Full Moon (Supermoon), November 15, 2024.
With a nice clear sky I went out to photograph tonight’s supermoon. Then I pointed my lens at Jupiter.
Tonight’s Supermoon, Jupiter and Jupiter’s Moons
Tonight: Supermoon, Jupiter and Jupiter’s 4 Moons
Stellarium: Jupiter and it’s four moons tonight around 9:15 pm local time.
After you look at the supermoon tonight, the last supermoon until Oct 7, 2025, look at Jupiter, the brightest object below and to the left of the moon. With 10X binoculars and something steady to rest them on, you can see Jupiter’s four Galilean moons. It is a pretty sight. Galileo spotted these moons in December 1609 or January 1610 and by March 1610 he figured out from their motion they were Jupiter’s moons and not stars. This diagram (above) shows you which moon is which tonight. Ganymede and Callisto are quite close together.
How to Get the Best Results from the Best Online Photo Labs
The lab you choose and the kind of file you send to your lab can make a huge difference in the quality of prints you get back. How do you pick a good online photo lab? How do you get the best results from your lab? What color space should you use for your digital files and how do you convert your files to the right color space? How big a print can you make from your digital files?
Trunk or Treat, 2024
Trunk or Treat
The local weekly newspaper asked me to send them a bunch of Trunk or Treat photos, so I did. These are my favorites. As it turned out, it was a much busier news week than usual, so only two of my photos made it into the paper. Every year Trunk or Treat is sponsored by the Enactus program at Graceland University here in Lamoni Iowa.
Be Careful Out There Tonight!
Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni Iowa.
There might be ghosts!
Happy Halloween!
7 Years Ago Today at Norman Rockwell’s Home
Arlington Covered Bridge and Norman Rockwell’s Home. Vermont. October 24, 2017.
Thanks to Michelle and Kim at the Sugar Shack (see my prior post), I was in Norman Rockwell Heaven. I love Norman Rockwell. Before I stopped at the Sugar Shack I did not know Rockwell lived just a few miles away.
7 Years Ago Today at the Sugar Shack
The Sugar Shack, Arlington Vermont, October 23, 2017.
If you have been following this series of articles you know I spent several wonderful days in Acadia National Park. On my way home I did some exploring in western Vermont. I stopped at the Sugar Shack in need of a rest break. Once I got inside I was hooked. They sell incredible Vermont maple syrup that is made on-site. It comes in several flavor strengths. The strongest flavor, which is my favorite, will curl your toenails. If you are at the Sugar Shack you can sample the different flavor grades and see what you like. You can order from their online store (link below) in several different sizes.
7 Years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 22
Dawn Otter Cliff, Acadia National Park. October 22, 2017.
The next day in my Acadia National Park series. This is the last day of my trip.
How to Find and Photograph Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also called C/2023 A3. Cropped. Click the image to see a larger version.
Comet C/2023 A3 over Lake La Shane, Iowa. Venus is at the lower left. A jet left a vapor trail that is slowly dissolving. This is cropped from the original image. The whole image is next. Continue reading
7 Years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 21
Dawn on top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park.
From October to March, the top of Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the continental U.S. to be touch by sunlight. There are places farther east, but Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the U.S. eastern seaboard. Over 200 people had gathered here to catch the moment.
7 Years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 20
7 years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 19
Otter Cliff and Granite Ledges at Sunrise, Acadia National Park.
It was my one and only trip to Acadia National Park. I can see why it is rated one of our best best national parks to visit in the fall.
7 years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – October 18
The Milky Way, Acadia National Park. October 18, 2017.
My evening in Acadia National Park. I arrived after dark and created images of the night sky and the Milky Way. Then a car drove by and created these light streaks.
How to Choose, Correct, and ID Football Photos for the Newspaper
Fighting it out in the trenches.
When I photograph a football game, the local newspaper doesn’t want dozens, much less hundreds of photos. I usually select 6 – 12 images to send to the Lamoni Chronicle and they choose the ones they want to publish.
Lamoni Middle School Football
Korbin Nall (25) scores a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.
As usual, when I photograph an event for the weekly Lamoni Chronicle, I create a lot of images and select about 6 to 12 to send to the paper. The paper usually chooses from 2 to 6 to publish. On really rare occasions a dozen might get published. If it is a slow news week, more of my photos get published so I always hope for a slow news week. The photos in this article are my “selects” from the October 7, 2024 middle school football game between the Lamoni Demons (red helmets) and the Melcher-Dallas Saints.
Why (and How) You Should Optimize Your Digital Images!
Lamoni’s Annual Fall Festival. Before and After.
This article is about why you should optimize your digital images, with a brief example as to how to do it.
No camera, no matter how expensive, can capture the full range of light and dark tonalities that your incredible eyes can see. No camera, no matter how expensive, can capture the full range of colors that your eyes can see. But you can make up for some of the differences by optimizing your images using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).
Lamoni’s Annual Fall Festival (LAFF)
Lamoni’s Annual Fall Festival (LAFF)
Every year in the fall, Lamoni Iowa has it’s annual fall festival, commonly abbreviated LAFF. I wander the street that is blocked off for vendors and take random photos. Sometimes people specifically ask me to take pictures of them. Out of the dozens of images I create, I usually pick 9-12 to send to the local newspaper and they pick a handful or more to publish. Click any of these images to see a larger version.
Colorado is Gold! Go Now!
iPhone snapshots. Click image for a larger version.
It is not too late too catch the spectacular fall colors in Southwest Colorado. All of these iPhone snapshots were taken on a September 29 trip over Marshall Pass with a side trip to O’Haver Lake. At each stop (there were many) I took a photo or two with my phone and I took a variety of images with a DSLR. I framed different parts of the overall scene and I often did horizontal and vertical versions. My photo excursion took 3 1/2 hours.
“It was a dark and stormy night.”
Cadence
We planned on shooting at midnight when the moon was high enough in the sky to do portraits, but we got clouds, lightning, and wind. So we went with it.
Fall Color Photography Guide to Marshall Pass and O’Haver Lake, Colorado
Marshall Pass is a beautiful fall color drive in southern Colorado, and still pretty much a secret. It does not turn up on most lists of the most beautiful fall color drives in Colorado. It is a beautiful drive with a lot of fall color photo opportunities.
Finding the Peak Fall Colors at the Best Locations
Autumn, Upper Tahquamenon Falls, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Fall color is sweeping the country. To make the most of it, you want to be at the right place at the right time. With some help from the internet, I will help you find the best fall color locations at the peak of the season.
Two Photographers and Eleven Outdoor/Travel Writers Pick the Best National Parks for Fall
Long’s Peak and Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
Fall is a fabulous time of year to visit the national parks. Crowds are usually smaller than in the summer, temperatures are cooler, and some of our national parks have glorious fall colors. With so many to choose from, where should you go? Which national parks will provide the best photographic opportunities in the fall?
The Best National Parks for Fall Photography
Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
What are the best national parks to photograph in the fall? Here are my choices, grouped by state and province from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to, plus the ones I most want to see based on the recommendations of the photographers I trust, like Tim Fitzharris and QT Luong. More about them later.
Colorado Fall Color Photography and Travel Guide – 2024
Headed for Colorado this fall (or any other time of year)? Welcome to my complete Colorado fall color photography and travel guide with 133 photos, 18 maps, and over 100 pages of information (if you print it all out). I cover some of the best known fall color locations in Colorado, and most of these locations look great any other time of year. Spend anywhere from two days to two weeks exploring the beautiful Colorado Rockies at a gorgeous time of year.
The First Day of Fall!
A Guide to One of My Favorite Colorado Photo Spots
Bear Lake, Longs Peak and the Keyboard of the Winds.
This is one of my favorite photo spots in Rocky Mountain National Park. Longs Peak and the Keyboard of the Winds are in the background, Bear Lake in the mid-ground, and aspen leaves and boulders in the foreground. Here’s how to get to that spot.
23 Years Ago
I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was working in my office. The family/TV room was right around the corner. The phone rang and I picked it up. “Stop whatever you are doing and turn on the TV.” I walked around the corner and turned it on.
The 20 Year Memorial, George W. Bush at Shanksville
“On America’s day of trial and grief I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor’s hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know.
Chip East Reflects on the Last Photos of His Friend, Bill Biggart, Taken on 9/11
Photographer Chip East was staring intensely at his laptop screen.
It was two weeks after two jetliners had plowed into the towers of the World Trade Center. His good friend, photojournalist Bill Biggart’s body had been recovered from the rubble. His personal effects, including his cameras had been released by authorities to his widow, Wendy.