Lunar Phase by Kurien Koshy Yohannan
Captured as part of an ambitious series documenting the lunar cycle, this photograph showcases the moon in exquisite detail. The photographer undertook the significant challenge of tracking the moon's phases from crescent to full and back again, a task made particularly difficult by the notoriously unpredictable and often overcast skies of Scotland. By focusing on the celestial transition, the photographer highlights the quiet majesty of the night sky. This image is award-worthy for its technical precision and the photographer's persistent dedication to capturing the beauty of the natural world despite challenging environmental conditions.
Eshank Kanojia
Born in lucknow, Eshank kanojia lives in mumbai, India. He completed his diploma in professional photography in fine arts and story telling images from delhi india Pearl academy. And roamed different cities capturing moments and emotions . Eshank was been bought up in a middle class family he has four members including him. He is emotionally attached with the way of taking pictures. Current Location Mumbai, India Instagram https://instagram.com/eshankk?igshid=1d3ux229s73sf Best Achievements & Exhibitions Featured in amazon india fashion week ( Delhi) Featured in times of india ( story behind the photo ) Featured in street photography mumbai ( instagram ) Award Winner Photo of the Day Camera Nikon d5300 ( body ) Lenses and Gears Lenses [ 35mm 1.8 ] [ 18 - 140 MM ] [ 55- 200 ] [ 18 - 55 ] TRIPOD FLASH DIGITEK
Resonance Score Breakdown
Transparency Note: The resonance score (13.7/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.
Expert Photography Reviews · 6
The Silver Pulse
We often mistake the night for an absence, a hollow space where the sun has simply folded its wings. But the dark is a vessel, holding the quiet weight of everything we cannot see during the frantic hours of light.
Read the reflection →The Architecture of Absence
In the seventeenth century, astronomers spent their nights mapping the craters of the moon, convinced they were looking at vast, terrestrial oceans. They named these dark patches 'maria'—seas—as if the lunar surface were merely a mirror of our own geography, waiting to be sailed.
Read the reflection →Reviews & Comments
Share your thoughts about this award-winning photograph. Your reviews contribute to the community engagement score.
Scotland’s skies are a graveyard for ambition, yet Yohannan clearly spent his nights shivering on some Edinburgh rooftop while the rest of us were tucked in bed. Tracking a lunar cycle here isn’t photography; it’s an exercise in masochism. I’ve spent enough freezing hours waiting for a break in the clouds to respect the sheer stubbornness required for this. It’s a cold, sharp piece of work. He didn’t just find the moon; he earned it.
Suspended in the Edinburgh void, this lunar fragment doesn’t merely reflect light; it interrogates the silence of the firmament. Yohannan captures a celestial body stripped of its romantic veneer, revealing a cold, cratered geology that resists our gaze. I’ve spent hours staring into that obsidian abyss, and it’s unsettling. It’s not just a moon; it’s a reminder that we are small, drifting things. When the shadows bite this hard, the light finally tells the truth.
Stripped of the chromatic warmth one craves, this lunar study exists in the bruised, charcoal silvers of a Morandi still life, where the absence of hue forces one to confront the sheer, shivering cold of the Scottish firmament. It’s a stark, monochromatic ache that I find deeply unsettling, yet I’m mesmerized by how the moon’s cratered surface glows with the pallor of bone against the infinite, velvet void of an Edinburgh night.
It’s a lonely vigil, isn’t it? Standing under those restless Scottish clouds, waiting for the veil to thin. I’ve spent enough nights shivering in the dark to know the ache in his fingers as he tracked that silver sliver. When the moon finally broke through, he didn’t just capture a phase; he caught a heartbeat. It’s quiet, precise, and deeply humbling. I find myself holding my own breath, just looking at the cold, steady light.
Of the thousands of lunar shots I’ve reviewed, most are just technical exercises. What separates this from the rest is the sheer grit required to pierce Edinburgh’s relentless cloud cover. I’ve spent enough nights staring at Scottish skies to know the frustration behind this frame. It’s not just a moon; it’s a victory over the atmosphere. Thirty years from now, people won’t care about the 500mm lens, but they’ll still feel the quiet, cold persistence here.
At f/14, the diffraction limit begins to soften the lunar craters, yet the 500mm focal length resolves the terminator with startling clarity. I’m genuinely moved by how the sensor captures that cold, celestial silence against the Scottish atmosphere. It’s a delicate balance; the lens pushes past human perception, revealing textures the eye simply can’t hold. While the aperture choice risks some diffraction, the result is a crisp, hauntingly precise study of light traveling through vacuum and haze.
Thank you for your comment, Chris. Much appreciated…
Great detail here! Nice work of a difficult subject.