Circus

The Big Apple Circus was on every Christmas at Lincoln Center. We could go. There was no admonition against pictures. So I took pictures. … in the dark, with slide film, and a point and shoot camera. I am appreciative that they let me take pictures. I am surprised that the quality of the shots was pretty good. Digital camera sensor technology today? No problem! But back then? It was a challenge. I liked to push the envelope. And then they moved the goalposts way back. Impediment no more, today’s digital camera can pretty much shoot in the dark. But a long time ago…

Light

Do you think about the color of light? Do you consider the time of day? Light changes with day to night.

Daylight is bright blue, a little bit harsh at times. At night it is dark, ha ha, but light is dependent upon the light source which has its own characteristics. And in sunset or sunrise light is more toward the red spectrum. I am always amazed at how people seem to ignore the change of light as the day passes.

Early

Depending. It can have many meanings?

I like to get to an event early. Better seat. Better view. Better picture. We arrive a couple hours early. Colleen is very good natured about it. I got great shots. No complaints. Sometimes you do sacrifice for the cause.

Early morning – moon – is a challenge. But I felt it was worth it with the interesting clouds lurking about. Different. Eerie! Crepe myrtle? I never saw one before coming to live here. It is a non sequitur that just creeped into the post.

Subtlety

The moon in the sky… I like in your face, no ambiguity… but sometimes subtlety is the way to go.

First

Nikon D200. I got the camera the day before. July 10, 2007. I was in Maine. It was a big purchase anticipated with much fanfare. The camera arrived just in time for my fateful attempt to travel across Maine to see the puffins.

The shot of the day…

…occurred in the early morning hours as I traveled east across to the coast. Fog! … in the valley as the sunrise peeked in the horizon.

The shot of the day. I never did see the puffins that day. The sea was too rough to land the boat on the island. So I chummed… threw up over the side as the up and down motion made me sick as a dog.

Yes, shot of the day… at the beginning and in the dark.

Random scroll

When you scroll randomly thru your photo catalog it is easy to miss a shot. …then to go back and try to find what you just saw… hell!

Moon shot between the pillars of the inlet bridge. Don’t ask. We were obviously driving over the bridge. Neat! I got a shot! Yawn…!

The moon is over exposed and too centered. Really!? I’m going over the bridge in the middle of the night… I could have cropped and done all sorts of repairs in Photoshop. Lazy. Me. Out of the box or nuthin’ at all. No matter. Since I don’t throw anything away… this is worth thought and comment. It was a neat trick – this night shot.

Moon

Everyday a “shot”… I take pictures everyday. I try. With few exceptions… Today. The full moon. Ah!

Shooting the moon is a challenge. It is bathed in full sun in a dark sky and dark neighborhood. That creates an extreme for the exposure meter for which there is no image because the meter fooled into taking measure of the darkness in the overall picture. Ah!! You say. But I am set on “auto” everything… including auto ISO. This means I have to go into the menu and find ISO and switch it to manual for the purpose of a moon shot. And when you do, you get a reasonable shot of the moon. I do not shoot the moon often so my auto ISO setting (so helpful for me) remains “auto” about 99.9% of the time. 

Drama

Night shot! Tricky. And more so because we were driving. Low light. There are plenty of distractions. There is no composing, no positioning, and nothing to do other than shoot and hope for the best. Serendipity! It’s just a grab shot. It worked. If you don’t try…

Memory

7/5/21? Where was I? Fireworks. Exposure: 3 sec, f25 ISO 640. Not too much info to go on… there’s a bush in the foreground. As shots go, yay! fireworks! Otherwise, it’s not a very good example of what I can do. No matter. I do not remember exactly where I was, sort of. Spectacular? Anytime you shoot fireworks, it’s fun. I could have done better. And this show was for fun but not a big event otherwise. I shoot because I was there and I could (shoot). I do not think this was particularly memorable because the fireworks were not anything to write home about. Oh boy! Jaded?! Anytime you see fireworks… but…

Tech: tripod. You need a tripod. Long exposure – several seconds or more to get the long trails. The camera is set on manual otherwise the ISO goes crazy. The f stop is set accordingly. You have to experiment with settings. I have experience. So the starting setup is easier. As the fireworks fly it is hard to adjust settings in the dark on the fly. Good luck.

Iconic

Drive by. Of course, we did not stop. I was headed south and this was a drive by shot. It’s slightly blurred. Shutter speed too slow. Ah! I let the camera choose once again. Shhhh… the dirty secret – the camera does quite alright on “program” setting. It – the camera – chooses shutter, f-stop, and ISO all by itself. And then it autofocuses itself, all by itself. Wonderful! I get to concentrate on my driving much to Colleen’s relief. And….it works at night!!

Red’s. Iconic eatery off the side of the road in Maine. It is busy morning till night. The food? Special? Good? We have passed it multiple times. We’ve never tried it. I don’t wait on lines….