it is that time of year, precisely

September 21, 2025 • 4 Comments

I thought at least twice about not taking the sidereal equinox tack in today's blog, because some of the deep science led to my own eye rolling. It is complicated. But if you read this today, 22 September 2025, it is the autumnal or sidereal (pronounced sigh-deer-ree al) equinox. The day of the year when the amount of daylight is reducing at the most rapid rate. In other words, today will 2 minutes and 13 seconds shorter than yesterday. In the spring, just the opposite happens as the days become longer. Humans and the rest of nature notice.

According to Wikipedia, "Sidereal time is a "time scale that is based on Earth's rate of rotation measured relative to the fixed stars".^[1] A sidereal day (also known as the sidereal rotation period) represents the time for one rotation about the planet axis relative to the stars."

What the equinox means to me as a photographer is that the light has suddenly turns exquisite - away from the harsh, sometimes difficult light of high Southwest summer - into a gentle, nourishing, a nearly perfect light for shooting almost anything. It also means that I need to get out and shoot both earlier as well as later, to take advantage of the potential lighting possibilities.

A case in point - pumpkins. The mini-pumpkin in these photographs appears with its own handle. I can imagine a welder or metal worker looking at the pumpkin stem and thinking about creating a door handle identical to it. I used a variety of backdrops for the images below, including a matte of thyme, a glass table, bark and mulch, and a piece of sandstone.

pumpkin with stem 1 2025 pumpkin with stem 2 2025 pumpkin with stem 3 2025 pumpkin with stem 4 2025 pumpkin with stem 6 2025

pumpkin with stem 5 2025

Thanks to Pater (who provided the little jewel ready for its closeup), and Victoria, Terry T., Catherine, Steve, TTT, Jean & Sam, Earle, M. Fred, and Marilyn G. for commenting on last week's blog. Whether you photograph with photographer Edward Weston's ethic in mind (shooting in one's immediate surroundings), or by traveling the world, may you find that equinox light suits your photographic fancy.

until next Monday,

a passion for the image©

Keywords: autumn, autumnal equinox, Blacks Crossing Photography, Daryl A. Black, nature, New Mexico, photography, pumpkins, sidereal equinox

Comments

Shirleen(non-registered)

This is an excellent piece of writing, and I appreciate how you have clearly and succinctly conveyed the information. You've provided some really useful examples to support your arguments, and I like how you've divided difficult ideas into smaller, more digestible chunks. Reading this has taught me a lot, and I'm eager to incorporate some of the ideas you've covered into my own life. I am truly grateful that you took the time to write this.

Steve Immel(non-registered)

This is a super example of photographing a single subject portrait style from six different angles and distances. They could be called intimate landscapes, too. The "door handle" was as much the star of the show as the pumpkin. I absolutely see it being the model for a door handle.

Thanks for the tutorial on the autumnal equinox and sidereal time, an entirely new nugget of knowledge. "the light has suddenly turned exquisite - away from the harsh, sometimes difficult light of high Southwest summer - into a gentle, nourishing, a nearly perfect light for shooting almost anything." That's some great writing.

2:13 less light on the other hand gets mixed reviews in this household.

TTT(non-registered)

Certainly is a jewel!

Ingrid(non-registered)

It's that time of the year and it's beautiful!

No comments posted.