Birds Eye View

Taken last night. The light reflections on the red-leafed tree came from the street lights. Airplane streaks also are seen.

Star Trails Before the Clouds Rolled In

I was all set to capture some neat startrails from the campsite, but the clouds rolled in and eventually blocked out the stars. Here is an image of the stars starting to trail, with the clouds sweeping in from the west. Captured with a Canon 550D and Tokina wide angle lens. The moon was almost full, but in the eastern sky, causing the reflection off the cliff.

Upper Antelope Canyon - Page, AZ

This is a picture taken from the Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ. It is a colorful slot canyon, on the Navajo reservation. Taken with a Canon 550, tripod mounted, Tokina wide angle lens, processed for High Dynamic Range. Cropped to avoid the bright reflections from the sun, which was almost directly overhead.

Moon Light and Faint MilkyWay at 11:30PM

I was surprised to see the faint portion of the Milky Way arching above this cliff, even with a full moon. The cliff is reflecting the light as bright as day. Taken at 11:30PM with a Canon 550D and Tokina wide-angle lens, about a 30 second exposure.

We will leave the lights on for you

As you enter Timber Canyon from Strawberry Pinnacles, there stands an old, abandoned cabin, that at one time must have been the home of a rancher because of the small corral nearby. This picture was taken about 10PM facing the southern Milky Way. (Canon 550D, Tonika wide-angle lens, 30 second exposure at ISO 1600, f-stop of 2.8.

Star Trails - First Attempt

This is my first attempt at imaging Star Trails. Each image was for about 2 minutes, with a 1 minute gap between. The 38 images were processed using the Achim Schaller's freeware from www.startrails.de. My thanks to Achim for this very nice piece of software. (Image details: ISO 200, f-stop 2.8, 120 seconds, canon 550D, Tonika 11mm wide angle lens, tripod mounted and timed with a Intervalometer). About 2 hours worth of images is about what you can hope for with the 550D standard battery configuration, and that is fully charged.

Whiskey Storage during Prohibition

As told to me by the Mayor of an old mining town in Utah, this is what remains of an actual well that was used to hide illegal whiskey during the days of Prohibition. Picture taken using HDR technique and processed using Photomatix. Camera used was Canon 550D with a Tonika wide-angle lens.

Aspens - Dancing with the stars

The North Star, Polaris seems to attract the swaying aspens. Taken at Powder Mountain, UT at an altitude of about 9,500 feet with a Canon 550D camera and Tonika wide angle lens.

Powder Mountain Aspens

It was a little bright near the Powder Mountain Village Lodge for night photos, but I wanted to catch the moon rise between the aspens. Clouds added to the effect. Taken around 10:30PM with a Canon 550D with a Tonika wide angle lens.

Land of the Midnight Moon

The moon was about 80% full. This 20 second exposure was taken around 11PM looking north. If you look closely, you can see the Big Dipper and the North Star, which seems to be resting on the top of the cliff. I was surprised to see all of the stars with such a bright moon and the layer of clouds.

Moon Reflection - Bright as Day

This moon reflection was taken on a partly cloudy night. The small pond shows the moon and clouds towards the south. (on nights like this, it is impossible to see the southern Milky Way). Taken around 11PM with a Canon 550D with a Tonika Wide Angle Lens.

Antique Antique Store

Taken in an old antique shop in a old mining town in Utah. Although not currently open for business, the owner allowed me inside for a few pictures. I appreciate the antiques themselves, the paint chips on the ceiling, and the portions of the roof that droop down. Canon 550D, High Dynamic Range processing with nice colors as a result. Thanks for stopping by.

Pictograph - Straight Up before sundown

Shown here is another pictograph on the same cliff, looking straight up before sundown. A few stars are starting to appear in the dark blue sky. Taken with my Canon 550D.

Early Native American Pictograph with Milky Way in Background

Highlighted here is an early native american pictograph on a sheer rock cliff near the Unita National Forest in Utah. The Milky Way is just starting to appear to the south east. Image taken with a Canon 550D, 20 sec exposure, f-stop 2.8, ISO of 800.

Old Sinclair Gas Station - Elberta, Utah

This is the old Sinclair gas station at the intersection of Hwy 68 and Hwy 6, in Elberta, Utah. HDR processed with about 6 or seven images over a wide range of lighting.  Canon 550D, Tonika wide angle lens.  Thanks to my daughter and family and my wife for being patient with me.

Yellow Lily

I used the High Dynamic Range technique for this image. (One under-exposed, one over-exposed, and one normally exposed). Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16mm lens at 16mm, as close as I could get and still focus. This has some potential.

Sunset over the Oquirrh Mountains

Fireball scene over the Oquirrh Mountains tonight. Complete with cell phone tower. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270 zoomed to 270, 1/1000 sec exposure, F-stop 13. There are a couple of sunspots. One is at about the 4 o'clock position, towards the center.

World War II Vintage Hanger - Wendover Air Base, NV

This picture is of one of the hangers, built during World War II, at the old Wendover Air Base in Wendover, Nevada. There is a lot of history at this base, since the "Enola Gay" was prepared for it's atomic bomb drop over Japan a few hangers down.  Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16mm lens at16mm, ISO 100, f-stop of 4.0, 30 second exposure. Taken around 2230 hours (Utah time).  The moon is blown out, but I wanted to capture as much of the building color as I could. Saturn and Spica are visible above the structure at the top of the picture.

Pinnacle and Milky Way Glow

This picture was taken around midnight on the 9th of June outside of the Unita National Forest in Utah. The Milky Way Center looks to be reflecting off the lower portion of the Pinnacle. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16 mm lens at 11 mm, ISO 1600, 30 sec exposure.

Campground and Reflections of Night Sky

Picture taken at the Pinnacles looking south over the campground. Star reflections in the small pond are visible.  Looking forward to getting a shot of this later in the year, with the Milky Way reflecting from the pond. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16mm wide angle lens, 16mm, ISO 1600, 30 sec exposure, f 2.8.

Oquirrh Lake - Golden Rocks

Another image from Oquirrh Lake, taken at 11PM. 10 sec exposure, ISO 400, F-stop of 4. Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270 Lens set at 39mm.

Oquirrh Lake Boat Dock at 11PM

I love experimenting with nighttime photography. The colors are surprising, and amaze me.  Here is a 10 second exposure taken at 11PM from the boat dock on Oquirrh Lake. ISO setting is 400, f-stop of 4, 18mm lens on a Canon 550D.

Big Dipper pouring the Rock Candy Mountain

Magic rock candy being poured from the Big Dipper (the bowl slightly above and to the left of the right pinnacle, and at the perfect "pouring" angle).

Quiet, Light, and Shadow

making believe you are alone, only the quiet you know, the light and shadow are for you, and then you see the truth

JCPayne, June 2012

MilkyWay from Strawberry Pinnacles

Thanks to my son Dan, and grandaughter Kylie, we were able to capture this picture of the Strawberry Pinnacles with the MilkyWay in the background. Imaged with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16mm lens, 30 second exposure, ISO 1600, f2.8.

Transit of Venus through the clouds

A nice accent to the transit. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270mm lens, zoomed to 270mm.

Venus in Transit through the Cell Phone Tower

It was totally cloudy until right before sunset. We were lucky to see the transit. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270mm lens, zoomed to 270.

Mars, Saturn, and Spica from Timber Canyon

Looking south from Timber Canyon, one can see Mars, slightly orange on the right side, and Saturn directly across and to the left. Spica is directly beneath Saturn. The cliffs are lite by a crescent moon.

Big Dipper from Timber Canyon, Utah

Just as you leave the Pinnacles area, you can travel through Timber Canyon, which is a winding dirt road through some beautiful areas. I enjoy the stars at night. This picture shows the Big Dipper just peeking over one of the huge canyon walls. The crescent moon is out of the field, and over to the left.
Taken with a Canon 550D, 30 sec exposure, ISO 800, f 2.8, Tonika 11-16 mm wide angle lens.

The Big Dipper from the Pinnacles

The Pinnacles are near the Strawberry River in Duchesne County, Utah. At about 6,000 feet, the stars are very nice, so many and so bright. This picture was taken looking north, with the bowl of the Big Dipper directly above the Pinnacle (upside down with the handle pointing towards the right). Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16 mm Wide-Angle lens at 16mm. 30 sec exposure, f 2.8, ISO 800.

Venus from the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

Venus, looking west from the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The lights from Wendover, Nevada cause the the increase in brightness to the left. Taken with a Canon 550D with a Tonika 11-16 mm wide-angle lens. 30 sec exposure.

Sunspot AR1476 moving across the Sun's face

I will leave the sun alone after this post, at least until the Eclipse next week, (fingers crossed for no blocking cloud cover). My Baader AstroSolar Safety Film does an excellent job of filtering the sun, but I wanted the sun to be "Yellow". So, I used the free download, "The GIMP" to alter the color.

It turned out quite nice.

Sunspot AR1476

Shown here is what is being called Sunspot AR1476. The diameter is 12 times the diameter of the earth.

The images were taken two days apart, on 7 and 9 May. Clouds provide an interesting effect on the second picture. Taken with a Canon 550D, Baader Film filter cover for my Tamron 18-270mm Zoom. Heavily cropped in IrfanView.

Current Sunspot Picture - Backyard Special

I am practicing for the Solar Eclipse, occuring on 20 May, so I was very happy for this image with the sunspot.. This picture was taken from my backyard today, using a Canon 550D with a Tamron 18-270mm lens zoomed to 270mm. Image was heavily cropped using IrfanView. Shutter 1/1000 second, f 6.3, ISO 100. The most important thing was a home-made protective lens cover using Baader AstroSolar Safety Film, Optical Density 5.0. My thanks to Bob and team at Alpine Astronomical, LLC, www.alpineastro.com, for being such a reliable provider of this film.

Bonneville Salt Flats after Rain Shower

Sunset reflected in a pool of fresh rain water. Taken with a Sony a500 DSLR and a Sigma Wide Angle Lens.

Red Canyon and Big Dipper Handle

Looking northeast from Red Canyon, this light-painted picture shows a portion of the Big Dipper Handle, also known as the Great Bear's Tail. (above and to the right of the golden rock formation). Taken with a Canon 550D.

A Real Man Cave

I am beginning to like this light painting, especially in and around southern Utah, where the landscape is so colorful. Here is another picture from Goblin Valley State park, taken just at dawn. We placed a lantern in this rock opening, and waited until the sun started to go down. The colors turned out nice. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270 lens, zoomed to capture the light and surrounding canyon walls.

Light Painting and Nightfall at Goblin Valley State Park

Here are a few other pictures taken at Goblin Valley State Park. Venus was so bright it looked to be casting shadows. The light painting was created by my wife, Jena.

The Little Dipper is just starting to become visible below. Looking straight up from a small slot canyon.

Big Dipper from Goblin Valley, Utah

When the dark sky finally arrived, we saw the Big Dipper straight up from a slot canyon near Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. Taken with a Sony a500 and a Sigma Wide Angle lens set at 10mm.

Magic Coffee Drops

I thought I'd try a little left over coffee on a CD. This is how it turned out....
Taken with a Canon 550, Tamron 18-270mm lens zoomed on the CD at 270mm.

Green Lightning in Water Droplets

This is another picture of a CD - sprinkled with water, and painted with a green laser. A touch of red was added to the sparkle which gives the appearance of a waving human form inside the droplets. Interesting. Taken with a Canon 550D, 30 sec exposure, zoomed to 270mm.

 

Amazing Color - DVDs, Water, and a Crazy Man

I saw the YouTube video (PhotoExtremist.com), and had to give this a try. Add a few drops of water to a DVD or two, grab a flashlight and some colored plastic (those plastic Easter Eggs will work just fine).
Pictures taken with a Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270 lens zoomed to 270mm, plus an ND8 Filter. 30 second exposure, F10, ISO 100. (Being a crazy man helped a bit)