The Power of the High Moon
The weather can change in a second. We were out on an empty dirt road in the mountains--me, seven months pregnant with June, Travis, all three dogs, a little record cabinet and a small collection of records, and finally, a pair of High Moon Hifi Speaker Co. speakers.
We pulled off the dusty trail alongside some sagebrush and set up as quickly as we could. Everything around us was just as I had pictured it would be. I set up my tripod just as a lone pronghorn flashed past us--she was there and gone before any of the dogs could even register.
And what began as impossibly blue skies with a clear sun soon transitioned into an array of soft golden-hour rays streaming across our noses, bounding along with the pronghorns and burrowing into the sagebrush. The new delicate, diminutive light gave way to a frenetic swirl of grayscale clouds, like waltzing peppermint sticks in a black and white film. Tiny rainbows peeked out through white windows in the darkness; the sky grew wild. We were enveloped in the gentle chaos of the mountains. It felt sacred to witness. We packed up our gear and ourselves as the sky began to open like a slow zipper--releasing a few drops at first, then a deluge as the last of our truck doors slammed shut.
From the minute I met Melissa and Michael, photographing their speakers in this landscape was what I had in mind. Their aptly named High Desert Speaker is deceptively minimal, but with a depth of sound, of design, of story, with the power to transform a moment or transport us to another time and place. Melissa and Michael created something intentionally minimal, simplified, and subtle, but upon closer inspection you’ll see the attention to detail, the craftsmanship, the grain of the wood unique in each piece.
When you hear a song through a pair of High Moons, it’s like a late afternoon in the high desert--beautiful, simple, then energized by the clarity, warmth, and emotion swirling around. You see things you’ve never seen before; you hear parts in your favorite songs you’ve never heard before. You’re new, it’s new--everything becomes beautiful, fresh, and textural. You slow down. You’re transformed.
These are a few of my favorite photos for High Moon, taken throughout the duration of working on the launch of their company. I hope you take a moment to look into High Moon’s story, their speakers, their ethos. Melissa and Michael put an unparalleled level of intention into their work, of course, but also into what they value and how they impart those values to the world around them. It’s been an honor to be able to help them share it all with the world. We’re very inspired by them.
Photographed for High Moon throughout 2020 and early 2021.
Photography, writing, retail, and website by KKDW; High Moon logo design by Kelly Thompson.