Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Moon
Harbor Lights
The full moon staged a dramatic entrance near the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse on Friday, July 15, 2011.
It was the first night of Kewaunee’s annual Trout Festival. I had scouted out the area and selected a spot to take photos of the upcoming fireworks show. While waiting, the moon slowly emerged from the horizion – starting out to the left of the lighthouse and moving directly behind the lighthouse and beyond, as you can see. 
I was excited to be able to be in the perfect spot to catch the two together. There was one spoiler, though. The pier to the lighthouse happens to be the site of the fireworks launch. The technicians putting on the fireworks show were on the pier, as were their vehicles and equipment. Photoshop to the rescue!
The image to the right is the original, untouched, photo that I snapped. The moon and lighthouse together still make a cool image, but I thought they would be better without the distracting clutter. It took a little time to digitally clear the pier, but I think the final product was worth it.
Feel free to leave a comment and give me your opinion.
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To see a larger version of the main image, simply click on it.
Full Moon and Fireworks
The folks who attended the 2011 Kewaunee Trout Festival enjoyed two spectacular displays…the fireworks show and a full moon.
I positioned myself at nearly surface level with the Kewaunee harbor in order to capture the reflection off the water. I think the reflections are as appealing as any other part of the images. In fact, I’m considering combining a number of the firework reflections to create a colorful image of its own.
This was my first opportunity to capture fireworks with my Sony SLT-A55V. I wish the fireworks show was a few hours long, rather than a few minutes. I need that kind of time to really experiment with settings and angles, etc.
For my photography friends, here are some of the specifics… Of course, I had the camera on a tripod, had it in manual mode, on the “Bulb” setting and used a remote trigger…F/11.0, ISO 200, 13-seconds, 28.0 mm.
I’m pleased with a number of the images I captured and will be posting more, so check back. Or, better yet, just subscribe to the RSS Feed.
Both of these images (especially the smaller one) are better when bigger – so click them to see a larger view.
Crater Face
I’ve been working to get a good shot of the moon. My previous attempts have been OK, but not as sharp as I thought they should be. (See That’s Amore!) I figured out the problem and am fairly pleased with this one.
First I mount my Sony SLT-A55 on a tripod. To get a closer view I use a 300mm zoom lens. Even with the lens magnification, it requires quite a bit of cropping to enlarge the image. I switch the camera to manual focus. My camera also has a setting that allows me to enlarge the image in the viewfinder or LCD screen to really hone in on the focus. I also use the 2-second timer on the camera so that I’m not shaking the camera by pressing the shutter button.
I thought the problem was the inexpensive tripod I was using – that it wasn’t stable enough. I also thought it could be a limitation with the lens, since the one I own would fall under the “budget” category. One other possibility was the UV filter – a clear filter used mainly to protect the lens.
It turned out to be the UV filter. I took a couple of shots with a new, solid tripod and things looked the same as with the flimsy tripod. Then I removed the UV filter and saw an immediate difference. The photo above is the result. Looks like I’ll have to invest a little more in a better UV filter.
The smaller image gives you a perspective of the size of the moon in the actual image the camera captures. Then I enlarge the view by cropping it to fill more of the frame.
(Click on either photo to see a larger version.)
Morning Moonset
The moon has been beautiful the last few days. I was finally able to capture a shot about 6:30 this morning as it was slowly slipping behind the trees. I was set up on my driveway, shooting across the farm field west of our home.
The moon was so bright, you can see where it melted the snow. (Of course, I’m just kidding.)
I was using my 300mm lens and had my Sony SLT-A55 on a tripod.