Carl Henry Moen was born in Seattle in 1892 to Norwegian immigrant parents. His family moved several times as he was growing up, but settled in Ballard when he was nine years old. He helped harvest and sell the produce, milk, and poultry his family raised, and also was a messenger for Western Union, dug clams, and worked for Bemis Bag Co. Eventually he left home and began a 30-year career as a sailor, crossing the Pacific Ocean over 200 times.

Moen bought his first camera in 1909; it was a 5x7 view camera that used glass plate negatives. Most of his photos from this period are of his family and friends, showing scenes of life in Ballard in the early part of the 20th century. Carl Henry Moen is seen here in the darkroom he set up in his bedroom. The house had no electricity, so he used a kerosene lamp for lighting in the room.