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This is a technique Xcel Energy has not used (at least in our area).  This Fox News link shows how it’s done.

And here’s the recording I made (about 2 miles away).  Xcel Energy Implosion Swaging.  The whole house shook!

Still not close enough.  I need to look ahead for these opportunities, I guess.

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens @ 114mm, ISO 100, f5, 1/10s

Tried the “blue hour” again this morning, since Venus was evident near the moon.  Need to catch it when they are closer, as this is not a very interesting photo.

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens @ 83mm, ISO 100, f7.1, 1/1s

Too much humidity in the air to get a good shot of the moon.  This is about the best.

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens @ 300mm, ISO 100, f9, 1/8s

Olympus e620, ISO 100, 14-42 lens @ 14mm, f10, 1/250s

Finally, some sun!

So how do you shoot the moon – assuming you want something other than the moon?  If I set the camera up so I can see the branches of trees, I get something like this:

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens@70mm, ISO 100, f6.3, 30s

So, is this an underexposed shot of the sun or an overexposed shot of the moon?   If I expose for the branches, I get this:

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens@70mm, ISO 100, f6.3, 2s

- and if I expose so I can see the detail in the moon, I get this:

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens@70mm, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/60s

Now I can’t see the branches.  What I really want is the moon from the second shot and the branches from the first:

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens@70mm, ISO 100, f6.3, 2 images merged

I used the freeware program Helicon Filter to accomplish this.  Doesn’t really look natural, but it was kind of fun.  What I really should have done is waited another 30 minutes for the “blue hour”, when the sky is lighter and this would look more natural.  Unfortunately, started getting clouds before then.  Here’s the last shot I could manage before the clouds took over:

Olympus e620, 70-300 lens@70mm, ISO 100, f6.3, .7s

See why it’s called the “blue hour”?  You can just barely see the effects of the rising sun on the foreground.  This also happens at sunset.  Here’s one just a little too late, but you get the idea.  3 vertical photos stitched using Hugin.

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @14mm, ISO 100, f6.3, .7 s

SeeNow I can't Olympus e620, 70-300 lens@70mm, ISO 100, f6.3, 30s

Personally, I think a gibbous or crescent moon is more interesting, unless I can get some nice clouds or foreground.  This one turned out pretty good, IMO.  Tripod, 12s delay, manual after auto focus.

Kind of a muted, pleasantly layered sunset tonight.  I tried a couple of different approaches; here’s one.

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens@42mm, ISO 100, f10, 1/500s

- and another, as a horizontal panoramic:

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens@42mm, ISO 100, f10, 1/200s

And finally, as a vertical panoramic (I’ve never tried this before):

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens@42mm, ISO 100, f10, 1/100s

I think I like the 1st one best.

Very nice, sunny day today.  Spectacular clouds – missed some of the nicer ones .

Started out with a simple two shot (vertical) panoramic landscape.

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @17mm, ISO 100, f10, 1/1000s

Composition isn’t great, need something on the right.  I added another frame.

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @17mm, ISO 100, f10, 1/1000s

Finally, added a fourth frame.  The clouds cooperated to produce this layout (click for full panoramic).  I think this is the best one.

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @17mm, ISO 100, f10, 1/1000s

Kind of a pretty sky at sundown, so I tried a few shots.  Unfortunately, I left the ISO at 400 a couple of days ago and didn’t notice it until I was done.  Have to check each time!

Here’s a few ”’barnyard” photos:

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @15mm, ISO 400, f10, 1/2500s

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @15mm, ISO 400, f10, 1/1000s

Ellie hams it up for the camera.

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @29mm, ISO 400, f7.1, 1/50s

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @29mm, ISO 400, f5.6, 1/20s

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @18mm, ISO 400, f10, 1/320s

But I think they’re ready to go in now.  46°F today – had to trench the paddock (Stonehollow Creek – or maybe treatment plant).

Olympus e620, 14-42 lens @18mm, ISO 400, f10, 1/320s

I stumbled across a link for the “blue hour” (www.bluehoursite.com).  Apparently, shortly after sunset (or the reverse for sunrise) is the time to photograph buildings (a la Terry Redlin paintings (eaglecreekgallery.com).   I think I’ve accidentally done this a few times.  I added an app to my cellphone that calculates the times.  Have to find the right application for the technique now.

Warming up fast, so I tried a few photos from the upstairs windows.  West-facing windows were not very interesting, primarily due to poor (far) background.  Same issue with south windows.  The north windows yielded some interesting patterns.

Olympus e620, 35mm macro lens, ISO 400, f7.1 1/1000s

This one reminds me of a pterodactyl (upper right corner).

Olympus e620, 35mm macro lens, ISO 400, f7.1 1/400s

I’ve got half a dozen today that are quite acceptable.  Low standards, I guess.