Super Moon - Day 32

Tonight’s so called “Supermoon” perigee syzygy the only one in 2017. This full moon is closer to earth in its elliptical orbit so it appears 7% larger and 15% brighter than normal. This is the first of a rare supermoon trilogy with another coming on Jan 1st followed by a third, the super blue moon on Jan 31st.

Lunar Eclipse

Tonight's lunar eclipse. It's very subtle, but you should be able to see some of the Earth's shadow coming across the bottom right or southeast side of the moon. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/16, ISO 800, zoom at 400mm with 1.4x tele-convertor, effective focal length 560mm. Converted to black and white using Lightroom 4 with Silver Efex Pro 2.

Watching You, Watching Me

This pelican was busy watching the people who were watching him along the bluf at La Jolla California. Canon EOS 7D, 1/640th sec @ f/10.0, ISO 200, zoom at 400mm focal length.

Starfish

A bright red starfish in a sheltered tidal pool just off the La Jolla Children's Pool. Canon EOS 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 200, 400mm focal length.

Morning Nap

Sea Lion's enjoying a sunny morning nap on the rocks at La Jolla Cove. Canon EOS 7D, 1/500 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 200, zoom at 350mm focal lenghth.

Squirrel!

This is a California ground squirrel and a resident of La Jolla California's coastal buff. Canon 7D, 1/640 sec @ f/10, ISO 200, zoom at 390mm focal length.

Swimming on Glass

The water in the Hague in Norfolk Virginia was smooth as glass until a small group of Canada geese swam by. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 200mm focal length.

Hanging On

This dragonfly is hanging on to save energy on a windy day. Canon 7D, 1/200 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, zoom at 400mm focal length.

Blue Moon

According to the font of all knowledge, Wikipedia, a blue moon is the appearance of the third full moon in a season with four full moons. The term has also been used to refer to the second full moon in a month. Tonight's blue moon is the first since December 31, 2009 and the next one won't be until July 2015.

Today was Neil Armstrong's memorial service and his family said one way we could remember him was to "Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink." So step outside and behold the rare blue moon and give Neil a wink.

Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f8.0, ISO 400, 560mm focal length. Converted to black and white in Lightroom 4 using the Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin and added a little blue tint using Google's Picasa. The real blue moon is not actually blue at all.

The Moon Is Quite Nice Tonight

Thanks to seeing Courtney Boyd's Facebook post "The moon is quite nice tonight :)", I was able to capture a nice photo for the last day of July, day 212 of 366. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, zoom at 400mm with 1.4X teleconverter equaling a total focal length of 560mm. Converted to black in white using Lightroom 4 with the Silver Efex Pro 2 plug-in.

Arachnid

This was one big arachnid. The body was about an inch and half long. Beautiful but scary at the same time. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, 400mm focal length with image stablization.

Dragon Fly Bokeh

This slightly backlit dragon fly's wings sparkle against the water drops on the lilly pads in the background. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, 100-400mm zoom at 400mm.

American Lotus

- The American Lotus blooming at Lotus Gardens in Virginia Beach on the way to Sandbridge Beach. Canon 7D, 1/500 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 100, 100-400mm zoom at 250mm.

Echinacea Purpurea

- Echinacea purpurea a.k.a the Eastern purple coneflower or just Purple coneflower. Echinacea is believed by many people, including me, to stimulate the immune system. A 2007 study by the University of Connecticut combined findings from 14 previously reported trials examining Echinacea and concluded that Echinacea can cut the chances of catching a cold by more than half, and shorten the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days. Case closed. Canon 7D, 1/4000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200, zoom at 300mm.

Harvest Moon

- Tonight's harvest moon rises from the southeast over Virginia Beach, Virginia. The harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. Since there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise, the harvest moons is said to help farmers working to bring in their crops. Canon 7D, 1/8 sec @ f/32, ISO 100, focal length 540mm (400mm zoom with 1.4x teleconverter, all mounted on a tripod.

Sand Crab

- This is picture from a few years ago of a tiny sand crab on Hatteras Island North Carolina that never made it to the CIOPhoto blog. Canon 40D, 1/1250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, zoom at 400mm (the big gun).

Bunny Portrait

From 2010 Blog

- This wild rabbit has been seen in our yard off and on all year. This evening he was just sitting there and I got close enough to make this portrait. Canon 7D, 1/25 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 400mm focal length, image stabilization on, camera braced on a fence post.

High Power Lookout

From 2010 Blog

- This osprey has massive nest built atop a power line tower at the entrance of the Elizabeth River Natural Area and Canoe Launch in the Carolanne Farms neighborhood in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I was pretty far away using a 400mm lens with a 1.4x teleconvertor lens and tripod to capture the early evening image. As I moved a little closer, the osprey took off and made a big circle above me before returning to the nest. I guess he wanted a closer look at that crazy photographer. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 400, focal length 560mm.

238 - Mountain Mint

From 365 Project

This small patch of Mountain Mint was attracting a lot of activity. There were at least 20 bees, wasps and moths working on the newly opening blooms. You could smell the mint in the air. Got to get some of these for my garden. Canon 40D, 1/250sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800, 200mm focal length (I wasn't getting too close to all of those stingers).

200 - Mermaids on Parade

From 365 Project

A few years back the City of Norfolk Virginia adopted the mermaid as a symbol and the slogan "Life Celebrated Daily." A number of interesting mermaids were created by local artists and displayed at public places and businesses throughout the city. The mermaids have moved beyond the artists' work and onto street flags, construction signs and anything else that can hold a logo. These street banners line the recently rebuilt Smith Creek Bridge on Brambleton Avenue. Canon 40D, 1/400 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400, 220mm focal length.