Haunted Bethany / Smokenado

Yesterday I participated in a family Halloween party complete with a haunted house. Thinking of what to do that might be fun, unique, easy and creepy, my thoughts drifted back to 1984 and the evening I watched POLTERGEIST at a friend's house. Riding my bike home in complete darkness and absolutely terrified the entire way, it is a wonder I didn't require therapy from the experience lol. If you've seen this horror classic then you know what I'm saying and if not, you should albeit at your own risk! Of the many disturbing scenes in the movie, a particular one found below that stuck with me for all these years is what I decided to try and replicate. The hardest part was making the mask which was comprised of a foam core frame covered with duct tape and fuzzy thread. My likeness could have been better but for only having a few days and a limited budget, the end result was both entertaining and particularly memorable for the adults :)



You enter down at the end where you are greeted by the Mexican zombie complete with guitar sombrero. A creepy clown meets you halfway because we all know everybody loves clowns!


Turning left at the end of the hall...


You run away in the opposite direction...


Only to enter the butcher shop with Ava's uncle who wasn't in costume yet but was one of the most effective scaremasters!


Rounding the corner and it's dinner with the zombies...


After which you step out into the graveyard...


Props c/o me, glowstick fingers including hallway above was a last second idea, try it!


Exit at right but not before a visit to Michael's room.


Suffice to say the crew was very successful at scaring the bejeebus out of everyone including my daughter who vomited upon leaving. Not to worry, she was fine and enjoyed every bit of it as we all did!


Earlier in the day as Ava and I were running around getting things together for the event, we drove by a field fire. Initially I thought it was a control burn but determined later it likely was not as there was a stump burning operation upwind where hot embers could have been generated? Either way, SW winds at 14 MPH spun up a large smokenado that chewed through the field and threw small debris airborne like a dust devil. It was remarkably long lived and I was very fortunate to catch it before dissipating. Hoping for another, I shot a few minutes of video with only one decent whirl although nowhere near as defined. These are iPhone captures as the good equipment was at home.

Frosty Tuesday Morning

With a morning low of 31° out at the airport, it finally happened...






and from Monday...

Fall Color at Weldon Springs

Despite taking an extended walk on Sunday, I was less interested in photography than to simply be outside. A shortwave dropping through the upper Midwest produced some interesting mid and high level cloud textures.

Lightroom Sunset

A year or so ago I picked up a discontinued copy of Adobe Lightroom 3 for a song from B&H Photo and Video. Time would go by and instead of using it, I sold it to a friend. Recently, I got it back and since it had been opened, am now stuck with it but not complaining. Deciding to give it a shot this morning, I installed the copy and began tinkering. It is a surprisingly simple application to figure out if you already have prior Photoshop experience. I liked the ease in which I could manage color as well as highlight recovery and especially with respect to sunset images from yesterday that I frequently have difficulty with. My copy of CS2 doesn't have some of the RAW editor tools that newer versions do such as clarity and vibrancy so this is a welcome feature to my outdated work flow. Overall, I am happy and look forward to fully implementing this product into what I do but will have to find a convenient work around for some aspects like preferred personal saving formats. To even talk about this product like it's 'new' compared to what has come along since may seem noobish but I don't need the latest and best of anything to be happy, just simple.



Watching for the clearing line yesterday, I was hoping for less grunge in the low levels yet was still able to make it work.


Two image composite assembled in PS, corrected in LR, then finished back in PS.


Color management/correction in LR with import into PS for crop, resize and text.

Saturday Morning Storms

A weak frontal system entered the region around daybreak so I spent some time with it on the way home. The first wave of associated cloud was with an exhausted cluster to form and then dissipate before dawn in WC IL. The second wave of better storms to develop behind it not only missed the best light but were somewhat shadowed due to cloud debris. At least it rained although with crops pretty much done for the season, it's too little too late.

Early October Miscellaneous

On the 6th when the upper system responsible for the storms from previous post moved overhead, I stepped out and up the road thinking sunset might catch the associated showers. The light didn't exactly happen but interesting textures with a boundary passage occurred that was also marked with a significant temperature drop. Minimal editing was applied to the following.









On the 7th I stepped out again near to home to try for Draconid meteors. Though I was unsuccessful in this respect, I was able to catch a satellite flare, Venus and moonset with the grand finale of the International Space Station rising against the Milky Way to the SW and slipping into earth's shadow.







On the 8th, another CME event occurred although unlike the week prior, this one was minor and brief. I missed the initial wave of aurora that was visible at our latitude but held out hope for additional activity which never happened. A 51 minute image stack without so much as a rouge meteor and merely air traffic out of Chicago is all I netted. Still though, it has been a very busy month indeed.

October Storms

The first week of the month has been exceptionally busy. On Thursday the 3rd, we had a line of elevated storms lift through the region that brought sorely needed beneficial rainfall shortly after daybreak. I was at home and unable to be at a better location to take advantage of the morning light but it made for an interesting start to the day.







Later that evening, another system coming in from Missouri kicked off an additional round of storms. Twilight passage made for a cool looking "blue hour" scene.















Saturday the 5th was also very active with the passage of a frontal system accompanied by a number of sub-severe storms including two photogenic cells from near Argenta IL at noon and another later at Dalton City around 2 PM. Unfortunately with the Dalton City cell, I would clip a deer that ran out in front of me while traveling down a back road. The animal took off so it is unknown if it survived but thankfully there was no vehicle damage.

Argenta Cell




Dalton City Cell (facing S)


Traveling S while being slightly overtaken.




S looking back N.




Distant smoke from a barn fire started by lightning in Champaign County as seen from Moultrie County.


Much later at sunset.