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photobyjosephciras

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April 14, 2024

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eclipse, hiking, Inspiration, memorial, Nature, Travel

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2024

“An eclipse is one phenomenon that is actually more impressive from the ground.” — Leroy Chiao

This week’s blog will feature photos of one of nature’s wonders, a total solar eclipse.

Sunday, 04/07/2024: Posted photo — Moose.

Today was a travel day to Houlton ME to see the eclipse. We were looking to go to either western Ohio, northern New York, or Vermont to see the eclipse. We have relatives and friends in those areas. Looking at the weather for tomorrow’s eclipse, it was decided to head to Houlton ME. There is a Walmart in Houlton. Since we saw the last total solar eclipse seven years ago in a Walmart in TN, we thought it would be a good idea to go to one in Houlton. Walmart had a big open space and there would be many people. We also though we could sleep in the parking lot. This did not happen, we slept in a rest area on the way. Houlton ME was predicted to have the best weather in the country along the path of totality. It did not disappoint.

This moose is at the Kittery Trading Post. We stopped in Kittery to get candy and to go to the Trading Post. I needed another fuel can for my camping stove. If the weather was cold, we were going to have hot chocolate while we waited, and I did not want to run out of fuel. We also stopped in Freeport to go to LL Bean. We shop the outlet store and did not go to the main campus this trip.

The ride to ME was uneventful. There were signs in both NH and ME warning people about the traffic and not to stop on the side of the road to see the eclipse. We did not see many vehicles on the road.

Monday, 04/08/2024: Posted photo — Sundog.

While waiting for the eclipse, I saw a sundog and took a photo of it with my cell phone. I adjusted by camera setting for the eclipse and did not want to change them.

Sundogs are colored spots of light that develop due to the refraction of light through ice crystals. They are located approximately 22 degrees either left, right, or both, from the sun, depending on where the ice crystals are present. This sundog was in the little clouds there were.

Tuesday, 04/09/2024: Posted photo — Second Contact.

Second contact is the start of totality. First contact is when the eclipse starts, second is the start of totality, third is when totality ends, and fourth is when the eclipse ends. Between first contact and second contact, a special solar filter needs to be put on your camera. It is the same type of filter that are in solar glasses.

Just before totality, a single bright spot will remain, resembling a diamond in a ring. I missed taking a photo of this phenomenon during the eclipse seven years ago and was fully prepared for it this time.

Wednesday, 04/10/2024: Posted photo — Totality or Maximum Eclipse.

Totality lasted 3 minutes and 18 seconds in Houlton. It was very close to the maximum totality line. Three minutes and 18 seconds is not a long time, but it was worth it. Looking at the horizon and seeing sunset/sunrise. Seeing Jupiter and Venus on either side of the eclipse was another bonus. I was looking for comet 12P/Pons-Brooks near the eclipse but it was too bright to see.

Here are a few photos of totality. Unlike seven years ago in TN, the sky was cloud free and the eclipse as spectacular.

Thursday, 04/11/2024: Posted photo — Third Contact.

This is Baily’s beads just as third contact starts, or totality ends. During the last few seconds before totality, the crescent Sun breaks up to form Baily’s beads (those are typically only visible through a telescope with a solar filter attached). At the end of totality, this sequence happens in the reverse order, starting with Baily’s beads until the returning burst of sunlight becomes too bright to view with the naked eye. I also missed this during the eclipse seven years ago and did not want to miss it again.

When looking at this photo, you can see some solar prominences. Though they look like they could be made of fire, they are eruptions of plasma, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). They are a hot gas made of electrically charged hydrogen and helium, extending outward from the sun’s surface.

Friday, 04/12/2024: Post photo — Collage.

Here is a composite photo of different phases of the eclipse.

The timing for these photos were taken from the Partial Phase Images area in my Solar Eclipse Timer app. This was a great app to use since it gave verbal instructions and information on what was happening during the eclipse. It would tell you want to look for on ground level and it would count down to the different contacts.

Saturday, 04/13/2024: Post photo — Daffodil.

The daffodils are starting to bloom in our yard. This is a sign of spring. The cold and damp weather did not stop their growth.

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

Posted by

photobyjosephciras

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November 21, 2021

Posted under

hiking, Inspiration, Nature, Photography

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Photographic Thoughts — 11/14/2021 to 11/20/2021

“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/.