Trump.

And, we know how well this has turned out for our country.

However, with the arrival of 2019, the first blank page of a 365-page,

year-long book that each of us will author began to be filled.

All of us start the New Year with a clean slate.

Hopefully, each of us will take the time to write a thoughtful book, 

be it a memoir or a best-selling novel,

day by day, page by page.

 With 2019 coming into clearer view, we welcome its challenges.

Remember, the words of Ecclesiastes, who said:

"The race is not to the swift,

nor the battle to the strong."

Life is to be enjoyed day by day,

 one day at a time.

Take time for family,

read a good book, 

listen to good music,

master a hobby like photography,

talk to good friends – and listen to them, too.

Support the arts, support newspapers.

Vote your conscience, but do vote!

Here's wishing you and your loved ones a Happy New Year.

May each of you enjoy cheers, love and peace on earth

in the New Year ahead.

2014: It was a very good year to be in my pictures

A selfie / It was a very good year to be in my pictures.

As many of you who follow me through A Tuesday Night Memo or via Facebook know, I'm an avid photographer. 

Whenever I travel across the country or abroad -- or even just to go to a University of California, Berkeley sporting event or out to eat, I make it a habit to bring my camera (a Canon PowerShot A570 IS) with me. And, thanks to getting an iPhone four years ago, I now have two sources for shooting photographs. 

Taking pictures has matured considerably as photography has morphed from film to digital, and it's become an easier and more affordable hobby. Once was the time when I worried about how many rolls of film to buy -- and what speed -- for a vacation. Then, making sure I didn't misplace any rolls after I shot them.

Once I became a digital photographer about 10 years ago, it allowed me to become my own editor. So, if I'm not happy with a picture, I can delete it and re-shoot it, then edit it for clarity. No longer do I have to worry about whether the film I shot of the Eiffel Tower or Westminster Abbey is in focus or not. 

Thanks to social media sites like Facebook, uploading and sharing photos with a large group of friends has become fast and simple -- and for me, personally, it's become a daily exercise in sharing my photography with others through my timeline: "It's what's on my mind."

Each year, I take more than a thousand photographs of people, places and things. In revisiting the photo albums I've shot over the past 12 months, I've pulled together a group of photos that I'm pretty excited about. They cover a variety of things important and interesting to me: Flowers and nature, sports, music and the urban landscapes of cities I've visited like San Francisco and Seattle. 

You may recognize some of these photos from appearing on my Facebook page or in my blog. Click on each photograph to see them enlarged.

I hope you enjoy the exhibit and I welcome your thoughts.

Cheers and Happy 2015!

Brittany Boyd and the University of California, Berkeley women's basketball team
face the USC Women of Troy at Haas Pavilion last January.

Mikayla Lyles (L) and Toni Kokenis / The Cal and Stanford basketball rivals
created a pair of panel discussions on support for LGBT inclusion in sports
that took place on the Cal and Stanford campuses last February.

A clash of mascots / The Stanford Tree and Cal's Oski Bear promote
a little school spirit for their respective teams during a Cal-Stanford
women's basketball game at Haas Pavilion last February.

Early morning beauty / A mid-winter sunrise as seen from my patio deck.

At Stitches West / A beautiful yarn display from A Verb For Keeping Warm
on display at 2014 Stitches West in Santa Clara, Calif. last February.

The home office / My MacBook Pro logged in to Facebook, a cup of French roast
coffee and a WriterCoach Connection tutoring assignment.

A rainbow of colors / Sharing the beauty of one of
our roses in our backyard garden.

All rise / A truly incredible spring sunrise as viewed from our patio deck.

Fun in the sun and sand / Cal's Joan Colairo (L) and Adrienne Gehan
playing sand volleyball  at the University's Clark Kerr Courts last spring.

Easter Sunday / The altar at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral last April.

Enjoying Bumbershoot / Listening to music at the Starbucks
Stage during the 2014 Bumbershoot festival in Seattle. 

On stage / Valerie June played a distinctive blend of rural roots and country
music on the Starbucks Stage at the 2014 Bumbershoot festival in Seattle. 

The Seattle Space Needle / The iconic Emerald City
landmark as seen on a cloudy Labor Day.

A summer night of sound / Enjoying Bumbershoot after dark as Neon Trees
plays an "upbeat collection of sleek, modern alternative pop songs powered
by singer/songwriter Tyler Glenn's bright melodies, huge choruses, and
witty lyrics about the challenges of finding love in the digital age."

A clear sky / Throughout the year, our clear skies over the Bay Area afford
us an opportunity for moon gazing.

Up close and personal with the Nutcracker / Celebrating
Christmas at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco.

The Tree of Hope / Celebrating Christmas
at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.

A San Francisco treat / A cable car climbs Nob Hill on Powell Street
at the intersection of California Street.

Christmas in San Francisco / A view of the Union Square
Christmas tree.

My friend Joslynn Celestine Mathis-Reed's MFA thesis choreography notes
for her performance of "Narrowed Mind" at Mills College in Oakland, Calif.

A celebration of orange / Sharing a vibrant orange rose from
our backyard garden.

Connecting community with public space / Public, a San Francisco-based
urban bicycle design and gear company is making bicycle riding more
enjoyable, practical and chic.

Looking deep into the power and beauty of nature /
A eucalyptus tree near Shakespeare Garden in
San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. 

Dreaming my future / Enjoying a Peet's caffe mocha
at the Emeryville Public Market.

All photographs by Michael Dickens © 2014.

2012 ~ My Year in Pictures

The beauty of nature / Dutch tulips at Floriade 2012.

I'm an avid photographer.

Most of you who follow this blog or are friends of mine on Facebook know this about me. And, as picture taking has matured from film to digital, the hobby of photography has become easier and more affordable. No longer do I have to buy and store film or worry about whether the roll of film I shot of the Eiffel Tower is in focus or not. Instead, I make it a habit to bring my camera (a Canon PowerShot A570 IS) with me wherever I go or travel. Thanks to the addition of an iPhone two years ago, I now have two sources for taking pictures.

As I have transitioned into becoming a digital photographer, it has allowed me to become my own editor. For instance, if I take a photo that I'm not happy with, I can easily delete it and re-shoot the photo, then edit it for clarity. And, thanks to social media like Facebook, uploading and sharing photos with a large group of friends has become fast and simple ~ and, a daily exercise to share with others "it's what's on my mind."

Each year, I take more than a thousand photographs of people, places and things. In revisiting the photo albums I've shot over the past 12 months, I've pulled together a group of 50 photos that I'm pretty excited about. They cover a variety of things important and interesting to me: Flowers and nature, sports, music and urban landscapes in cities like San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. 

You may recognize some of these photos from appearing on my Facebook page.

I hope you enjoy the exhibit and I welcome your comments and feedback.

Cheers and Happy 2013!

Brussels / Le Botanique.

Brussels / Walking through Le Botanique.

Brussels / The Grote Markt (Grand Place).

Brussels / Le Cure Gourmande.

Brussels / Corne chocolatier in Galleries Royale
St. Hubert.

Brussels / Chocolate sculpture in
Galleries Royale St. Hubert.

Brussels / Colorful public art.

Brussels / St. Michael and St. Gudula
Cathedral.

Brussels / Hotel Bloom.

Paris / Notre Dame Cathedral.

Paris / Sculpture artwork at Notre Dame Cathedral.

Paris / Notre Dame Cathedral.

Paris / "Flowers That Bloom at Midnight"
Sculpture by Yayoi Kusama.

Paris / Arc de Triomphe at
Place Charles de Gaulle.

Paris / Le Tour Eiffel.

Amsterdam / Pop culture meets fashion.

Amsterdam / At the Bloemenmarkt.

Amsterdam / The Concert-Gebouw at night.

Amsterdam / Through the looking glass.

Amsterdam / In the courtyard of the
 Hermitage Amsterdam.

Amsterdam / Dutch tulips outside the Rijksmuseum.

Amsterdam / The Venice of the North.

At home / Pristine rose bud.

At home / Pristine rose bloom.

At home / Pristine rose bloom.

Seattle / Saturday breakfast French toast at Chinook's.

Seattle / The Space Needle.

Seattle / Monument at the
Fishermen's Terminal.

Seattle / Late summer sunset over the Puget Sound.

Seattle / Labor Day baseball at Safeco Field.

Portland / Whisper hybrid tea rose at International
Test Rose Garden.

Portland / The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
playing at the Doug Fir.

At home / Mr. Lincoln red rose
in black and white.

Portland / On the grounds of the International
Test Rose Gardens.

Berkeley / The Cal women's volleyball team
celebrates a victory and waves to the crowd.

At home / Queen Elizabeth rose bloom.

San Francisco / Seeing Glen Hansard
at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

At home / Enjoying an autumn Queen Elizabeth rose
blooming in our backyard garden.

San Francisco / Grace Cathedral.

Berkeley / University of California women's volleyball
team in action.

San Francisco / Classic Converse Jack Purcell sneaker.

San Francisco / Giants World Series victory parade
along Market Street with team broadcasters.

Berkeley / Kat Brown of the
Cal women's volleyball team being
interviewed by the Pac-12 Network.

Oakland / Lake Merritt on Thanksgiving Day
standing on pier at Lake Chalet. 

San Francisco / SPCA Adopt-a-Pet display at Macy's
during holiday season.

At home / Late-season First Prize rose.

Albert Lea, Minn. / Fountain Lake view as seen
on Christmas Eve afternoon.

Berkeley / Court side view of Cal women's basketball
game against George Washington University.

Amsterdam / Classic bicycle that is everyone's
choice for transportation around the city.

At home / An amazing spider web that
I photographed on our patio deck.

All photographs by Michael Dickens, copyright 2013. All rights reserved.