By Editor Kimberly
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 9th of May 2025

'End of the Day' by Shunsuke Sadakata

We all recognize that true photography is more than just capturing what we see—it's about the ability to capture images that can each tell a story. And few subjects bring more natural drama, emotion, and symbolism into an image than the Sun and the Moon.

These celestial bodies aren’t just light sources—they're characters in your frame. They rise and fall, reveal and conceal, and they bring with them moods that can turn an ordinary photo into something impactful and unforgettable. An image with a narrative.

The Bold Storyteller

'Evening by the sea' by Erik Engström

The boldest storyteller is the sun and when it enters your frame, it's rarely subtle. It shapes the entire emotional tone of an image—whether it’s casting a long, golden shadow at dawn, lighting up the sky and washing the scene in brilliant shades of red, yellow and orange at sunset or washing everything in a brilliant light during midday.

'Morning at Mt. Begunjscica' by Mirko Potocnic

A sunbeam slicing through trees can evoke hope. A backlit silhouette at sunset can speak of mystery, change, or farewell. The sun doesn’t just light your scene; it writes a story for you to capture.

'Dreamy light' by NingYun Ye

Golden hour, with its rich warmth and forgiving shadows, is especially powerful for storytelling. It can add softness to a portrait, nostalgia to a landscape, or romance to a city street. The colour and angle of sunlight give you control over tone—whether you're telling a story of adventure, serenity, or transformation.

And sometimes, the absence of the Sun—just after it sinks below the horizon—tells its own kind of story. Blue hour brings cool, quiet hues that slow everything down. There's a sense of reflection, of things winding down, of waiting.

A Quiet Narrator

'Another new day' by Andreas Agazzi

Where the Sun is expressive and direct, the Moon is subtle and symbolic. It speaks in whispers, and invites you to shoot more than just a scene—it asks you to capture a feeling.

'Lonely Silence' by MingLun Tsai

The Moon can be mysterious, lonely, romantic, even eerie depending on how you frame it. A lone figure beneath a full moon might suggest isolation or wonder. A sliver of moon above the ocean can be the start—or end—of a journey. Its presence doesn’t dominate the image, but it adds depth, a sense of time passing, of something bigger happening. The presence of a large full moon rising highlights the relative insignificance of our world within the vastness of the universe.

'Night hedgehog' by Hamad

Its phases even offer visual metaphors—growth, fullness, letting go. And photographing the Moon well requires slowing down, planning ahead, and embracing the quieter moments of the night. In storytelling, that’s where a lot of its meaning lies.

A Shared Language

'Orbit' by Koto

The beauty of using the Sun and the Moon in your photography isn’t just visual—it’s symbolic. They can represent beginnings and endings, cycles and change, warmth and distance. They add narrative layers to your image without saying a word.

'Planet Rising' by Kimberly

Photographing a sun-drenched landscape tells one kind of story—maybe about vitality, hope, or clarity. A moonlit forest tells another—perhaps about solitude, dreams, or the unknown. The light they offer is more than just exposure; it’s emotional context.

When They Share the Stage

And then there are the rare, breathtaking brief moments when both Sun and Moon are in the sky together—during twilight hours, or on those magical days when a full moon rises just as the sun sets. These moments are like poems in motion, full of contrast and balance. In storytelling terms, they offer complexity: light and shadow coexisting, past and future overlapping.

'at night' by fotomarion

Eclipses, too, are cosmic drama at its peak. They’re fleeting, intense, and unforgettable—like the climax of a great story you’ve been waiting to capture. Some of the most breathtaking moments happen when the two meet. Think of a pale moon hanging in the pastel light of dawn, or a solar eclipse where day briefly becomes night.

'Solar & Moon' by Jianshu

Capturing these rare phenomenon gives us a sense of experiencing something much greater than ourselves and the little blue planet we share.

Let the Sky Speak

Photographing the Sun and the Moon isn’t just about getting the shot—it’s about listening to the story unfolding above you. Every sunrise hints at a beginning. Every moonrise suggests a chapter turning. If you let them, they’ll give your images more than beauty—they’ll give them meaning.

Here are just a few more wonderful images from our 1x members.

'Morning light' by Yuan Su

'Peace at night' by Tracy Lee

'In the moon that is always rising …' by Steven T

'Bell Tower' by Fan Lin

'Sunlight Through Ice' by Þorsteinn H. Ingibergsson

'Solitude at Sea' by Kenneth-Wei Zeng

'Dancing in the Moonlight' by Steven Fudge

'Moonlit desolation' by Jie Jin

'dead sea by night' by Ilan Amihai