I wanted to try one of these funky polar images using a panorama of the sunset at one of Fort Lincoln's blockhouses. I think it turned out pretty well for a first attempt. In the course of wrangling this through Photoshop I learned a few things about how better to compose and exopse a shot for this sort of treatment, as well as get an idea of which types of shots will respond well and which won't work at all. Have a good weekend!
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Today's music reference blog post title comes from the Mr. Big album. This farm sits north of town and was a point of interest for my youngest boy and me a short while ago. We couldn't go near, but of course I have a loooooong lens for situations like that.
I have a strict rule about obeying posted NO TRESPASSING SIGNS (and the law) when out on these photo hunts. I've found that if I discover a place where I want to take my camera, locating that sign and calling the landowner listed thereon will result in an invitation to proceed. Only once have I reached some drunk jackhole who thought it'd be fun to be rude, swear, and insult me rather than simply say "No."
If you are into photography, I suggest the same diligence when out with your cameras. It only takes one wandering uninvited photographer to tick off a landowner to the point of never allowing anyone on their property. Ask a hunter how that works out.
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This is what I was hoping for last night; however, I spent the evening dozing off with an ice pack while waiting for an unsettled atmosphere to suddenly flare up. Horsing around with my boys, I managed to acquire a huge, swelling bruise that I needed to tame before any late night excursions. Thankfully, it worked...but I did end up sacking out for the night.
This photo is from the last time Northern Lights abounded in North Dakota: 2005. It's partially responsible for me getting a digital camera in the first place. I spent the previous solar maximum in the 1980s hanging out at Double Ditch with friends while breathtaking displays filled the sky overhead, and I wanted to capture the moment. Then, as if my purchase had single-handedly extinguished the sun, the solar activity period waned and I've waited ever since. I only got a handful of Aurora Borealis photos before things quieted down. Needless to say, I've been waiting as anxiously as all those scientists who've been scratching their heads and wondering why the solar maximum has taken so long to return!
Hopefully, now that I've almost totally ditched this head cold and managed to bring down the swelling of my brand new shiner, I'll be able to hit some of my favorite spots and put to use some of the best tricks I've learned in astrophotography over the past six years. Naturally I'll be treating you to the results as soon as they manifest - I hate posting recycled content!
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At last - some snow! It's a couple feet less than I prefer, having grown up in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, but it's a start. Of course, I set things in motion when I took my snowblower in for a tune-up...but this isn't even enough to bother with it. I have a little boy who LOVES to shovel snow, so we turned him loose instead.
I managed to capture this incongruous mixture of random rural elements while out on some remote gravel road, as usual. This particular photo is actually from quite a while back; I spent most of my weekend unconscious while trying to sleep some sort of cold/flu/sinus malady instead of outside with the cameras.
I sure was excited for the Northern Lights which resulted from a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun over the weekend - but of course it was cloudy! I actually don't mind that so much, since my ailment had me bedridden (or couch-ridden) anyway. If conditions had been right overhead and I'd missed the event due to illness, I'd have been plenty frustrated!
Here's to the start of another great week.
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I spotted this rusty old vehicle hiding behind some trees southwest of town a while back, just as the sun was starting to really splash the area with color. The hour before sunset/sunrise and the hour after are absolutely magical from a photography point of view.
I know this isn't a tow truck, but thanks to Pixar I start thinking of Tow Mater every time I see a rusty old truck anywhere. That may have something to do with having two little boys who love all things related to Cars and Cars 2!
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