Another Paradise Above

 This week I tried to capture images of things that were of special interest to me, but were all over my head.  I am very well attuned to the screech of the red-shouldered hawk, since I started taking photos of the ones around my home in Richmond.  I was pleased to hear the same call from trees near our MDS quarters.  Since I am usually busy inside, I have been waiting to hear those calls at a time when I could actually grab my big camera and run outside to try to snap the pic.  

I also often hear the roar of the big DC-10 fire tankers on their way to or from the huge fires to the east of Paradise.  It is even harder to catch these planes since they are often past by the time I can grab my camera, make sure I am in the right mode, switch off the autofocus, find the plane in my viewfinder, focus manually, and then take the shot.

Thirdly, given the extremely clear air around here, I have enjoyed trying to capture Jupiter, Saturn, and Orion (in the morning).  The Moon is back in the night sky after passing behind the sun a few days ago.

Starting at the lowest elevation, here is my hawk



Next higher would be the Water Bomber



Next would be tonight's shot of the Moon, with Venus barely peeking through a gap in the clouds to the left and below.  That one was quite difficult because Venus disappeared a second later.  My favorite sunset tree is of course present.

Next is the shot of Jupiter that I took last night.  I have an astronomical video camera that takes hundreds of frames, and then software combines them into a composite.  I didn't have very good focus last night, but it turned out OK after combining them and doing some filtering.


Last but not least is this shot of Orion and Sirius over the young redwood trees from this morning.  I couldn't get it with my big camera because it needs a really wide angle, but I am trying a new app for my phone camera that lets me get nighttime shots.  I haven't quite figured it out, but its getting there.


Since I posted my pix of the Water Bombers, I thought it would be good to see them in action.  This is not my footage!

DC-10 Water Bomber

Comments

  1. JudySeptember 10, 2021 at 4:36 AM

    Well done Jim. Your photos and descriptions are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete

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