Day 71...

I’ve been keeping to my aim of taking a nightly photo of the moon - this is last nights. There is something about staring up at it - for a start it’s beautifully clear through the camera lens and while it changes a tiny bit each night, essentially it’s the same thing I’m looking at night after night. Then actually photographing it at all takes decent technique - I shoot handheld rather than tripod mounted so I have to ensure that I have a good solid stance, elbows tucked in, frame the shot and squeeze the shutter on a long outward breath to hold as steady as possible. It makes me stop and think about my photography is a way that few other subjects do. We are due a change in the weather from tomorrow though - I suspect tonight may have been my last moon shot for a while (I just went out and took it while I was in the middle of writing this - had to go out to the road for the first time in the cycle as it was hidden behind the trees!).


Social media has been full of people posting black squares today - it’s intended to be white people showing solidarity with the black community, but a lot of BAME campaigners are calling it out as just being an easy way to make it appear that they are doing something, while actually doing nothing.  This has arisen following the murder of George Floyd by a Police officer in the USA (if you are reading this in the future, and wondering about who Floyd was, then google him, it’s important) - although far from the first death of a black man at the hands of white police officers, it seems to have been a tipping point - American People of Colour are no longer willing to live in fear and are determined to affect change. There have been protests - many of which appear to have been dealt with very heavy handedly. There has been looting and rioting, property has been destroyed - which is awful, but nowhere near as awful as black people routinely being murdered just because of the colour of their skin. There is to be a “socially distanced protest” in Harlow tomorrow. I’m considering going - but also wary. I can’t imagine it will stay socially distanced if a lot of people show up - and I’m incredibly cautious about getting caught in a crowded environment right at this moment. Selfish - perhaps, but I do have to consider my own little family bubble, it is not just me that it would put at risk. I AM trying to speak up on social media - re-tweeting things, linking posts into stories on Instagram - in a bid to help amplify the black voices that are out there helping to educate. I’m leaving hashtags to others - this should not be a trendy bandwagon to jump on, forgotten in a heartbeat when the next cool hashtag comes along. This is not about ME - it’s about THEM.

Robyn