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.