[ravnostic]

I woke up too late for the moon rise; perhaps I’ll get a moonset. Lot’s of thin clouds tonight, and a silvery desert haze caused by winds picking up the fine desert dust. As such, I’m not thinking I’ll get much from it.

As for shots of the moon, these things I’ve found helpful:

1) I start with an f/11 on a 75-300mm at 300, ISO 200, 1/200th second. Depending on the size of the moon and it’s brightness intensity, I adjust from there (usually contrast gets punched up, and the exposure time knocked down, for better detail). The moon 1 day before or after full moon ‘proper’ looks plenty full, but is considerably dimmer in actuality. Helpful knowledge if you want anything exposed in the same shot, see #2.

2) If I want some foreground in the shot (as in a treeline or buildings or such), I need a moon just prior to full (12 to 36 hours) to do anything other than a silhouette. There needs to be either sunset lighting or at least the sky still lit brightly enough to illuminate objects against a shot exposed to capture the moon. I worked last night, which would have been perfect; tonight’s moon rose after sunset. Works the other way for a moonset; I’ll wait and see on the sky conditions tomorrow morn’.

3) I use a remote shutter cable, and I use mirror lockup. Both of which help prevent even a little shake, which is deadly to a good, crisp picture with nice crater details.

Somewhere in the gallery I recently posted a moon shot; too lazy to look for it right now.

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Cool site, but I’m kinda with Elsinore on this one. Good to know the art of competitive photography does well in other places, though.

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In a great many ways, they’re much the same. In the 2nd picture, you’re looking over a “Michael’s Craft” pre-made canvas that I painted in ocher tones long ago. Over it I hung the plumb, scant mm’s high (there’s a black tip to the plumb; you can see it most easily on the right). In this shot, with the low angle and barely any lighting (except the strobe), you’re seeing the plumb as it swings in an oval over the canvas surface. The lighting here for all practical purposes is ‘Rembrandt’, from the strobe. Behind the canvas as a backdrop is another pre-made board I’ve covered with a black 200 threadcount pillowcase from Wal-mart. At this angle with this light, you can’t see the fishing line thread I used.

The 1st picture is the same view/angle/technique, but I’ve opened the curtains for more lighting (higher up, as it was), and instead of hanging the plumb properly, I’ve threaded it around (instead of inside) the thread-mount piece. This left the weight askew, and added another axis of rotation to the image when prodded for the photo. A consequence to that is that the thread from which it dangles is conspicuously evident.

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He’s the pretty blond chick.

;-p

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A couple scarlet aarrgghhs have crept in, I see. Great theme–lots of good pictures I’ve enjoyed. I echo the peppercorn kudos.

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Got a whole three days off (not in a row) this week, and was doing a session for one of my ideas this week for “MLYLT”. Had a great time–everyone should go buy a plumb bob. Only nine bucks at Homo Depot. Had a zillion ideas. Tried about 1/2 so far. A couple of ‘B’z (not really happy with the ‘save for web’ results, especially–this was ISO 100-200!! Works well in B/W, though):

[ravnostic]

You’d think astronomers would be better with things like focal lengths, exposure times, aperture, etc., wouldn’t you?

I love these shots. Have I asked if I can come to Hawaii and crash at your place?

//can I come to Hawaii and crash at your place?

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I had to listen. That was SO awful!

But the camera IS cool. Where does one get film that size? And WHY didn’t he take a better scene?

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Yeah, focus on the description, because sometimes things are said in discussion that aren’t set in stone (like my comment about colorful things on black backgrounds). And also, ask questions early if there’s any confusion, because we can clarify, and if it’s early enough, we can reword the theme or add the clarification to it (then it is set in stone 😆 )

Theme: “Set in Stone”–show things that can’t be changed. Difficulty: No changes or clarifications to theme allowed! 😉

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ravnostic you better get that promotion so you can afford to pay Drew! 😛

What’d I miss? Pay Drew? Honestly, I gotta stop drinking, I don’t even remember the motel room, let alone the activities…

edit–//oh, yeah. I think the interview went well, except for one thing; one of the panelists was not so good at hiding his body language–caught him shaking his head ‘no’ at something, while looking at his own supervisor. Not a good sign. So I either totally blew a question, or I didn’t give the answer HE wanted to hear. I should hear back one way or the other next week.

I didn’t have much hope to get the position, though; I’ve only been a full-fledged perm. employee for 6 months (plus another 6 as a temp). I figured it to be more a ‘learn the process’ interview. But you never know. Everyone else might have sucked worse (5 other applicants.)

Off to see the entries…

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But if you tell the Nikon software “this should be white” and it comes back and says “okay, but then the rest will be black”, then you have a ‘win’. Worth a shot? Surely their software has such a tool.

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In a Canon, under the ‘raw’ mode in DPP, you’d click on the eyedropper for ‘white balance’ then on some supposed-to-be white places on the shot. After a few, you’ll find the one to make it adequately black in total (usually).

Don’t know if you shoot w/a Canon, though. Nice image, BTW.

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It’s still that damned third shot I’m lacking–I hate that I’ve waited for the last possible minute!

Eh. Looks like I’ll have three again this week, unless something changes. I’d rather post two good ones than three crummy ones.

I like my third only for the humor and the brand. But it will do, for those reasons, I suppose. The other two I do really like.

I have no b’s to post. I like two of them, but I’ll save them for another viewing in another contest. They’d be in this contest, too, if they weren’t too close to one I’m going to use.

Thanks Kestrana for OBOing me!

//now just biding my time ’til the interview, 80 minutes away. Wish me luck–I could use the promotion [read that: I need to make more than I currently do].

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Yeah, Zero I saw that that’d expired; sorry about that!

That would be great, Kestrana; I’ll need to put the links together for you first; expect a PM soon.

//the image I’m choosing that has silhouettes is a completely intentional use of negative space to define the image. Ran it by cd and she’s good with it. It’s still that damned third shot I’m lacking–I hate that I’ve waited for the last possible minute!

[ravnostic]

I was futzing over some pictures last night I think it was and trying to get my husband’s input (he sometimes has a better eye for this than I do) and when I told him it was my idea for this, he said I screwed myself or something like that.

I have yet to do (as) well in a theme I suggested (than those others suggest). I wouldn’t worry about it.

I need a third entry, I have naught what I want to post for one, yet I have to do laundry, shopping, cleaning, and cooking for the week, all before an interview at 5pm for a promotion.

Which reminds me–5pm here is 8pm for farktography (now that DST is back), and I’ll be going in straight to work after that. Can anyone OBO me? Assuming, of course, that I pick or take that third contest entry?

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