On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
On The Road and In Your Backyard is a weekday feature spotlighting reader submissions. From the exotic to the familiar, please share your part of the world, whether you’re traveling or just in your locality. Share some photos and a narrative, let us see through your pictures and words. We’re so lucky each and every day to see and appreciate the world around us!
Submissions from commenters are welcome at tools.balloon-juice.com
Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!
Some great stuff today, as on all Wednesdays, but an especially nice pick-me-up today- thanks ?BillinGlendaleCA!
Today, pictures from valued commenter ?BillinGlendaleCA.
While normally my pictures have a theme related to location this group is more by date. Last week was rainy and cold(by Southern California standards); so time in the field was limited, but processing and learning new techniques was plentiful. The week started out with a photo session in my yard of the Orion Nebula, a trip to Hahn State Recreation Area for some IR shots, and a surprise double rainbow.
Taken on 2019-02-11 00:00:00
Glendale, California
This picture is actually mostly a result of a series of mistakes. I set up my skytracker in the yard and shot 60, 30 second exposures at 200mm. Midway though the 1/2 hour that the photos were being captured, I realized that I’d not reset the setting on the skytracker from the ‘moon’ setting that I’d used for the eclipse last month. After I waited for the capture to complete, I checked the tracker and confirmed that the setting was wrong. I re-calibrated the polar alignment and started re-shooting another 60 shots by using the remote release on my camera. I then turned the remote software on my phone off, and that stopped the next series early. I didn’t re-shoot since clouds had started to move in.
I started processing the first group and it didn’t look all that bad, but the bright center of the nebula was washed out, so I took the good shots from the second series and they had lass washout in the nebula’s center and put those two shots together. I also incorporated calibration shots to reduce camera and lens distortion and noise.
Taken on 2019-02-16 00:00:00
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Los Angeles, CA
The organizer of the local photography meetup asked me if I wanted to go out and shoot on Saturday, so we went back to the Baldwin HIlls. This is similar to the panorama that I shot a week earlier, the air was crisp, but I shot from a slightly lower location that avoided the bushes right along the path at the higher location. Unfortunately clouds were obscuring Mt. San Antonio.
Taken on 2019-02-16 00:00:00
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Los Angeles, CA
This is shot from the same location as the panorama using my IR camera with a visual overlay to bring back some of the color that gets lost with IR(primarily reds and oranges). You can see South La Brea Ave. at the lower left of the picture
Taken on 2019-02-16 00:00:00
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Los Angeles, CA
Another IR shot, this time from the top of a ridge further south, just on the other side of the Hummingbird Forest. I really liked this shot due to the grassy eastern side of the canyon that shows up bright white in the IR. You’ll notice a couple of really dark areas, that’s where clouds are covering the sun.
Taken on 2019-02-17 00:00:00
Glendale, California
After feeding my girls(the Cocker Spaniel and the YorkiPom), it was time for their next favorite activity, their walk. So the rain had pretty much let up, so off we went. As we walked down the street, I noticed the most incredible double rainbow. While I didn’t have my NX1 with my, I did have my Note8 and took a number of shots of the rainbow(s). This shot is composed of 5 shots taken in ‘Pro Mode'(RAW files) and stitched together in Lightroom. My dogs did not understand why dad had to stop so often, usually they’re the one that need to do that.
Thank you so much ?BillinGlendaleCA, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email
OzarkHillbilly
Is this site still not working? Nice double rainbow.
JPL
I’m partial to the skylines.
Wag
Nice nebula shot!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: Thanks, it was pretty special looking.
@JPL: Heh, I seem to shoot a lot of them.
@Wag: It turned out pretty good, especially since the moon was out.
arrieve
Wonderful as always Bill. Orion was the first constellation I learned to recognize so I always think of it as “my” constellation. A lovely way to start the day.
stinger
From the earth to the stars and in between too! Such a great variety and all awesome pics.
I haven’t traditionally been a fan of IR, but thinking of these as Pompeiian photos has changed my attitude! Love that dark sky with the white clouds popping, and then layer after layer of colors and forms! Otherworldly — both real and unreal at the same time. Thank you for sharing, Bill.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@arrieve: I’m going to be shooting more or Orion, I’m going to try some wider shots as well.
@stinger: Heh, that’s just one week.
The other worldly aspect of IR is what drew me to it even as a child, but then IR was very expensive and difficult to shoot and process. With digital, it’s much less expensive and easier to do; basically the cost of the modified camera. I like shooting color in general so I’ve settled on a particular look for my IR color, it takes a bit of work but I think it works.