Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Pics

Greetings, hoping your holiday season has been a good one thus far. Figured before something else comes along, just wanted to take a minute to express my appreciation to those of you who have supported the things I do. It's not as though I am important or anything I do is all that great but for you to take notice means quite a lot to me. As for the past few days, they have been very busy both with work and preparation for Christmas. Since I have become a lazy facebooker, the first few items are old news to some but worth mention so here goes...

Heading home the morning of the 21st and although not the best quality, got my first Kestrel. Not an easy task since they always take off and for being through the windshield, I was very surprised this turned out as well as it did.


Though we missed out on the lunar eclipse due to cloud cover earlier this day, I took the opportunity to dig out my photos of the February 2008 eclipse and assemble a new video FOUND HERE similar to the one I had on YouTube for the longest time. Using techniques I have learned since publishing the original, the time lapse is comprised of 40 images of differing exposures unlike the previous which only had like 10. If you never saw the old video (which has been deleted), don't worry you aren't missing anything.

On the morning of the 23rd I had nothing going on so I stepped out with the intent of catching sunrise out in the country. My plans were quickly canceled upon seeing that the left rear tire had gone flat through the overnight. Having no choice but to switch it out, as it would figure, the sky went nuts so I popped off a shot anyways. By the time I was ready to go the event had peaked but rather than be mad I just laughed and added it to the list of 2010 fails.


Heading out to Rock Springs with Ava later in the afternoon so she could play in the nature center, I also took the opportunity to photograph the show I am currently in with our local art group.


One of the living exhibits.


A few weeks ago through the website of Mike Hollingshead, I learned about an amazing plug-in for Photoshop called Topaz Denoise. Simply put, it removes noise while maintaining image integrity and is an excellent tool for saving bad images. The following photo was a worse case scenario since higher ISO images can become exceptionally noisy with excessive editing. I decided to put together the following demonstration to show how well this product works. Learn more about Topaz Denoise HERE.


It is no surprise that the following was from Christmas eve being as so much of the Midwest was receiving snow. For having minimal wind thus enabling snow to remain at rest on elevated surfaces, it truly was the perfect storm for those hoping for a white Christmas. I measured 5.5 inches total accumulation.








Christmas day, the following was not my doing, just the photo.


Ava's present to me and something that she insisted was a "must have" which is funny because I have always wanted one ;)


and finally, 1980 vs. 2010 and the passing on of what has been somewhat of a Hadfield tradition in that we all had them as kids and now Ava does as well.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

More River Ice Macro Action / Geminid Flick

Had some time to kill before the stores opened for my last minute Christmas shopping so I headed down by the river again. Thinking I wouldn't see anything different than before, the combination of surface snow melt, receding water, mist and objects made for yet another interesting shooting opportunity. Even managed to score some wildlife for a change which has become a rarity since I tend to scare everything away lol.































As for the mention about Geminid meteor flick, I have compiled a DSLR time lapse sequence paired with associated star trail images from the same batches featuring this impressive 2010 meteor display. Embedding always get screwed up on this blog format (which I'll probably redo in 2011) so please click HERE to view it on YouTube.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

Between near blizzard conditions on Sunday, the Geminid Meteor Shower on Monday and sub freezing temperatures resulting in heavy hoar frost along the shores of any unfrozen body of water, the past few days have been opportunistic to say the least. Beginning with Sunday, I headed up towards Clinton IL to check out the snowfall. On the way a large "shelf" appeared on the NW horizon which I immediately recognized as the cold front boundary approaching. The first pic does no justice as I was driving and could only get what you see. Upon passage, it got dark just like a warm weather event and on the backside, the "whale's mouth" aspect was apparent though I chose quotes as the structure was much more subdued than what one might expect. The wind would kick in full force not long after during which I shot video. The 40 MPH gusts and biting cold made for a very intense and worthwhile experience.

















Click HERE for video from this day that features the intense wind as well as numerous snow vortexes which spun up due to the extreme gusts.

By Monday night, the winds had calmed somewhat but in the wake of the storm, an intense cold settled over the region. With temperatures in the single digits and wind chill values in the negative, I pointed a camera up to try and catch a few Geminid meteors. Instead of stand outside like a fool though, with camera off and in continuous mode I focused, taped down the shutter button, flipped the switch on and went back inside. Leaving the camera to do its thing for 12-24 minute intervals, the following star trail compilations are from each batch. Highlighting for you the meteors that I was fortunate to catch, I guess five out six pictures with scores is doing alright. A seventh batch that didn't work out for not being in focus was omitted. In the brief periods I was outside, I lost count of how many I saw including a few long grazers that naturally did not pass in front of the camera. By far one of the most impressive meteor displays I have ever witnessed.













After sunrise I had some time to kill so I headed down by the Sangamon river to see if there was any freezing fog. Unfrozen water in subfreezing cold often produces the best frost. Though not an epic event, my hunch verified and I did find a few patches of large crystals. The single crystals towards the end were about the size of a nickel and tree just seemed like a good idea at the time.









Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Sangamon River Ice Macro

Took the opportunity to swing by Lincoln Trail Homestead Park located in W Macon County IL on Wednesday. Wasn't expecting to see much but simply wanted to get some exercise despite being a balmy 20 degrees. Wandering down to the banks of the Sangamon River which is exceptionally low right now, I came upon numerous unusual frost and ice formations making for a worthwhile photographic opportunity. The large droplet on the end of the stick defies logic as there wasn't any water near it. Towards the end of my visit, I was treated to the distant call of an eagle located somewhere downstream.













Another one that defies logic though I imagine this came about as water levels dropped.