February 2008 Archives

It only happens every couple of years and it definitely fits my theme of 30 seasons. Last night I photographed the lunar eclipse. It had snowed during the day and there were some fairly thick clouds during the day. At night it looked like any type of photography would be a bust.

However, at 10 minutes to 8:00 the clouds parted and I had a perfect view of the eclipse for the next 4 hours.



Here is a link to a large version of the photo above. Warning, it is over 9,000 pixels wide.

I stood in the cold 20 degree weather taking photos every couple of minutes or so. I used my 500mm lens with a 1.4 extender which gave me a effective focal length of 700mm. It was amazing how fast the moon actually moves in the sky as I had to adjust my camera every minute or so to stay on target. I also went through several batteries since the cold just sucks the life out of batteries.

Despite the cold I still enjoyed my time alone outside taking photos. Just two more years until the next opportunity.

I just returned from a trip to the National Cathedral. I went with a group of photographers from the National Zoo photo club on a guided photo tour that was lead by Christopher Budny. Chris has been a docent with the National Cathedral for over 13 years and has extensive knowledge about the history of this remarkable building. He is also an accomplished photographer and makes an ideal guide for a bunch of photographers.

He only leads about 5 trips a year for photographers and you are granted access to the Cathedral an hour before it opens. This is the ideal time for photography in the cathedral since the crowds are gone and the sunrise streams light through the stained glass.

We also had access to the upper balcony which gives you a different perspective you can't normally get from the ground floor.

I typically don't photograph architecture and prefer to find small details that I can explore. Some of my favorite photos from this recent trip are closeups of carved sculptures in the alters or stained glass. I have posted a selection of photos on flickr in a National Cathedral set.

 

That must mean someone is talking about me.

Well the Digital Photography Show Podcast spent the first part of their normal chit-chat session talking about the Bethesda Photowalk on their recent podcast. Scott had some good feedback on the event and how to make future ones even better. It sounds like Scott had a great time on the outing. You can listen and also subscribe to the show here. I regularly listen to about 20 different podcasts and the majority of them are photo related. I have been listening to the DPS for over a year now and they are a welcome addition to my iPod once a week.

Since this was the first event photowalking event I attended (and planned as well) any tips and tricks about future events are well received. I'm already thinking about new locations for the next one I want to organize.

But there is no need to wait. Another photowalking event is already in the planning stages and is being organized by Jeff Revell at PhotoWalk Pro. The tentative date is March 8th and I already told him I will be attending. It's great to see the momentum building on the DC photowalking front.

The Bethesda photowalk group had a great time walking the streets of Bethesda on a sunny afternoon. All week we had threats of rain and chances of snow, but the weather turned out great. We had 26 people who came from throughout the DC metro area, and one visiting from New York. The group was comprised of people from the Gaithersburg Camera Club, National Zoo Photo Club, and various members of Flickr.

The photowalk started at the plaza level of the Bethesda Metro stop and we walked a 2 mile loop around the city. After the walk a small group had dinner at the Daily Grill to swap stories.

Here is a selection of photos my daughter and I took while on the walk. Additional photos from others in the group can be found with with the following Flickr Tag searches. Flickr1, Flickr2

Thanks to all that were able to attend. Here is the list of participants, please let me know if I'm missing anyone or if you want some links updated.

• Gene Han (from New York) - Flickr
• Jeff Pai
• Dan Miller - Flickr, Website
• Katie Staines
• Sara Staines
• Tim George
• Tom Statas - Website
• Barbara Statas
• Carol Gregoire - Flickr
• Rob Allegar - Flickr
• Geoff Green - Flickr
• Shawn Duffy - Flickr, Website
• Saule Allen
• Raoul Pop - Flickr, Website
• Ligia Pop
• Russel Williard
• Marcelina - Flickr
• Adan I
• Adan II - Flickr
• Scott Sherman - Host of the Digital Photography Show podcast, Flickr
• Jenna Duffy - Flickr, Website
• Gyuri Grell - Flickr
• James Vasak - Flickr
• Mark Anderson - Flickr, Website
• Emma Anderson - Flickr, Website
• Michele Anderson

With my first organized photowalk already on the books, I just need to plan three more for the rest of the year.