The Cold Moon Moonrise

December fourth’s Cold Moon swim was absolutely insane in the best way possible.

Around 3:10 p.m. I decided to hop into the water and grab a few shots of the waves before golden hour hit. By 4:00 p.m., the sun began sinking behind a house at Weekapaug Point, casting the most gorgeous light across the break. I photographed wave after wave glowing gold, the house silhouetted behind them was so surreal.

After taking 1,000 wave shots, I turned around and there it was. The best gift Mother Nature could’ve handed me — a FULL, glowing moon rising in the softest cotton candy sky. I had been worried I’d miss the moonrise because of the clouds sitting on the horizon, but they cleared at the perfect moment. I spun around in the water and screamed, “HOLLLLYYY SH*****T, LOOK AT THE MOON!” — I think my husband thought I was being attacked by something with how loudly I screamed.

The water was absolutely freezing, and at one point a wave hit me so hard it felt like a brick slammed into the side of my head. The reality of shooting in the shore break! You learn how to breathe through chaos and keep the body calm, even when you’re being tossed around like laundry in a washing machine and have no idea which way is up or down.

I knew the Cold Moon would be at its fullest on this day and I wanted to experience it the way a mermaid or dolphin would — from inside the big blue, with nothing surrounding me but water, instinct, and sky. These are the shots that came from my vision.