Did you see the full moon rise last night? I stayed out particularly just to try and capture it. Afterall, it only comes around only once a month, (barring Blue Moons) right? That means I only had one chance if it was going to be featured in my most special April Showers of Photos! So I returned to the same beach as my Dawn photos the other day.
I really like this top photo, so clear you can nearly see the Man in the Moon!
However, there were a few outtakes. Would you like to see a couple?
An amazing fountain effect.
A very rapid moon rise.
The moon dancing.
It's nearly waltzing now!
Can you guess what the cause of all this photographic agony was?
Lack of a tripod, perhaps?
Lack of bug spray, in fact.
This lovely Spring Moon has risen on another season of mosquitoes, I'm afraid.
Ouch!
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
Comments [3]
Tonight was my early night out from work - hurray for time to get out on the water before sunset!
The sunset was truly amazing tonight. I hope you can see on the smaller images but I captured a totally cool halo effect on the lower half of the glowing sun in this photo. It was really spectacular...
As it sank lower a thin cloud bisected the sun. I used a telephoto on all these shots, the closer you can bring the sun in to fill your frame the better!
Once the sun set I turned my attention to the water for a little fun as we headed back to the dock. On Sport Setting you can see all the Sargassum Weed that has floated in with the latest wind shift.
Switch it to Portrait, however, and the water blends into the neatest, smoothest appearance.
We're having a quick dinner of grilled brats tonight and Marianna has made the most addictive stuffed jalapeno peppers to go alongside. Yum! Happy Sunday!
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
I grabbed my camera this morning to try a few dawn shots. Wandering the beach before sunrise is just about the most serene thing one could ever hope to do, in my opinion!
The pre-dawn light is such a pretty lavender shading to pink color and these little mangrove babies were perfectly reflected in the mirror calm water.
Eventually, and very slowly, the sun made it's appearance. Silhouette shots during the sunrise or sunset can be very striking. My little 40 Digital Tricks book recommends adjusting the exposure to (-) to take great silhouettes. It seemed to work well!
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
Our Homeschool Sail Club meets Fridays at the Key West Sail Club on Garrison Bight.
First off, we start with a bit of chalk talk, today we discussed starts.
It was a tad windy (20+ knots) so only a couple of the older kids went out in Optimas.
Marianna singlehanded for the very first time.
Will, showing her a few pointers.
I could use a few pointers myself on catching the photos though - these little boats are speedy! Between finding them in the telephoto and thinking about the sun's glare on the water washing out the faces, avoiding the power lines in Garrison Bight (not the most attractive of backgrounds) and getting their heads on the proper side of the sail for a good photo...phew! Lots to think about!
Fun though.
For both the photographer and the sailors, I believe!
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
We had a totally cool visitor the other day. With animal photos I'm not generally up to speed with messing around with Manual Settings yet. I can't control their actions the way I can with a flower or a person you know! Gotta move fast to get the photo or I'll miss it.
So for this I set it up on Portrait hoping the background would blur into unobtrusiveness. Even if it didn't I liked the graphic feel of the repetitive rocks so I felt that it would be a win-win situation.
I was able to get a tad closer before he moved out of range. On this one I really like the play of colors, the blue of the eye against the brillance of his beak contrasting with the white of the feathers and the rocks definitely became a great background.
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
Every so often the D40x sneaks away for an afternoon and when next I check out the photos instead of a lovely food photo:
Pastries by Marianna.
I find this.
What is this?
The depth of field is stupendous! The clarity is amazing! Where was this taken? I've never seen anything like this in...in...3 days???
Alas, the silly camera just can't resist. I don't think it puts up a fight at all. Just look at this shot.
Oh dear.
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
Hanging by the water again today, still playing with the Shutter Speed and Aperture. I know you're probably entirely, ultimately, indubitably tired of this conversation but I just don't feel like I've mastered it yet.
Anyone else find that the most applicable quotes come from musicals? Can you identify the musical above? Family members can call with their answer since that quote is basically our Family Motto and must be recited in a certain tone of voice, etc... Everyone else feel free to leave the answer in the comment box - impersonating Grecian Urns while answering is entirely optional.
You know, it just dawned on me that my inability to walk away from these Faucets and Buckets and SeeSaws and the particular songs I'm humming might all be related!
I'll ponder that with my second cuppa joe while we check out the day's haul of photos. Don't worry, I trimmed down the selection to a pertinent few.
Let's start with the fast shutter speed and large aperture, basically the equivalent of the Sports Setting. The water droplets bouncing off the coral rock are frozen in mid-air.
Slowing the shutter speed down a little and tightening the aperture resulted in some nice contours on the water. I don't know if you can see this small, but blown up large you can see little ripples over the rocks below the water and there is a lovely line pointing up to the bottom of the rock on shore where a wave swept in.
Next step (ha! ha!) was a longer shutter speed and a smaller aperture yet. For this one I found that I had to turn my back to the sun. The previous two were basically facing west in the afternoon and that resulted in another completely washed out photo or two (umm...22? Deleted into oblivion now.) Facing east however gave the foam edge of the wave a nice blurry action.
So let's push it just a little farther, shall we? Granted this was a larger wave so we definitely have more water action but check out the droplets leaping off the rock top!
Tempus Fugit, Ladies, Tempus Fugit...
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
Playing with the shutter speed again. It really turns out cool water effects with a tad slower of a shutter speed than the auto setting.
Ummm...too slow of a shutter speed will give an effect like this in the tropics however.
That intense white heat - aaack!
Now seriously, I really needed to read this analogy of Faucets and Buckets and then the Seesaw analogy regarding Apertures and Shutter Speed.
Totally helpful.
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
Lost the power last night 15 minutes before closing.
(Welcome to Island Livin')
What a nightmare.
Everyone paid up in cash (Thank You!) but I sure didn't feel like kicking on the computer last night at 10 to run it on battery power and post this photo and then it was Sunday and back to work all day today.
I really do love this photo though.
My favorite Bar Back. He's especially cool when those awful Navy Divers show up. (They tip crappily, btw.) Something about an Army Master Diver/Initiated Chief Petty Officer (I had to ask just now to get the freakin' terms right) makes them shut their yaps and go soak their heads in the salt water for awhile.
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
Marcie has sent me two terrific photos she has taken and she couldn't have chosen a better day to share, Hal and I are off for a "consultation" with a new dentist today. Why do we have to have a "consultation" now that we're adults? Marianna can just waltz through the door and get a cleaning but we have to pay $$$ more for a "consultation"!
Hal tells me there is no escape this time either.
He's wrong though. I'll just keep these two lovely images in the forefront of my mind rather than whatever horrifiying poster the dentist has decided would be witty to pin up on the ceiling.
Now, you may have seen Marcie's work before in the Field Days at By Sun and Candlelight. She takes the most amazing nature photos, I was so happy to receive these two!
Thank you, Marcie, for brightening my day!
| April's Shower of Photos |
|
