To give an idea of just how far away it was, the inset on this is full 300mm at 100% and still very small. My saving grace for being able to curtail shake was the use of a cable release.
Other shots from the morning.
Decatur Illinois USA Photographer, Artist, Weather Observer
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Snowy Owl, Extreme NW Macon County IL
While waiting for things to open on Thursday morning, I took a ride out into the country. Not expecting to see much for even the heavy frost at ground level wasn't very interesting, upon crossing a small bridge I spooked a Snowy Owl at rest. It flew out and landed in a field too far for me to estimate with accuracy. Pulling over and managing to walk about 15 yards away from my vehicle so to be closer to it, I am very pleased with this new opportunity despite the distance. Had I not kept an eye on it as it flew, I could have easily lost sight for it blended in exceptionally well with the landscape. I was located about 1000 feet inside the Macon County line where it meets Logan and Dewitt.
To give an idea of just how far away it was, the inset on this is full 300mm at 100% and still very small. My saving grace for being able to curtail shake was the use of a cable release.
Other shots from the morning.
To give an idea of just how far away it was, the inset on this is full 300mm at 100% and still very small. My saving grace for being able to curtail shake was the use of a cable release.
Other shots from the morning.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Ice Worms
While out on a walk Thursday morning, I encountered an entirely new macro ice formation that I had no idea existed. Roughly the diameter of spaghetti, it is frozen water ejected from worm tubes that froze on contact with the outside air which hovered at or slightly below freezing during the overnight. Unsure of what it might be called as everything these days has a name, a friend suggested Frost Flowers. Since the liquid was free standing and not extruding from or clinging to any type of foliage it is not this phenomena. On the same page however, I clicked Needle Ice and though I have been unable to find illustrations similar to these, I believe this to be an accurate description of the process though not necessarily of the subject being represented.
Keeping in mind that this is no thicker than a coffee stirrer, I also discovered a tiny Ice Spike that was no larger than a sewing needle tip. Ice spikes aren't particularly common so to find one developing on an equally bizarre as well as rare formation makes this a highly successful outing. You're never too old discover something new.
Keeping in mind that this is no thicker than a coffee stirrer, I also discovered a tiny Ice Spike that was no larger than a sewing needle tip. Ice spikes aren't particularly common so to find one developing on an equally bizarre as well as rare formation makes this a highly successful outing. You're never too old discover something new.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Frosty Eclipse
Although we weren't in the most favored area for viewing today's lunar eclipse, we did get to witness roughly 15 minutes of the beginning before it slipped below the horizon. I was at work and would have preferred to be out in the country.
With a morning low of 18, conditions were ideal for frost formation. The foreground object is a pine needle.
With a morning low of 18, conditions were ideal for frost formation. The foreground object is a pine needle.
Friday, December 09, 2011
First Flakes
What started out as practice for the season turned into an interesting opportunity when a mite strolled into the scene. A better way of shooting macro other than hand held in low light would have been ideal for it is roughly the size of this period >.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Sunrise Of The Year
Awaking before dawn and sticking my head outside, I could tell by the altocumulus deck that there was the potential for a brilliant sunrise so long as the light angle was just right. Heading out and up the road a short way, my hunch verified.
Friday, December 02, 2011
March 11, 2006
Most people who were paying attention to the event will never forget the historic, record breaking Six State Supercell of March 12, 2006. Nearly 24 hours prior to it's passing through the region however, we had another severe weather event that up until now I did not really bother with except for maybe the first of my pictures. Editing experience along with a clever technique have enabled me to bring new life into old shots from this night that otherwise would never be seen for having been sorely underexposed.
Already under a tornado watch by nightfall, an MCC (mesoscale convective complex) prompting severe thunderstorm warnings in counties to the W churns across the state. Though our county would not earn warnings, others to the immediate N, W and S would. Radar archive images c/o IEM.
From inside my vehicle I tried to capture the intense lightning out ahead of the cluster with the following being my first push button CG capture. There otherwise wasn't much to see however, in review and heavy editing, the camera did pick up cloud details including a shot from just before the heavy rain set in. The dark mass to the left is a rain shaft approaching from the SE as you face W. The time stamp indicates that it was most likely the lead edge of the unwarned red core located SE of the warned area in the above radar image.
On passage, attention turns toward the S.
Facing SE and again trying to pick up lightning once the heaviest rain exited. What makes all these low quality JPEG's somewhat cool is an editing technique I have been recently applying when appropriate. Upon lightening, there was of course tremendous noise for which I then added noise reduction. Ending up with a much softer, milky image I then reintroduced noise in Photoshop by a factor of 7 that in turn helped mask imperfections and create uniform texture throughout the scene. Though they are far from ideal (as these are also second generation saves on the host end which contributes to web publish degradation), it is nice to finally be able to present pictures that have not been previously viewed.
and finally, a quick edit featuring the infamous storm of the following night as seen from S of Latham IL using the same technique.
Already under a tornado watch by nightfall, an MCC (mesoscale convective complex) prompting severe thunderstorm warnings in counties to the W churns across the state. Though our county would not earn warnings, others to the immediate N, W and S would. Radar archive images c/o IEM.
From inside my vehicle I tried to capture the intense lightning out ahead of the cluster with the following being my first push button CG capture. There otherwise wasn't much to see however, in review and heavy editing, the camera did pick up cloud details including a shot from just before the heavy rain set in. The dark mass to the left is a rain shaft approaching from the SE as you face W. The time stamp indicates that it was most likely the lead edge of the unwarned red core located SE of the warned area in the above radar image.
On passage, attention turns toward the S.
Facing SE and again trying to pick up lightning once the heaviest rain exited. What makes all these low quality JPEG's somewhat cool is an editing technique I have been recently applying when appropriate. Upon lightening, there was of course tremendous noise for which I then added noise reduction. Ending up with a much softer, milky image I then reintroduced noise in Photoshop by a factor of 7 that in turn helped mask imperfections and create uniform texture throughout the scene. Though they are far from ideal (as these are also second generation saves on the host end which contributes to web publish degradation), it is nice to finally be able to present pictures that have not been previously viewed.
and finally, a quick edit featuring the infamous storm of the following night as seen from S of Latham IL using the same technique.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
January 2, 2006
Continuing with the seemingly endless task of sorting through old pictures, I stumbled upon a series of unpublished images from an event I did not bother with as it wasn't very photogenic or interesting at the time. Since there isn't much going on right now I figured it might be worth another look.
On the morning of January 2, 2006 while watching TWC at work, an approaching system producing tornado warnings from outside of St. Louis was top news for the 6 o'clock hour (click for more info). Lifting out of the SW and expected to maintain intensity, a tornado watch was issued for the greater Central IL region. Timing as such to coincide with when my shift ended, I headed S to just N of Moweaqua IL in an attempt to observe a cell that appeared promising upon final glance before leaving. I wouldn't have data for another two years and instead, relied exclusively upon my Oregon Scientific Weather Radio for updates. Unable to get far enough S on US 51 so to be in the best position for the cell I was most concerned with, I pulled off and allowed it to pass to my S. The motion with the incoming line N of this area was still very intense and as later learned via conversation with the Weather Service, an unconfirmed tornado report was made with this particular cell. No mention of it appears on the SPC page for this day but to know that I may have missed something significant despite being so close is still disappointing. This could have potentially been the day of my first tornado observation but then again, who is really expecting to see such on a January morning? Looking back to the time before now when weather information is so easily available to anyone with a smartphone or laptop, I have to wonder how many people would still be involved considering the effort it once took to make informed decisions. Likewise, what I wouldn't give to go back to 2006 and the banner year it was for Illinois with the mobile data capability we have at our fingertips now.
Initial activity (archived radar c/o IEM).
Later, I'm at the white dot. Note the area of greatest intensity just below me.
Incoming facing W
Upon passage facing W
facing SE
facing E
On the morning of January 2, 2006 while watching TWC at work, an approaching system producing tornado warnings from outside of St. Louis was top news for the 6 o'clock hour (click for more info). Lifting out of the SW and expected to maintain intensity, a tornado watch was issued for the greater Central IL region. Timing as such to coincide with when my shift ended, I headed S to just N of Moweaqua IL in an attempt to observe a cell that appeared promising upon final glance before leaving. I wouldn't have data for another two years and instead, relied exclusively upon my Oregon Scientific Weather Radio for updates. Unable to get far enough S on US 51 so to be in the best position for the cell I was most concerned with, I pulled off and allowed it to pass to my S. The motion with the incoming line N of this area was still very intense and as later learned via conversation with the Weather Service, an unconfirmed tornado report was made with this particular cell. No mention of it appears on the SPC page for this day but to know that I may have missed something significant despite being so close is still disappointing. This could have potentially been the day of my first tornado observation but then again, who is really expecting to see such on a January morning? Looking back to the time before now when weather information is so easily available to anyone with a smartphone or laptop, I have to wonder how many people would still be involved considering the effort it once took to make informed decisions. Likewise, what I wouldn't give to go back to 2006 and the banner year it was for Illinois with the mobile data capability we have at our fingertips now.
Initial activity (archived radar c/o IEM).
Later, I'm at the white dot. Note the area of greatest intensity just below me.
Incoming facing W
Upon passage facing W
facing SE
facing E
Sunday, November 27, 2011
nothing to see...
Late November with a temp of 39, NW wind gusts to 22 MPH and rain do not make for the best shooting conditions.
It's going to be a long winter.
It's going to be a long winter.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Monday Storms / Leonid Fails...
Last Monday November 14, SE Illinois on into Indiana and Ohio was highlighted for a slight risk. Storms were expected to fire well to the E of our location and pose a greater threat of severe weather including tornadoes in another time zone. I didn't plan on heading out for this reason however, at initiation time, cells erupted back along the frontal boundary versus the hatched area further S and E. My thinking is that overnight convection which produced tornado warnings as well may have turned the area over thereby shunting new development till the CF arrived and especially for being the time of year with a significantly lower sun angle to limit recovery. I also noted a considerable amount of cirrus over S IL which probably didn't help. Experts are welcome to check my meteorology as I am just throwing out hindsight conclusion without any supporting data. Anyways, the surprise change in setup would make for an ideal local event with a few cells quickly earning tornado warnings not far from home.
Looking NE from I-72 towards De Land IL, this cell would earn tornado warning a short time later in Champaign county.
Same cell, now at Lodge IL along route 10
Bailing from the warned storm that was becoming shrouded in rain and heading into populated area, I turned my attention to new unwarned development to the SW. Two shot panorama of a developing supercell near Broadlands which is in S Champaign county.
Same location and now looking very promising as a mature LEWP (line end wave pattern) with the potential for producing brief spin up tornado. Though I could not identify any activity that may have been occurring, contrast enhanced image of the scene reveals the possibility of a circulation reaching to the ground. Since I couldn't make confirmation I never called anything in which may or may not be a foul on my part though earlier I did stop to advise a farmer I passed up the road near to where it would have crossed and was probably the only thing in harms way. I don't play into the whole hero chaser image which has been a hot topic of discussion in the weather community recently but will on occasion give a cautionary heads up when I see pedestrians or person's otherwise exposed to the elements. At the very least it's a courtesy in saving lives... from getting rained on lol. Time lapse video of this and another area of interest can be seen HERE.
Dropping SW a short distance on yet another developing cell, this was the tail end "Charlie" or last cell on the line segment which was clearly becoming outflow dominate and linear.
Keeping with the line motion and enjoying the simple pleasure of casual storm photography, I am now E of Allerton IL.
Continuing S to now N of Newman IL, abandoned farm that I wouldn't mind visiting again.
Even further S but still N of Newman.
I would gas up at Newman then go way down to S of I-70 along the Indiana border near a depressed spec of a town named Darwin to intercept promising severe warned cell. It was riding 70 and producing heavy rain which I didn't want to parallel under just to get across to Terre Haute. Uninteresting as it is for being close to nightfall, this was about to cross the state line. Though it began to wrap up and drop further which I could see after it had entered IN, I lost it due to being in heavily forested area with no nearby border crossing. I was hoping to get a shot from outside of IL just to say I "technically" got out this year but no luck. For some it comes easy, others not as much so maybe next season.
Skipping ahead to early Friday the 18th, I set a camera out in the hope of catching something with the annual Leonid meteor shower. During my first hour long attempt, I didn't pick up any meteors but did manage to image a passing bird being illuminated by the bright moon off to the E.
In my second hour long attempt where the moon would eventually slip in frame, I was fortunate to also capture a bright meteor though it was most likely something other than a Leonid for not originating from the radiant or in other words, point of entry.
In my third attempt which was 40 minutes and the only series worth stacking, I was angled as such to catch the International Space Station pass just before dawn. No meteors appeared though I picked up two exceptionally bright flaring objects. To date they are unidentified but are most likely satellites. Insets are cropped from the RAW files and unedited. The change from purple to blue is as result of dawn beginning to break. When you stack images they go chronologically with earliest to latest. I wish the pass could have occurred under total darkness.
Looking NE from I-72 towards De Land IL, this cell would earn tornado warning a short time later in Champaign county.
Same cell, now at Lodge IL along route 10
Bailing from the warned storm that was becoming shrouded in rain and heading into populated area, I turned my attention to new unwarned development to the SW. Two shot panorama of a developing supercell near Broadlands which is in S Champaign county.
Same location and now looking very promising as a mature LEWP (line end wave pattern) with the potential for producing brief spin up tornado. Though I could not identify any activity that may have been occurring, contrast enhanced image of the scene reveals the possibility of a circulation reaching to the ground. Since I couldn't make confirmation I never called anything in which may or may not be a foul on my part though earlier I did stop to advise a farmer I passed up the road near to where it would have crossed and was probably the only thing in harms way. I don't play into the whole hero chaser image which has been a hot topic of discussion in the weather community recently but will on occasion give a cautionary heads up when I see pedestrians or person's otherwise exposed to the elements. At the very least it's a courtesy in saving lives... from getting rained on lol. Time lapse video of this and another area of interest can be seen HERE.
Dropping SW a short distance on yet another developing cell, this was the tail end "Charlie" or last cell on the line segment which was clearly becoming outflow dominate and linear.
Keeping with the line motion and enjoying the simple pleasure of casual storm photography, I am now E of Allerton IL.
Continuing S to now N of Newman IL, abandoned farm that I wouldn't mind visiting again.
Even further S but still N of Newman.
I would gas up at Newman then go way down to S of I-70 along the Indiana border near a depressed spec of a town named Darwin to intercept promising severe warned cell. It was riding 70 and producing heavy rain which I didn't want to parallel under just to get across to Terre Haute. Uninteresting as it is for being close to nightfall, this was about to cross the state line. Though it began to wrap up and drop further which I could see after it had entered IN, I lost it due to being in heavily forested area with no nearby border crossing. I was hoping to get a shot from outside of IL just to say I "technically" got out this year but no luck. For some it comes easy, others not as much so maybe next season.
Skipping ahead to early Friday the 18th, I set a camera out in the hope of catching something with the annual Leonid meteor shower. During my first hour long attempt, I didn't pick up any meteors but did manage to image a passing bird being illuminated by the bright moon off to the E.
In my second hour long attempt where the moon would eventually slip in frame, I was fortunate to also capture a bright meteor though it was most likely something other than a Leonid for not originating from the radiant or in other words, point of entry.
In my third attempt which was 40 minutes and the only series worth stacking, I was angled as such to catch the International Space Station pass just before dawn. No meteors appeared though I picked up two exceptionally bright flaring objects. To date they are unidentified but are most likely satellites. Insets are cropped from the RAW files and unedited. The change from purple to blue is as result of dawn beginning to break. When you stack images they go chronologically with earliest to latest. I wish the pass could have occurred under total darkness.
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