SkyWatch Friday; Until the Next Thunderstorm

These are last of my lightning

photos until the next thunderstorm.

The first 4 were captured with the

Olympus Evolt E410 adjusted to action/sport

setting with the flash turned off.

Nick, acting as my photo partner, used the

Nikon COOLPIX L18 also set to action/sport to catch

the last picture.

*Click images to enlarge

Still learning....the moon

I had a lot of fun adjusting the Olympus and trying capture an interesting picture. Earlier in the day I googled "how to photograph the moon with a digital camera" and a plethora of sites appeared. I felt like Goldie Locks, one site was too technical, another site tried to sell me a book and yet another was for antiquated 35mm cameras. Then I searched in blogs and found enough info to get me through the evening without purchasing an expensive telescope and lens adapter so my camera can capture the mountains, valleys and craters of the moonscape. The one tip I did not heed was having a pad and pencil handy to make note of the different adjustments. Some of the photos could be better or clearer if I knew what mode and ISO settings I had taken them in the first place. Oh well, I'll better prepared on July 22nd.

ENJOY!

*Click images to enlarge

Full Moon Columbus

Prior to my (learning period) attempt at capturing fireworks, I was

able to snap some good full moon photos. I'll be out again tonight

with the tripod and Olympus. A (barely visible) Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

will occur tonight and I'm going to see if I can capture something

interesting in the night sky.

*Click images to enlarge

My World Tuesday; Trying to Capture Fireworks

One of the things I like most about using the Olympus, is the

ease and simplicity of the camera. Last night was the first

time I tried to capture fireworks. The Evolt E-410 has multiple

settings to fit every situation, including a specific "fireworks" mode.

I had no intention of trying to capture fireworks this year, but I passed

by my family room window at dusk and saw the full moon rising in the

eastern sky. So, again I set up the tripod on the deck and captured

some awesome moon shots (to be posted later). Then the residual,

residential fireworks appeared. I quickly changed lenses and adjusted the

shooting mode to "fireworks"and waited.....

I did learn a lot and I'll be better prepared next time they light up

the night sky. ENJOY!

*Click images to enlarge

SkyWatch Friday; 4th of July with Old Glory

If you happen upon my town in central Ohio, you'll see

many signs that July forth is being celebrated. These

are just a few that I was able to capture this week.

G-d Bless America!

*Click images to enlarge

Daffodil bells

These yellow daffodil bells were planted by my neighbor between our homes last year.

They looked so beautiful this morning I had to venture out and snap a few pictures.

ENJOY!

*Click images to enlarge

That's My World Tuesday; Patience is a virtue...

And can yield some excellent photos. Using my tripod and the Olympus

I set up "shop" on my deck to capture these pictures of the rising full moon.

ENJOY!

*Click images to enlarge

The right settings make all the difference

I capture these to shots using my Olympus adjusted to the sport/action

setting in sequential shooting speed mode (shoots 3 frames per

second) and the flash turned off. And an Olympus XD picture card.

The right settings do make all the difference.

*Click images to enlarge

Another lightning capture...

The weather in central Ohio has been chaotic lately to say the least.

We were informed, via the local PSA station, that we were under a

thunderstorm warning. While Nick (and I) readied our garage for the weekend

community garage sale, I lugged both cameras with me to capture the lightning

that was sure to accompany the thunder. We found out later that this bolt actually

hit a tree one street away from our home.

I'm happy to report I was able to capture 10-12 great shots in 400+ attempts.

*Click image to enlarge