Super Worm Equinox

The March Super Worm Equinox Moon, that is.

It's named for a couple things. Partially for the time of year - the spring Equinox in March, and partly for Native Americans describing the time of the year the ground softens and worms begin to reappear. It's also the last Super Moon of the year.

It should look kind of familiar - my previous moon photo from the January Super Wolf Blood Moon Eclipse post looks almost identical. But it was happening, and it was a nice clear night so I figured it was worth a photo.

As before, tried several lens & doubler combinations. And got my best images with the doubler on the 300mm lens.

One Sun Sets...

One sun rises. Soon!

Just took a quick sunset shot. A nice evening sky...

Shot it as a bookend of sorts. Today was my last day as a studio photographer after many years at the same job. All thanks to corporate restructuring. Such is the world of today...

No worries, it just gives me the opportunity to move on to an even better sunrise! :)

Sulf Bloon? Suwo Blomo?

Just trying to come up with a slightly shorter version of last night's lunar eclipse.

The 'Super Wolf Blood Moon'. Really rolls right off the tongue...

Anyway, decided to try some photos. Taking photos of a moon during an eclipse is quite a job. Low light and long exposures plus lots of lens magnification make for some difficult shooting. Not to mention its a bit cold outside in January!

Used my mirrorless dslr. Because it the only camera I have that can use my long lenses. I shot with several, but mostly with my 70-300 mm zoom, and my old 600 mm mirror lens. Plus I tried using my doubler. Which could effectively make my 600 mm lens a 1200 mm lens.

The 70-300 worked pretty well. The mirror lens has been something of an issue for me. I've had it since the mid 1980s. And never use it, as it never gives me good photos. Getting sharp focus with that lens is basically impossible. All the doubler photos were big, but pretty blurry.

Took a lot of photos, many of the eclipse were ok. Due to slightly longer exposures required they're mostly all a little softer looking. Cause the earth and the moon are moving and I was zoomed in on it a lot!

This is a cheat - its actually from the night before as I was testing some stuff out. A 600 mm shot. And surprisingly sharp! Probably the best picture of a full moon I've ever taken. I really like this one. I think this was with the 300mm and the doubler. No real way to tell. If it was with the mirror lens then it is likely the best photo I've ever captured with that lens.

OK, now on to the night of the actual eclipse...

The shadow of the earth covering the moon as the eclipse is under way. A bit soft but a interesting shot.

The moon completely in eclipse. A reddish moon - the blood moon. I have lots of photos, they all look pretty similar to this one. A couple second exposure, so everything gets just a bit blurry due to magnification and things like the earth and moon keep moving during the shot! Should have tried cranking up the ISO more for a faster shutter speed I guess. Next time!

A short while later, the eclipse ended and the moon was back to normal. But for a little while, we got a good show. And a few interesting photos. And I got to warm up!

Change of Scenery

For the Christmas Holidays.

Took a trip up north to visit some family for a couple weeks. Had super travel weather - 40s and 50s in mid December! Sure would like to have that weather coming back, but its unlikely.

Snapped a few photos, including a nice morning sunrise after a snow storm

And of course, I always take a few fun photos of the lights on the Christmas tree.

I think this one looks a little like a 'Lightman' with a head, body, arms and legs.

Welcome to the Christmas Matrix? Sure hope I get tagged as nice, and not naughty!

Time to head home. Left the day before a snow storm, and much colder temps. The day started off nice, some clouds. Had been a light snow dusting overnight so road seemed just a tad slick, I went slower at first. It was SUPPOSED to be raining in the Black Hills area. But instead it was snowing. Quite a bit. I drove probably 100 miles on snowy/icy roads at 30-40 mph. It was wearing on me. But then it suddenly cleared up, roads were dry, no snow. And warmer. So I was able to finish up the trip with a nice sunset. Did get home a bit late due to the slow travel.

A 3 shot of the morning, mid day snow and evening. Made it home safe. And with me was another special item I actually bought months ago, but just got over Christmas - ANOTHER bike! A real actual high end road bike. It's used, well used, but in pretty nice shape. I'm developing plans for some upgrades to this bike, of course! I'll have some posts on that in the future. 

See you next year!

From Many, One

Many parts, and much time and too much money = One custom bike!

A couple months ago I posted about my project bike. I finally got most of the parts I wanted. Ended up with a long chrome non-suspension fork, as the springer types weren't long enough due to this bikes long headtube. And a smaller, mag style 20 inch front wheel. Which doesn't match the back, unfortunately. Big chrome handlebars, better derailleur, better brakes (important because now it has ONLY rear brakes). Lots of miscellaneous little parts and details. This photo shows the original bike and the parts for the big conversion.

It took quite a while, some of the parts like the fork I changed as I went. Took longer to get it all together, and the brakes were one of the last things to finish as I changed levers, so I couldn't ride it outside. But I did get it all working, and have ridden it inside on the trainer. So it's pretty much ready to go, as is...

What do you think? It's probably 90% finished. Still need to add the computer, tool bag, some chrome fenders, headlight and a few other small details. I already think I'd like to put on a wire spoke front wheel, with a disc brake, which I can mount to the new fork. I just need to find a wheel with the mechanical disc brake. I like the look of the 20 inch front wheel. But a 24 inch is also a very possible setup. The banana seat is a little harder and less comfortable than I expected, but for this bike style is important! All my bikes have nicknames, but I still haven't come up with one for this one yet.

Overall, I think it looks pretty unique. Looking forward to some nicer weather so I can get some real road testing done soon!