Lunar Eclipse of 2010 Dec 21, taken at 01:53 -- Canon 40D 300mm f/5.6 ISO 1600 1.3s (edits: cropped to 50%)
I am supposed to be coding vertical cross-sections off of a 3D tomographic volume. Instead, I am chillin’ (somewhat literally) outside and enjoying the celestial expo.
In the midst of a prolonged Winter spill in Oklahoma, and the rest of the United States for that matter, I didn’t need much convincing to go to Puerto Rico for a gravity survey. Though it was mainly for work, we did get a chance to stop by the beach near the Aguadilla airport.
Click on the pic to see the photos.
I can’t believe it. My first ice storm! It’s not so pleasant: the cold, the wind, the loss of electricity, etc. After the brunt of the storm passed, I decided to beat cabin fever and took my camera for a walk to school.
Click on the image above to view the photo gallery
The year started off with a return from Hawaii, and another visit to China. The trip was a great scientific endeavor, but I could say less for my photographic ventures. I saw my third solar eclipse, but was working that day so I didn’t bring my camera (RATS!). The setting was surreal as the pollution made viewing the eclipse possible without the need for optical doohickeys such as a pinhole projector. Oh, how I regretted not taking my camera that day.
I try to expand my photographic boundaries every trip I make. Although, I didn’t take much photographs this time around, I did learn a lot about photography. One that comes to mind is the importance of tripods. I took a light-weight tripod for the convenience of traveling, but sacrificed (what could have been) a good shot because of it. Lesson learned. Never again.
At least a few of the shots came out passable… Maybe.
Hawaii, so many beautiful things to see. BUT, I was too busy stuffing my face with local food that I didn’t have much time to take photos. Coming back to the islands has become somewhat routine. I come home, stay at my mom’s house, and gain 20 pounds while I eat my way through island favorite (more on this late). This time around, I wanted to do something different.
Mainly due to the great influence of Chinese culture, I believe the state of Hawaii is the only state in the union to welcome each new year with ridiculous amounts of fireworks/firecrackers. The flares, smoke, and noise are ubiquitous at the stroke on midnight – and we wouldn’t want it any other way. I remember the weather report on New Year’s Eve: Partly cloudy with a chance of showers on the windward side throughout the day, with heavy patches of smoke appearing after midnight. Seriously, if you think dropping a ball in Times Square is exciting, come and stay in Waimanalo for new year celebration.
With that said, I took the opportunity to try firework photography. I’ve never done it before – “How hard can it be?”, I thought. Well, I’d say 2 of about 80 shots turned out well – but you be the judge. For that, I’d like to thank my anonymous neighbor for setting off the beautiful aerial fireworks. Note: aerial fireworks are not exactly legal in Hawaii (unless you have a commercial permit or something), so shhh…
I also tried capturing some high dynamic range (HDR) photographs, but these were hand-held ventures due to my lack of a tripod at the time.
