This is why you use MANUAL

It has been about 3 months since I have seen a nice bright full moon.  We just haven't had clear skies at the right time.  I've been waiting and waiting.  Last night was it. I went out on sat on our front porch to practice shooting the moon. 

And now I know why I am learning manual.  There is no comparison between auto and manual.
Pic 1- Auto
Pic 2- Manual

(These have been cropped to make larger)
Evidence of what manual mode can do.  Incredible.

Tonight we are getting out the 500 mm and a 2X teleconverter lens to see what they can do!

f11, 1/320 sec, ISO 400, 300 mm.

Lesson learned:  All my first images were way over exposed.  I thought since it was dark out I needed to adjust for the dark.  However, the moon is incredibly bright.  So once I slowed down the shutter, took the ISO way down from what I had it at, and found a smaller aperture...it came out beautiful.


I also want to compare 55mm to 300mm.

And just a few more settings



f/29, 1/4000 sec, ISO 400



f/29, ISO 1/320 sec, ISO 400

Orange sun

Another sun shot.  The sun was setting really fast so I grabbed my camera and shot a bunch of quick shots.  The camera was in auto.  I put it to manual but did not have time to play around to get better settings.  My problem is that as much as the orange is great, that was not the real color.  All the way zoomed out, i got the real color.  All the way zoomed in, was the orange.  I keep saying I am going to change my white balance settings but I keep putting it off!  I do like the orange though.

Building and smog

Just a few buildings around town.  Played with some post production coloring.

This was a sunrise over the mountain.  The air was so thick with smog that you could sit and stare at the sun. 

Motion

Motion Blur link


This is what I want to do.  (This is not what I can do-this is NOT my photograph!)  I want to show motion with a blurry background and still subject. 

This is my first attempt.  I have along way to go on this one!

Janaury 16-31

Oh dear January.  You have been bitter cold, dark and have let all of my family get sick. Because of that, I have missed a couple of days of photos.  I will make them up!  But for now, here is the rest of the photo challenge that I have!


January 16- TWO THINGS

Emply local park

January 17-READY

SOOOOOO ready to get back up on this. 

January 20- SOMETHING I SAW

The little life there is out in the snow
 

January 21- WHAT I DO


Sometimes I feel like my days are a blur with all that I do.  But, the one thing I dothat matters most are these 2.  And yes, watching them grow up is a blur as well.

January 22- CORNER

Pretty old building

January 23- ELECTRIC

Yup, really creative here

January 26- TOGETHER

To me, this building symbolized the very essence of  "together"

January 27- SUN

What?  Sunlight?  Am I dreaming?

January 29- GROW

My old Highschool.  I'm sure some sort of growing up happened the 4 years I went here.

January 30- DOWN

What goes UP, must come DOWN

January 31- YOURSELF

Awhile ago I noticed some wrinkles as I looked in the mirror.  My first instinct was to say "yuck- Why are these here?"  But I have since had some self reflection.  The wrinkles around my eyes are nothing to be ashamed of.  Each and every crease represents some event in my life.  There are the times that I worried-wrinke.  There are also the times I cried-wrinkle.  Then there are the countless times when I laughed, smiled and beamed with joy- wrinkle, wrinkle and wrinkle.  I love where I am in my life and each moment that has directed me here.  I'm proud of these wrinkles because they remind me of how I got here and who was by my side along the way.