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November 21, 2021

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2021

“When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I’d like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph.” — Annie Leibovitz

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 11/14/2021: Posted photo — Turkeys.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/60 s, 39 mm.

I was going to post another photo today. I will post it at the end of today’s commentary.

I was getting ready to go on the hike I did not go on Saturday and looked out our window and saw some turkeys on the road. As I watch, more and more turkeys arrived. I was just watching, and since there were so many of them, I decided to take out my camera to attempt photographing them. At one time I counted a dozen turkeys on our front lawn and about six or seven turkeys across the street. It has been a while since I have seen a rafter of turkeys this large.

Sorry about the quality of this photo. It was taken through my front window. The window is dirty and there is a screen on it.

Now for the second photo. The photo that is did not post is one of a pile of backpacks. Why backpacks you may ask. Well, these backpacks are meant for the homeless. Our church has been collecting backpacks for the homeless for a few years now. The go to Our Father’s House, a shelter in Fitchburg, MA. Our Father’s House is a private, non-sectarian agency providing shelter and related services to homeless men, women, and children. These backpacks are filled with food, shelter, and love for those who are in need.

Monday, 11/15/2021: Posted photo — Clouds.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 24 mm.

This is the time of year when it is getting harder to take photos. It is getting harder because I go to work in the dark and leave work in the dark, not leaving much opportunity to take photos.

One of my duties is as the company photographer. Normally I am a mechanical engineering, but they know that I am a semi-professional or advance amateur photographer, so I take photos of produce for various reasons. I am not a product photographer, and these photos leave the company or are used for promotional purposes. As I was walking between buildings, I saw the sun reflecting off the clouds. I was just going to take a photo of the clouds, but I decided to add the flag and flagpole into it for scale and to break up the monotony of a photo of just the clouds.

Always keep your eyes open for a photo opportunity.

Tuesday, 11/16/2021: Posted photo — Movies.

Settings: Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/8 s, 62 mm.

The Twilight Zone was a television show that ran from 1959–1964. This show, created by Rod Serling, is about “ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner”. The show won nine awards and was nominated for 14 more.

This was one of my favorite shows as I was growing up. It stopped airing the year I was born, but I would watch in in reruns. Some of the shows are silly to watch and some of them cause nightmares. They would always keep you guessing.

I saw these DVDs a while ago and purchased them so I could watch the episodes again. This was before all the stream services currently on the web. I like the first season of a show since you can see the development of the shows format.

Wednesday, 11/17/2021: Posted photo — What am I.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 64, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

I am an Aloha pepper.

Also known as Enjoya and Aloha, Striped Holland bell peppers are a new variety that was discovered as a surprise variation in a garden in the Netherlands and have been developed over time to showcase the bi-colored traits. This pepper was developed by the Sunset company (https://www.sunsetgrown.com/our-produce/peppers/aloha-peppers/) and have only been shipped to select retailers since 2018.

I do not like peppers, so I cannot describe what they taste like. I took this photo since I thought the pepper had a personality crisis and I liked the look.

Thursday, 11/18/2021: Posted photo — Focus Test.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/125 s, 135 mm.

I have a lens that is 18–135mm. Today it decided not to focus if I had it past 50 mm. Need to send it out to get fixed again. It was already repaired once. This is a test of the focus range. This was the one and only time it focused in at 135 mm. I think put pressure on the side of the lens to get it to focus.

Found out that the version of my lens is out of service life, there are no longer any repair options available for it. I can purchase a discounted lens using Canon’s Upgrade Program. Something I need to investigate doing soon so that I can have a lens for the upcoming holidays. I purchased the camera in 2014.

Friday, 11/19/2021: Post photo — Partial Lunar Eclipse.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 250, f/16, 1/50 s, 300 mm.

The Beaver Moon was full at 3:58 a.m. Four minutes later, at 4:02 a.m., a partial lunar eclipse occurred. The Beaver Moon was a micromoon. A Micromoon is when a Full Moon or a New Moon coincides with apogee, the point in the Moon’s orbit farthest away from Earth.

The moon was in the Earth’s shadow for just over six hours this morning, the longest lasting partial lunar eclipse in 580 years. The moon was only visible for about a half hour during those six hours in my area due to cloud cover. The rule around here seems to be if there is an astronomical event, there would be cloud cover. Really, it seems, there is a clear sky for such an event.

I set my alarm for 3 a.m. to watch the eclipse moving to maximum. It was cloudy. I took a half hour nap to see if the clouds would clear. It was cloudy. Took another half hour nap and the moon was still hidden by the clouds. I went back to bed for another half hour to get up at my normal time. When I got out of bed, I looked in the direction of the moon expecting to see it in the clouds once more. This time I saw it. I gathered my photo equipment, jumped in my car, and then went to an area where I could see the moon clearly. My house is in a wooded area, so I saw the moon through the trees.

When I got to a photo spot, the clouds were moving in. I quickly setup my camera and took a few shots blind. Set my camera on my tripod and took some shots as the clouds were starting to cover the moon once more. Not the best-case scenario for taking a photo of this historic event. I would have liked to set up my camera and do some test shoots to get my settings correct. Not enough time to do so.

Photo tip of the week — Baseline setting for a photo of partial lunar eclipse: 14-1000 mm, f/5.6–f/8, ISO 100-800, 1/250 s. Set you camera on a tripod and turn off image stabilization.

This morning I attempted to use my “moon” lens at 1250 mm but it was too windy for the lens. None of the photos were too my liking so I posted this photo I took with my 300 mm lens.

Saturday, 11/20/2021: Post photo — Woodshed.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/10 s, 25 mm.

Last week I posted a photo of our last wood delivery. After I posted that photo, someone wanted me to post a photo of the wood all stacked up. Here it is.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

Please note that I have not been able to post to my Weebly page for over a week, so the photos are a little behind there. Weebly technical support is still working on the issue.

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November 14, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 11/07/2021 to 11/13/2021

“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” — Jim Richardson

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 11/07/2021: Posted photo — Pratt’s Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/15 s, 22 mm.

Pratt’s Falls, a 137 ft ribbon or cascade style waterfall located in Manlius, NY. The site was originally a sawmill and was the site of Onondaga County’s first mill operation in 1796. The hike out to the falls is only a half mile long (one-mile round trip) and could be step for some. There are stairs that take you down to the lower viewing location.

We stopped by the falls on the way to my nephew’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor.

Photo tip of the week — Lessons learned from taking waterfall photos.

Set you camera to manual with a slow shutter speed. I use between 1/4 sec to 10 sec depending on the lighting.
Set your aperture to a value between f/16 and f/22. I sometimes open up, or close up, my aperture depending on the light and how I am taking the photo (with a tripod or handheld).
Use a tripod with image stabilization off. If you do not have a tripod, find a tree or other object to hold yourself steady.
Turn you ISO to the lowest setting. I use ISO 100 for my shots.
Use a ND filter if you have one. I use from a ND3 to a ND10, depending on the lighting.
Take time to get your composition the way you would like to have it. Try both portrait and landscape photos of the falls.
Pick a focal point, such as a rock or a tree near the falls. It is difficult to focus on the water.
Lighting is important. Take your photo in the morning or in the evening when the light is not on the waterfall. If it is on the waterfall, use the appropriate ND filter.
Use a remote, or your camera’s timer, for your shot to cut down on camera shake.

Monday, 11/08/2021: Posted photo — Tinkers Falls.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/32, 1/6 s, 79 mm.

Tinkers Falls in the Labrador Hollow Unique Area and is about 50 feet tall. The Labrador Hollow Unique Area is a 1,474-acre (5.97 km2) conservation area located in Cortland and Onondaga counties, New York, and was the first property to be designated as a Unique Area by New York. A unique area, according to the state New York Department of Environmental Conservation, is “land owned by the state that was acquired due to its special natural beauty, wilderness character, or for its geological, ecological or historical significance.”

When I took the photo of these falls, I did not use my tripod. I was practicing my handheld long exposure photography. I was either leaning against a tree, sitting on a log, or using long exposure breathing techniques. The hike to these falls is very short, only about a quarter mile, and the trail is relatively flat.

Bonus photo tip — how to breathe and hold your camera for long exposures.

The way you hold your camera can have a big effect on the amount of blur caused by your own movement. Hold the camera with two hands close to your body and make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart. Being conscious of your breathing can further minimize shake. Inhale or exhale and then take a gentle half breath in and hold it there in a relaxed way.

Tuesday, 11/09/2021: Posted photo — Peas.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 125, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

A pea is a cultivated climbing vine having compound leaves and edible seeds enclosed in a green, elongated pod. The seed of this plant is used as a vegetable.

Shopping night tonight. Instead of taking photos of flowers, I took a photo of some peas. Why did I do that? I did it for variety. I often wonder who the first person was to eat peas and how they knew that they could open the pod to get the seeds out.

Some information about the health benefits of peas according to WebMD (https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-peas#1) are:

Eye Health
Digestive Health
Immune Health and Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Blood Sugar Control
Heart Health
Nutrition

You can look up the health benefits yourself for details on each of these benefits.

Wednesday, 11/10/2021: Posted photo — Bryn Mawr Glacier.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/25, 1/30 s, 48 mm.

Bryn Mawr Glacier flows southeast for about 4.5 miles (7 km) to Harvard Arm of College Fjord in northwestern Prince William Sound, about 45 miles west of Valdez and 44 miles northeast of Whittier, Alaska (61° 15′ 13″ N, 147° 49′ 29″ W). As you travel into College Fjord, the glaciers on the left are named for women’s colleges and those on the right are named for men’s colleges. The names are Amherst, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Smith, Vassar, and Yale). Harvard Glacier is the biggest – its face is a mile and a half across.

Alaska is such an amazing place to visit. The landscape keeps getting better and better as we headed north from Vancouver on our cruise. Here are a few more photos taken in College Fjord.

Thursday, 11/11/2021: Posted photo — Veterans Day.

Settings: N/A, scanned photo.

The Allied powers signed a ceasefire agreement with Germany at Compiégne, France, at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918, bringing the war now known as World War I to a close. President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day the following year on November 11, 1919, with these words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

In 1954, Congress passed the bill that President Eisenhower signed proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day, changing the name from Armistice Day. Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor all who have served, living, or deceased, but particular the living veterans among us.

In the past, I have posted photos of Arlington National Cemetery, American flags, and other memorials for Veterans Day. Today am posting a photo of my father from 1944 when he was serving in the Navy during World War II. My father entered service in the Navy on November 30, 1943 and was received his Honorary Discharge on February 26, 1946. He was discharged as a Fireman First Class. He was stationed at NTS, Sampson, New York; NTS, NOB, Norfolk, Virginia, and the University of South Carolina Columbia South Carolina.

Friday, 11/12/2021: Post photo — Cashews.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/20 s, 106 mm.

Cashews are low in sugar and rich in fiber, heart-healthy fats, and plant protein. They’re also a good source of copper, magnesium, and manganese — nutrients important for energy production, brain health, immunity, and bone health.

I needed a photo; I had some cashews in the house, so I took this photo.

Saturday, 11/13/2021: Post photo — Last Wood Delivery.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/13 s, 24 mm.

The last three cords of wood arrived this morning. No hiking today, just yard work. My son stacked some of the wood. He has friends coming over later tonight if the rain stops. Five cords total for the winter.

It was a great day for a hike, but I did not go just in case we did receive our wood. Also, the yard need raking. All the rain we had lately took most of them down.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

Please note that I have not been able to post to my Weebly page since last Monday, so the photos are a little behind there. Weebly technical support is working on the issue.

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November 7, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 10/31/2021 to 11/06/2021

“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” — Bruce Gilden

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 10/31/2021: Posted photo — Bells.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 320, f/1.7, 1/10 s, 4 mm

These are the bells that are rung at Saint Denis Church. I rang the bells this week since the deacon was on vacation. Brought me back to the days when I was and altar boy.

Bells were rung to alert the people to what they could not easily see or hear, so that they could attend to the important and solemn action at the altar. In the past, due to the architecture of a church, the people were physically separated from the altar by the choir — and in some cases a significant number of faithful were impeded from seeing the altar during Mass. So, a little before the consecration a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful.

Monday, 11/01/2021: Posted photo — Pu’u’ula’ula.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/9, 1/100 s, 32 mm.

Pu’u’ula’ula (Red Summit Hill) at Haleakalā National Park Makawao, HI on the island of Maui. This is the highest peak on the island at 10,023 feet. “The road to the cinder cone is paved and holds the world record for climbing to the highest elevation in the shortest distance. Starting from Kekaulike Avenue, the ascent is 34.11km (21.2 miles) long via 28 hairpin turns. Over this distance the elevation gain is 2.011 meters. The average gradient is 5.89%.” (https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/3509-pu-u-ula-ula-red-hill.html) I did not mind the ride. I think the crazy people were the ones that rented bicycles and drove down the hill.

We attempted to get to the peak for sunrise since our initial plan was to spend the night on Maui. We had our tickets in hand to get into the park before it officially opened. Due to Hurricane Lane, we were only on Maui for one day since our cruise ship left Honolulu two days late due to the port being closed. We were able to drive up to the summit later in the day to take in the view. The view was wonderful. It was great to be above the clouds.

If you go to Maui, you should go to Haleakalā National Park for the sunrise. I hear it is spectacular.

Tuesday, 11/02/2021: Posted photo — Foliage Again.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 32 mm.

I took a photo of these set of trees a few weeks ago. I did so since I liked the brightness of the sun against the past colors of the tree. We are now past the colorful foliage season and into the fall browns.

Before long, all those leaves will “fall”, and someone will need to rake them up. Fortunately, it will not be me since these trees are not on my property.

If you cannot tell, this photo was done with an HDR, or High Dynamic Range, process. This is a single photo that I made into an HDR photo. I took the photo and processed it by stepping up and stepping down the exposure to blend into an HDR photo. The proper way of creating a HDR photo is to take three or more consecutive shot with your camera at the different exposure levels and then blending them together. HDR is a technique used to reproduce a greater range of luminosity than that which is possible with standard photographic techniques. This is done when the lighting is not that great for a single photo.

Wednesday, 11/03/2021: Posted photo — Stacked Wood.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/7.1, 1/50 s, 42 mm.

We had two of the five cords of wood I ordered delivered to the house on Monday. My son did a great job stacking over a cord in the woodshed. I stacked the remaining wood in the woodshed last night. This stack of wood is what is remaining from last year’s supply. We have been burning some in the last weeks to get the chill out of the house. When we get into the burning season, we will be mixing the old with the new wood to get a more efficient heat output.

This photo is a yearly photo that I take of our wood. It serves as documentation to when wood was ordered each year. It just happened that this wood was delivered 364 days after my last wood delivery.

Three cords of wood will be delivered to the house sometime soon and I will all need to be stacked in the woodshed. My woodshed is designed to hold four cords. A cord of wood is four feet wide, 4 feet high, and eight feet long. It has a volume of 128 cubic feet. The wood that I get is cut at 18 inches long to fit in out wood stove.

Thursday, 11/04/2021: Posted photo — Orion.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/11, 15 s, 18 mm.

“Orion is the brightest and most beautiful of the winter constellations. Some of its stars, including Betelgeuse and Rigel, are among the brightest stars.

Orion is clearly visible in the night sky from November to February. Orion is in the southwestern sky if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or the northwestern sky if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen between latitudes 85 and minus 75 degrees. Its right ascension is 5 hours, and its declination is 5 degrees.

There are several versions of the myth of Orion, but one of the more common iterations is that Orion proclaimed himself to be the greatest hunter in the world, much to the dismay of Hera, the wife of Zeus. She had a scorpion kill him, and Zeus put Orion into the sky as consolation. In another version, Orion is blinded for raping Merope, a granddaughter of the god Dionysus. He has to travel East to seek the sun’s rays to recover his sight.” (https://www.space.com/16659-constellation-orion.html)

I saw Orion yesterday morning when I was going into work. Today I decided to take a photo of the constellation. I knew at the time that I took this photo that I would not be the best one of a constellation since I was going to take it in the parking lot at work. (For your information, this is the third constellation photo that I have taken.) Today is the new moon so the conditions would be better to take this photo. I should have taken it in a darker location. Look in the bottom near the center. You can see the belt clearly.

Looking at the setting for my shot, it seems that I did not change the aperture setting that I used from my last moon photo. The f/11 setting is too small. I should have used a setting of f/3.5 to get more light in my photo. With a larger aperture setting, I could have reduced my ISO value taking noise out of the photo.

Friday, 11/05/2021: Post photo — Mouse Eye View.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/13 s, 18 mm.

This is what our yard might look to a mouse. I put my camera down in our lawn and took this shot. I will be cleaning up these leaves soon. There are still more to fall, so I just wait a day or two.

Saturday, 11/06/2021: Post photo — TBD.

Settings: TBD.

I have not decided what to post today. Come back later today or tomorrow to see my updated post.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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October 31, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 10/24/2021 to 10/30/2021

“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.” — Joan Miro

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 10/24/2021: Posted photo — Ashburnham Community Church.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 18 mm.

The Ashburnham Community Church is now home to the New Dawn Arts Center.

Information off the New Dawn Arts Center website (www.newdawnarts.org). The church was constructed in 1834, the steeple houses a church bell cast by a former apprentice of Paul Revere, and the 1886 pipe organ was installed by Boston organ builder George Hutchings. The church was part of The Underground Railroad.

The Community Church was sold to the Arts Center a few months ago. The congregation of the church was getting smaller so they could not afford to keep the church in operation. The Arts Center is allowing the church to hold services there and all other outreach services are still running at the church, such as a food pantry.

New Dawn Arts Center at the Ashburnham Community Church

I just like the look of churches with their steeples and stained glass. When I was going to church, I was drawn to the contrasting white church and the clear blue sky. The foliage looked to be past, but it did show well in this photo. The church that I belong to is across the street from the Community Church. I have taken photo of this church before and will again since I like its architecture.

Monday, 10/25/2021: Posted photo — Mountain View.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/80 s, 39 mm.

What a great view from the summit today! As you can see, the summited was fogged in. I had to use my map and compass to find my way down part of the trail. Using a map and compass on Wachusett Mountain is not very common since the fog has not been this dense in a very long time and people look at me strangely when I use them in good weather. I could see the trail ahead of me tonight. I was just verifying the bearings at each trail junction just so I did not head back up the mountain. It was good practice for me.

Over the past few months, I have been taken the bearings at each junction and verifying elevations and coordinate locations with my trail map program and with the paper trail map of the mountain. I am in the process of putting together a detailed map of the mountain to help new and experienced hikers. Map and compass skills are essential to survival. Using these tools on a well hiked mountain is great for learning this skill.

The error most people will make is not accounting for magnetic declination (14° West on Wachusett Mountain). Magnetic declination is the angle between true north and magnetic north. Remember “West is best and East is least.” You add the declination to your reading if the declination is to the West or subtract the declination from the reading if it is to the East. I can adjust my compass for declination prior to use so I do not have to do the math if I am in a dangerous situation. Not all compasses can be adjusted. I would suggest spending a little more money on a compass that can be adjusted. It could save your life. Remember to always practice this skill in a known location prior to any “big” hike. Do not rely on the GPS on your phone.

Tuesday, 10/26/2021: Posted photo — Flowers.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 80, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

Part of the opening paragraph from the novel “Paul Clifford” by Edward Bulwer-Lytton states, “It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents …” It was a dark and stormy day today. Heavy rain, high winds and fog were the norm. I was going to post the following photo for today, a photo of wet foliage.

I went grocery shopping before I posted my photo and saw the flowers that I posted. I thought of how flowers put smiles on people’s faces and wanted to brighten up this gloomy day. Here is another photo of some more flowers that I took today during my shopping trip to brighten your day.

Wednesday, 10/27/2021: Posted photo — Reflection.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/25 s, 18 mm.

I was not intending to take this photo. I was intending to post a photo from either my trip to Alaska, or my trip to Hawaii, since the weather still is a little gloomy.

While on my way home from work, the reflection of the trees on Round Meadow Pond caught my eye. The lighting was iffy, but I made the quick decision to go to one of my favorite photographic locations and see if there was an opportunity for a reflection photo in the smooth water.

I first took a photo of the island and its reflection. I did not quite like it lack leaves on the tree. It made the island look unattractive and scraggly. Then I took a photo of the trees along the shoreline. Trees along the shore usually take a good photo. I was happier with this photo. I was not excited about this photo, just happier than I was with the island photo.

Sometimes it is better to post a bad photo from that day, then a good photo from the past for historical reference.

Thursday, 10/28/2021: Posted photo — Weather Front.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/800 s, 36 mm.

A weather front is the transitional zone between two different air masses. An air mass a body of air with horizontally uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure. The high-pressure side of the front is the side with no clouds. In a high-pressure system, the warmer air is flowing downward. The low-pressure side of the front is the one with the clouds. In a low-pressure system, cold air is flowing upward causing condensation around dust particles in the sky, forming clouds and often precipitation. In this photo, the low-pressure system is moving out of the area. As the high-pressure system is moving in, the air temperature will be slightly higher that it was yesterday. A simple fact in physics is that if air pressure increases, the temperature must increase and if the air pressure decreases, the temperature will decrease. This explains why the air gets colder at higher altitudes, where pressure is lower.

Friday, 10/29/2021: Post photo — Footbridge Over the Virgin River.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/9, 1/200 s, 18 mm.

“In the summer of 1909, President of the United States William Taft declared the area as federally protected and officially named it Mukuntuweap National Monument, deciding to go with the Paiute name rather than the one chosen by Utah’s early pioneers. State residents were not pleased, to say the least, with President Taft passing over the name they had originally chosen for the area. In 1918, after almost a decade of grievances, the assistant director of the recently formed National Park Service, Horace Albright, changed the name of the park to Zion National Monument.” (https://zionnationalpark.com/zion-national-park/zion-national-park-history/)

Footbridge over the Virgin River in Zion National Park

Here is some information about the Virgin River. The Virgin River and its tributaries run through Zion National Park causing the erosion that continues to carve and shape Zion National Park. The North Fork of the Virgin River begins north of Zion National Park at Cascade Falls, near Cedar City, Utah, where it drains out of Navajo Lake in Dixie National Forest at 9,000 feet above sea level. The East Fork of the Virgin River originates above Long Valley in western Kane County, Utah. Both the North and East Forks of the Virgin River run through the park and empty into Lake Mead at about 1,000 feet above sea level, where it joins the Colorado River.

Our time at Zion National Park included camping and hiking. We also had one of the better star filled night skies on our trip. One of the hikes we did was in The Narrows. A great place to hike in the heat of the summer. The Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon. The gorge has walls up to a thousand feet tall and the Virgin River is just twenty to thirty feet wide in some locations. The hike through The Narrows requires hiking in the Virgin River. The river when we hiked was a milky color so you did not know how deep the water would be in your next step. You need to be very careful of flash flooding in The Narrows since there is little to no room of escape due the height of the gorge walls.

Saturday, 10/30/2021: Post photo — Maple Leaf.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/60 s, 100 mm.

Last week an oak leaf, today it is a maple leaf. A sugar maple leaf to be precise.

More rain today. I took this photo in my driveway while I was on my way to do some shopping.

Once again, a short and sweet Saturday post.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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October 24, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 10/17/2021 to 10/23/2021

“I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” — Wayne Miller

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 10/17/2021: Posted photo — Gear Shifter.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/160 s, 135 mm.

Not much to say about today’s photo. I have not taken an abstract, or still life, photo in a while so I took a photo of the gear shifter in one of our cars.

For your information, the “B” of the shifter is for breaking. It is an electronic means for mimicking engine braking in a traditional transmission.

Monday, 10/18/2021: Posted photo — Ready to Hike.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 200, f/1.7, 1/16 s, 4 mm

Monday night is my main hiking night. There is a hiking group that I joined a few months ago that I hike with on Mondays, and I try not to miss a hike. I call this group a group of hikers that like to socialize versus another group that I call a social group that hikes. I do not hike with the social group very often. Only when I need a hike for the week.

I set a goal this year to hike 100 peaks. I set the same goal last year, but I fell well short of that goal last year due to COVID an the many people that were on the peaks. I did not want to hike with a great number of people because they just did not follow any protocols. Last year I took many hikes along the Mid State Trail since there is a trailhead about a quarter mile from my house. I obtained my goal of 100 peaks earlier in the year, so I am just adding on to my peak count. Next year’s goal is to finish my 48 four-thousand-foot mountains in New Hampshire. That is an achievable goal, weather permitting.

I took this photo at the start of tonight’s hike. I did not take any photos for myself yet today and took this photo. The group was hiking around sunset time and I was hoping to get a photo of the sunset. Unfortunately, I did not get a sunset photo tonight since the group was still on the trail in the woods at the time of sunset. We made it to the summit between Nautical twilight and Astronomical twilight.

Tuesday, 10/19/2021: Posted photo — Blue Sky.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 52 mm.

I did not realize that today’s information would be so educational.

What a beautiful blue sky we had today. Why is the sky blue? It has to do with wavelengths of light. Here is some information that has been backed up by NASA (https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/blue-sky/en/).

As white light passes through our atmosphere, tiny air molecules cause it to ‘scatter’. The scattering caused by these tiny air molecules (known as Rayleigh scattering) increases as the wavelength of light decreases. Violet and blue light have the shortest wavelengths and red light has the longest. Therefore, blue light is scattered more than red light and the sky appears blue during the day. When the Sun is low in the sky during sunrise and sunset, the light must travel further through the Earth’s atmosphere. We don’t see the blue light because it gets scattered away, but the red light isn’t scattered very much – so the sky appears red.

Now, why did I take this photo. I liked the blue sky and I wanted to do my periodic senor check for dust.

A camera’s sensor dictates the quality of the images it can produce — the larger the sensor, the higher the image quality. Bigger image sensors have bigger pixels, which means better low-light performance, reduced noise, good dynamic range, and the ability to obtain more information.

You can quickly spot dust on your camera’s sensor by doing the following:

Set your camera on Aperture Priority Mode.
Set your metering mode to Matrix/Evaluative Metering.
Set your camera ISO to the lowest number such as ISO 100.
Turn off Auto ISO.
Turn off autofocus and set your lens on manual focus.
Set your aperture to the largest number available for your lens. For example, the minimum aperture on my Canon 60D is f/22, so I set my aperture to f/22.
If you are outside, point your camera up at the clear blue sky and take a picture (purpose of his post). If you are indoors, find plain white paper, zoom in all the way so that the paper fits the whole frame, then make sure that the lens is completely out of focus and take a picture. If you are in front of a computer, open a text editor such as Notepad, maximize it to the screen and then get as close to the monitor as possible so that only the white color is visible in the frame. Make sure that your focus is way off (completely out of focus) – that way only dust particles will be visible.
Zoom in on the image (rear camera LCD), scroll from left to right and top to bottom all over the image and see if you can find any dark spots. Sometimes it is hard for me to see the dust in the LCD screen, so I look for dust when I zoom into the photo on my computer.
If you cannot see any, your sensor is clean. If you see dark spots like in the above example, then your sensor has dust on it.
If you see dust, you can either purchase a senor cleaning kit (if you are brave enough to clean your sensor, I am) or send your camera out to get your sensor professionally cleaned.

Enough for the education. Thank you for reading today’s information and hope that you learned something this week.

Wednesday, 10/20/2021: Posted photo — Hunter’s Moon.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 125, f/11, 1/125 s, 300 mm.

Once again, I am posting a photo of the full moon. This one is handheld, and I used the Loony 11 rule to capture it. I can never take enough photos of the moon. It is very difficult to capture because it is moving so fast, and it is very bright. Some people criticize my moon photos since they are just photos of the moon with nothing in the foreground. I challenge those people to show me their moon photos. I have been taking photos of the moon for over 12 years and am still experimenting with my settings. The moon is my primary subject matter, and I am still learning how to do it. I did mean to ramble on and to criticize others. It just upsets me when people criticize my photos and do not give me any tips to improve. Sorry for that.

This is October’s full moon. The name of this moon is the Hunter’s Moon. According to popular belief, the moon was named the Hunter’s Moon because it signaled the time to go hunting in preparation for cold winter months.

This chart shows the initial settings for using the Loony 11 rule.

Moon Phase	Light from the Moon	Aperture Value	ISO	Shutter Speed
Full Moon	Moon is 100% lit	f/11	100	1/100 second
Half Moon	Moon reflects off less light – about 50% compared to full moon	f/8	100	1/100 second
Quarter Moon	Moon reflects off even lesser light – about 25% compared to full moon	f/5.6	100	1/100 second
Thin Crescent Moon	Very less light reflected off the moon	f/4	100	1/100 second
Fully Eclipsed Moon	Moon is shadowed	f/2.8	100	1/100 second

Enjoy my moon photos, there will be more.

Thursday, 10/21/2021: Posted photo — Wachusett Mountain from Echo Lake.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/30 s, 18 mm.

Today was my biweekly hike with colleagues from work. It was a wonderful day for a hike.

We started the hike about a half hour before sunset and I took a trail that I was faster to summit. We did not make the summit at sunset. The hike normally takes about 45 minutes to complete to get to the summit and we hiked as fast a safely possible. Before the hike, I thought about changing the trail we hiked to a quicker way up the mountain. The trial was already choosing and Hike Safe and Leave No Trace both say that once a route was picked, you should not veer from the plan. On the way to the summit, the trail passed Echo Lake along the Echo Lake Trail and I saw this great view of the side of the mountain. The light was hitting the mountain in a way that I wanted to stop and take this photo.

The hill is not the summit of the mountain but the intersection of two or the trails, High Meadow Trail and Jack Frost Trail. I like the foliage on the hill in the background and Echo Lake on the foreground.

Friday, 10/22/2021: Post photo — Yew.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/320 s, 113 mm.

This Yew is at the entrance to work. I keep passing it and wanting to take a photo of it. Today I did. Here is some information about the Common Yew.

The Common Yew is an ornamental tree. While they are considered conifers, yew trees and shrubs don’t produce typical cones but rather modified versions of cones that look more like small red fruit. The taxine alkaloids contained in yew berries, needles or bark are poisonous. The lethal dose for an adult is reported to be 50 g of yew needles. Patients who ingest a lethal dose frequently die due to cardiogenic shock.

Saturday, 10/23/2021: Post photo — Oak.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/50 s, 92 mm.

Peak time for foliage: The color and intensity change quickly, but your best bet to see peak colors is from mid-October to early November. This oak leaf is past peak along with most of the other foliage in my area. I took this photo today when I was raking my lawn today.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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October 17, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 10/10/2021 to 10/16/2021

“Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” — Susan Sontag

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 10/10/2021: Posted photo — Lakeside.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/125 s, 32 mm.

Today we took the dock out of the water at the cottage. The water was cold when first going into it, and then it did not feel so bad. We need to go into the water to lift part of the dock off its foundation to bring it in. Many years ago, the tires on the bottle of the support legs on the dock fell off so we manually need to lift the dock out of the water.

Before the dock was removed, I went out on it to enjoy the foliage from out in the water. I took this photo shortly before the dock was removed from the water.

The day is always a fun filled day with family and friends.

Monday, 10/11/2021: Posted photo — Trees in the Sun.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/125 s, 50 mm.

This is the backside, or inlet side, of the falls at Round Meadow Pond. You have seen a few photos of the water flowing over the dam since that is one of my favorite spots to photograph. I took this photo because of the bright colors of the foliage, and I liked the way the light was reflecting off the trees.

Tuesday, 10/12/2021: Posted photo — More Foliage.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 50 mm.

Not much to say about this photo. The foliage is starting to get to peak in this area, so I am taking as many foliage photos as I can.

One thing I can say about this photo, and my other foliage photos, is that they look very bright. The histogram looks good for these photos, but the photos look bright when viewing on some screens. It might be because I use calibrate monitors to edit my photos and the other monitors are not calibrated.

Time to do some research into this issue. Maybe I should get one or two of them printed to see how the colors come out.

Wednesday, 10/13/2021: Posted photo — Morning Dew.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 72 mm.

I was going to post another foliage photos today but decided to post a photo of the morning dew. This photo was meant to show the dew and to break up my trend of foliage photos. Too much of a good thing is not always good.

I attempted to capture the light off the dew on the grass. Please leave a comment to let me know how well I captured the light and to give me some tips to improve.

Thursday, 10/14/2021: Posted photo — Lightning at Sea.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 15 s, 48 mm.

15 second exposure looking out to see in Jacksonville Beach, FL a few years ago.

During a past vacation, my family rented a condominium on Jacksonville Beach. My wife has relatives that live in both Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach, so we travel to the area relatively often. Most of the time we rent a house or condo not on the beach.

A common occurrence in Florida is a storm out to sea at night. It is such a great sight to see the lightning in the distance. On this night, I decided to put my camera on my tripod, set the exposure time to 15 seconds, to capture the storm. After looking at the photos, my only regret was that I did not leave my shutter open for 30 seconds.

There will always be another trip back to the beach.

Here are a few camera settings for photographing daytime and nighttime lightning that I have picked up over the years:

Camera settings tips for photographing daytime lightning photos:

Set up camera on a sturdy tripod.
Turn off any image stabilization you might have. If image stabilization is on, the camera will think it is moving when the shutter engages, even though there is not camera movement.
Focus camera lens on infinity or on an object in the distance.
Set the aperture of the lens to f/16 or smaller. This will close the iris inside the lens, allowing a longer shutter speed to be used.
Set ISO to lowest it will go, for example use ISO 100.
Take a test exposure using the slowest shutter speed allowed to see if the image is exposed correctly and your focus is correct.
Set your camera on manual or bulb.
Use a remote timer/intervalometer to fire the shutter continuously.

Here is an example of a daytime lightning photo. This photo was handheld since the storm arrived quickly. For your information, we did not hike down into the Grand Canyon that day.

Camera settings for photographing night-time lightning

Set up camera on a sturdy tripod.
Turn off any image stabilization you might have. If image stabilization is on, the camera will think it is moving when the shutter engages, even though there is not camera movement.
Focus camera lens on infinity or on an object in the distance.
Set the aperture of the lens to a medium value, such as f/5.6 or f/8. This will allow a longer shutter speed by bringing in more light and improve image quality at the same time by allowing the use of a lower ISO value.
Set ISO to lowest it will go, for example set your is to ISO 100. You may have to increase your ISO to ISO 200–ISO 400 depending on the lighting in the area. I prefer my ISO set at ISO 100 for all my lightning shots.
Set your camera on manual or bulb.
Set the shutter speed to between 5 and 20 seconds. You can set it up to 30 seconds if you are in a dark area.
Take a test shot to see if the scene is exposed correctly, remembering that if a strike does happen in the field of view it could light up the scene considerably, depending on how big the strike looks in the photo.
Use a remote timer/intervalometer to fire the shutter continuously.

Friday, 10/15/2021: Post photo — Clouds.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/1250 s, 37 mm.

Today I am posting a photo of a cloud. I took many photos today, but this one was the only one that I liked.

Saturday, 10/16/2021: Post photo — Aster.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/320 s, 106 mm.

I went to my mother’s house today to make sure everything was fine at the house. I also collected some of the wood from the tree that fell on her house about a year ago to bring home to burn. Earlier in the day, I took photos at Leominster State Forest. I went hiking at Leominster State Forest last night and went back today to get some more photos. I will be posting the photos I took in this blog for you to see what I did not post for my 365 project.

When I was at her house, I noticed a lot of asters. I also saw that there was an abundant number of bees flying around the asters. What a great photo opportunity. The aster flowers (Aster spp.) add color to the autumn landscape while offering beauty with little work when caring for asters.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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October 10, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 10/03/2021 to 10/09/2021

“I never have taken a picture I’ve intended. They’re always better or worse.” — Diane Arbus

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 10/03/2021: Posted photo — Reflection in the Fog.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/80 s, 113 mm.

Driving into church this morning, I notice fog off the lakes in the area. The location of this photo is one in which I take many practice photos. It is a difficult location to take a photo since I needed to stop on the edge of a busy road.

My initial thought on this photo was to get a picture of the mist rising from the surface of the lake with the foliage behind it. When I arrived at this location, the mist was thicker than I would like. I did see the reflections of the trees on the water and thought that that would take a good photo.

Monday, 10/04/2021: Posted photo — Western Tanager.

Settings: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/320 s, 300 mm.

Fact from All About Birds: “The oldest Western Tanager on record—a male originally banded in Nevada in 1965—had lived at least 6 years and 11 months by the time he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Oregon in 1971.”

We were walking the north rim at Grand Canyon National Park when I spotted this male Western Tanager in a conifer tree. The color contrast between the bird and the tree caught my eye.

The range of the Western Tanger is the western parts for the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Again, from All About Birds: “A clear look at a male Western Tanager is like looking at a flame: an orange-red head, brilliant yellow body, and coal-black wings, back and tail. Females and immatures are a somewhat dimmer yellow-green and blackish. These birds live in open woods all over the West, particularly among evergreens, where they often stay hidden in the canopy. Nevertheless, they’re a quintessential woodland denizen in summertime, where they fill the woods with their short, burry song and low, chuckling call notes.” (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Tanager/overview)

Tuesday, 10/05/2021: Posted photo — The Gathering.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/7.1, 1/100 s, 135 mm.

On my way home from work today I saw this rafter of turkey. I have seen them many times before on the property and did not feel the need to photograph them. Today was different.

When I was approaching them today, it looked like it was a group of workers getting ready to clock out of work and were planning what they were going to do tonight. Just the way they were gather in pairs and it looked like they were talking to each other.

Also, I thought it would be a good picture to take.

Wednesday, 10/06/2021: Posted photo — Cattails.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/5, 1/800 s, 52 mm.

I had a choice of photos to post today — a photo of an island or a photo of cattails. I decided on the cattails for the photo to put in my 365 project because I liked it just a little bit better than the photo of the island. I will be posting both in this blog for you to compare.

Cattails are a type of aquatic plant, approximately 5-10 feet tall. These plants have long, slender, branchless, and upward-growing leaves and a distinguishable brown, cylindrical flowering head at their apex. The grow around ponds and other wetland areas.

What is the difference between a pond and a lake? Here is something I found in my research: “To help determine the difference, both the depth and surface area must be considered. Lakes are normally much deeper than ponds and have a larger surface area. All the water in a pond is in the photic zone, meaning ponds are shallow enough to allow sunlight to reach the bottom. This causes plants (sometimes too many) to grow at the bottom of ponds as well as on their surface. However, sunlight can’t reach the bottom of all areas of lakes. Lakes have aphotic zones, which are deep areas of water that receive no sunlight, preventing plants from growing.” (https://lakes.grace.edu/ponds-vs-lakes-whats-the-difference/)

I took the cattail photo with a shallow depth of field (DOF) to blur the background and the make the cattails “pop”. As you can tell by this photo, the cattails are starting to spread their seeds.

Here is the photo of the island that I took and did not like as much as the cattail photo.

Thursday, 10/07/2021: Posted photo — Sunset Through Trees.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160 s, 100 mm.

After a week and a half, I was back on the hiking trail today. It felt good to get back. I hiked 4.3 miles on Wachusett Mountain after work with some colleagues. I took a series of photos along the way to determine what one to post. I decided on this sunset photo. I had another sunset photo that I took from the summit, but I accidently deleted it. Rookie mistake.

The other choices of photos were a glacial erratic called Balanced Rock or a burl on a tree at a trail junction. Just a reminder that a glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. And a burl is a strange-looking collection of tree cells, which are called callus tissue. Normally, callus tissue is formed by a tree in response to an environmental injury such as a pruning cut, disease, or insect damage. If you have a piece of wooden furniture, such as an end table, it was most likely made with a burl.

These are the photos that I did not post for my 365 project.

Friday, 10/08/2021: Post photo — Pareidolia.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/10, 1/250 s, 21 mm.

Pareidolia is the defined by Merriam-Webster as the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. I have posted about this tendency in the past.

Today I am posting a photo of a cloud. I see a couple items in this photo. I see an opera singer hitting a high note and I also see a ships figurehead. It is amazing how one can see an object when one is not there.

What to you see? Do you see what I see, due to the power of suggestion, or do you see something else. Please respond in the comment section.

Saturday, 10/09/2021: Post photo — Iris Bouquet.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 100, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

From The Old Farmer’s Almanac: “The tall, beautiful iris, named after the Greek goddess who rode rainbows, comes in many magical colors. Despite its divine origins, this June bloomer is rugged, reliable, and easy to grow. Learn all about planting, growing, and caring for iris flowers.” (https://www.almanac.com/plant/irises)

Today was a shopping day from me. Saw this iris bouquet in one of the stores that I shopped. I like the colors.

Saturday’s posts are normally short because of the time between I take the photo and the time that I post my blog.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

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October 3, 2021

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Photographic Thoughts — 09/26/2021 to 10/02/2021

“I wish that all of nature’s magnificence, the emotion of the land, the living energy of place could be photographed.” — Annie Leibovitz

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Quick posts this week.

Sunday, 09/26/2021: Posted photo — What is It.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/13 s, 67 mm.

When I posted this photo, I did not expect someone to identify the object as quickly as they did. This is not a common item. Only people that have seen this object before could possibly identify it. I was surprised when someone knew what it was within an hour of my post. It happened to be on the first guess!

The object is the foot pedals of an organ. This is the organ at my church. I played the organ for many years when I was younger. I have not played on for a great while.

I will have to post a harder photo next time.

Monday, 09/27/2021: Posted photo — Vacancy.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/5, 1/50 s, 55 mm.

The previous occupant of this web has vacated the property.

Occasionally I see a great spider web at this location. I took this photo before the web was destroyed by the wind.

Tuesday, 09/28/2021: Posted photo — Wet Seasoned Wood.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/6 s, 62 mm.

Quick photo Tuesday.

I needed a photo for today and looked at the wood pile as I was getting out of my car after work.

Wednesday, 09/29/2021: Posted photo — Third Quarter.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/16, 1/125 s, 300 mm.

Handheld photo of the third quarter of the moon. I took this photo about three hours after the official time of the third quarter.

The eight phases of the Moon in order are (according to NASA):

New Moon: This is the invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth.
Waxing Crescent: This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet.
First Quarter: The Moon is now a quarter of the way through its monthly journey, and you see half of its illuminated side.
Waxing Gibbous: Now most of the Moon’s dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky.
Full Moon: This is as close as we come to seeing the Sun’s illumination of the entire day side of the Moon (so, technically, this would be the real half moon).
Waning Gibbous: As the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun, the opposite side of the Moon now reflects the Moon’s light.
Last Quarter: The Moon looks like its half illuminated from the perspective of Earth, but really, you’re seeing half of the half of the Moon that’s illuminated by the Sun ― or a quarter.
Waning Crescent: The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve.

Thursday, 09/30/2021: Posted photo — Color.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/400 s, 50 mm.

The colors of the leaves on the trees are starting to turn. This seems later than normal this year. Could be because of all the rain we have received over the summer.

Friday, 10/01/2021: Post photo — Starlight.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/50 s, 290 mm.

Sol. The nearest star to the earth.

I have been looking for my solar filter for a while. There was a partial solar eclipse a few months ago and could not find it. I was looking for a framed photo to bring to my uncle for his birthday last week and found it amongst my photos.

I took it out today and took a photo of the sun.

Saturday, 10/02/2021: Post photo — Angels.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/13, 1/500 s, 52 mm.

I went to visit my parents today at the cemetery. They are buried next to the clergy section of the cemetery. When I looked over to the clergy section, I saw these angels under a tree. Looking at what is on the sign, it seems that there are other’s in the cemetery.

I liked the foliage next to the monument, so I took this picture.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!

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September 26, 2021

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hiking, Nature, Photography, Thoughts

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Photographic Thoughts — 09/19/2021 to 09/25/2021

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” — Ansel Adams

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 09/19/2021: Posted photo — Trail Marker.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/25 s, 31 mm.

This is an old trail marker on Wachusett Mountain. There are a few trails on the mountain that have the trail name carved into stone. When I see these markings, I wonder how long it took for someone to carve the marking.

I took this photo to show how the trails were marked many years ago.

Monday, 09/20/2021: Posted photo — Harvest Moon.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/13, 1/100 s, 1250 mm.

I take many moon photos. The moon is my primary subject matter and is very difficult to photograph. Many have tried but have not gotten a good photo since the moon is very bright and is moving very fast. I have taken hundreds of moon photos and decided to change my setting slightly for this photo.

For this photo, I changed the focal length of this moon photo to 1250 mm to see if I could get a better focus on this subject.

From space.com: “Traditionally, this designation goes to the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal (fall) equinox — which is most often in September. On average, October Harvest Moons come at three-year intervals, although the time frame can be quite variable, and there can be situations where as many as eight years can elapse (the next such example will come between 2020 and 2028).

At the peak of the harvest, farmers can work into the night by the light of this moon. Usually, the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice — indigenous staples in North America — are ready for gathering.”

Tuesday, 09/21/2021: Posted photo — Wachusett Mountain.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 79 mm.

Today I needed a quick photo, so I took a photo of Wachusett Mountain over Round Meadow Pond.

Wednesday, 09/22/2021: Posted photo — Heart.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/250 s, 135 mm.

People see items in ordinary item in the strangest places. This weekend I saw this rock looking like a hike at the trailhead of the Hancock’s in the White Mountains.

Seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. It’s a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information.

Thursday, 09/23/2021: Posted photo — Mushroom.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 3200, f/7.1, 1/30 s, 87 mm.

Have you noticed that there are many more mushrooms this year then in the past? At least here in north central Massachusetts and in the mountains of New Hampshire. The photo I took today was on one of the trails on Wachusett Mountain. I took this photo on my way to the summit. I was planning on taking a sunset photo tonight but there was cloud cover at the summit. I was happy that I took this photo so I would have something to post today.

Friday, 09/24/2021: Post photo — Abstract Painting.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/8 s, 31 mm.

Abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colors, forms, and gestural marks to achieve its effect. Abstract art is made up of six basic elements: Line, Texture, Shape, Form, Color, and Value. You can go online to find more about these elements.

Saturday, 09/25/2021: Post photo — FaceTime with Daughter.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 400, f/5, 1/100 s, 57 mm.

My uncle turned 92 years old this week. We had a party for him this afternoon.

During the party, his daughter from Maine called him to FaceTime. He was figuring out how to talk to her. It was difficult to hear them on the phone due to all the noise from the party.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!

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September 19, 2021

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hiking, Nature, Photography

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Photographic Thoughts — 09/12/2021 to 09/18/2021

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 09/12/2021: Posted photo — Trail Mix.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/10 s, 135 mm.

Trail mix is typically a blend of cereals, dried fruits, nuts and often sweets, trail mix can be a mixture of crunchy and chewy, salty, or sweet. My trail mix is a mixture of different types of M&Ms, nuts, and Chex mix.

I snack on trail mix off and on the trail. I like the mixture of the different textures and tastes of the food. Trail mix may not be the most nutritious food to eat, but it does cut down on my hunger and keeps me energized on my hikes.

Monday, 09/13/2021: Posted photo — Sunset from the Summit.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/3200 s, 135 mm.

Every sunset is different, and none disappoint. Some are more spectacular and colorful than other. The anticipation of how the sunset will look is one of the great things about them.

This is why sunsets are so colorful according to Brian Resnick in an article in Science and Health “Sunset colors are created by a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. It is the same phenomenon that makes the sky appear blue during the day.

Sunlight contains all the colors of the rainbow. But not all the colors reach the ground in the same concentration. Nitrogen and oxygen molecules in our atmosphere act as little mirrors for blue and violet light. That means not as much blue or violet light reaches the ground. Instead, it bounces around in our atmosphere, creating the blue dome of sky we’re all so familiar with.

At sunset, light must travel through a greater distance of atmosphere to reach our eyes — so even more blue light, and even some green and yellow light, gets filtered out. That leaves us with the warmer hues of the visible light, the reds and oranges, and it’s why many sunsets look like fire.”

Tuesday, 09/14/2021: Posted photo — Maggiore Fun Flame.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 100, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm

A Maggiore Fun Flame is a stunning dahlia with huge, fiery red and yellow flowers. Its tall stems are perfect for cutting. It Reblooms effortlessly all season long. The dahlia is an eye-catching, fuss-free summer accent for containers, beds, and borders. The flower needs to be watered regularly — twice-weekly, or more often in extreme heat or containers. It also is good at attracting butterflies.

I saw this flower on my shopping trip this evening. I took a photo of it because I just liked the way it looked. The colors and textures caught my eyes.

Wednesday, 09/15/2021: Posted photo — Tent.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 1600, f/7.1, 1/160 s, 26 mm.

A tent is an important piece of equipment if you are going on an overnight hiking trip or just camping in general. This is the tent that I use when hiking and/or camping when I am not using my roof top tent. This tent is lightweight and very easy to set up. It is well ventilated when the rain cover is not installed. My son was camping the last two weekends and borrowed my tent. All my hikes in the White Mountains were either day trips or I stayed in my brother’s condo. Setting up a tent is not as easy as one my think. You need to be aware of your surroundings to make sure that you will not get washed out in case of rain, or have blood rush to your head if you are setting up on a slopped surface.

Thursday, 09/16/2021: Posted photo — Mount Hancock.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/400 s, 47 mm.

This photo was taken a few years ago when I hiked Mount Hancock (4,403′) along with Mount South Hancock (4,278′) for the Flags on the 48 event. The event was sponsored by the Worcester Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. I was the peak coordinator, while senior members of the AMC were leading and sweeping the hike.

Hancock Mountain is a 4,380 foot mountain in the Pemigewasset Wilderness area of the White Mountains between Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch. The mountain is named after John Hancock, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. The mountain used to be the most remote and inaccessible peak in the White Mountains, before theKancamagus Highway was finished. Today, the trail begins on the well known hairpin turn on the Kancamagus Highway at the Hancock Overlook Parking area.

When I hiked it for the Flags on the 48, I hiked with the person who blazed the original trail up to the summit, Hancock Notch Trail. He showed us photos of the trail being blazed and would tell us stories of how they decided to make the trial were it is located. There is a landmark rock in the woods near the summit. We did some exploring to see if it was still there since it had been many years since he blazed the trail.

The weather is looking wet for my hike on Saturday. If I do not make it to the summits, the mountain will still be there. If I do make it to both peaks, I would have a total of ten 4,000 footers this year. 4,000 foot mountains my not seem difficult to some of you. I have heard from people that live and hike in the taller, younger mountains, in the western United Stated that the mountains in the Whites are more challenging. I have hiked a few mountains out west and agree with their assessment. The prominence of some of the mountains in the Whites is more than the prominence of the mountains out west.

Friday, 09/17/2021: Post photo — Foggy Hike.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 100, f/1.7, 1/120 s, 4 mm

Went on a group sunset hike tonight through Leominster State Forest. As you can see, it was foggy and misty, so I did not see the setting sun tonight. The hike was almost three miles long and easy. It was a good warm up for my hike tomorrow, weather permitting.

This tree is one that I have photographed a few times before. I just like the way that it is isolated in the middle of the pond.

Saturday, 09/18/2021: Post photo — Mount Osceola.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/640 s, 41 mm.

Mount Osceola as seen from the Mount Hancock trailhead this morning. Today I hiked Mounts Hancock and South Hancock with a few people associated with the group that I hike with on Monday nights. Rain was in the forecast for the later in the afternoon. The weather held up until the last 1.8 miles of the 9.8 mile hike.

Mount Osceola is one of the 4,000 footers that I have climbed.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

COVID is real! Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask and wash your hands. Get your vaccine!