Thursday, February 21, 2008

We tried our best ...

Mr. Jones and I gave it our best try last night, but our pictures of the total lunar eclipse were quite disappointing! We had a great view of it right from our back deck. The sky was wonderfully free of clouds, and the moon was distinct and clear! I thought we might just have a good chance at accomplishing and capturing the moment!
These first two pictures are Dons. He has one of those BIG and expensive Nikon digital cameras with gygundo lenses, a tripod, and all the gear that goes with it. He came home from choir last night at about 8:30 and saw me with my pathetic little Canon PowerShot A560, my manuals open, reading about how to do a night shot properly ... and I think he took pity on me! I told him I didn't care WHO got the shot, but I told him we ought to at least give it our best effort. We won't have another such opportunity until 2010, and who knows if we will be alive then? So he dutifully went and got all of his equipment and set it up and very seriously went about photographing this very beautiful sight. The above picture has a glare in it, but it was actually one of the nicest and clearest shots he got ~ much better than any of mine.
"I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth ~
blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun will be turned into darkness,
and the moon will turn bloodred
before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives.
And ANYONE WHO CALLS
ON THE NAME OF THE LORD will be saved."
JOEL 2:30-32

This bottom picture is mine. It's a pathetic photo, but the moon was actually that RED. I was using the 4x magnification (which is the most I have) and I haven't altered this picture at all. I tried all of the fancy stuff on my photo program, but it really only distorts the image and doesn't do anything at all to enhance or clarify it.

If you want to see what the eclipse REALLY looked like in all of its beauty, and exactly like we saw it, click onto my sister's blog. She has a great picture of it there. I thought she took it with her camera, and knowing that her camera is very similar to the one I use, I was completely amazed at her technical abilities! I was insanely jealous until I read that she obtained the picture from the internet, and then I was relieved, and then hugely ashamed of myself all at once! (We artists have complicated emotions).

4 comments:

Emily said...

I like the 2nd one.

Ruthanne said...

I laughed so hard when I read your blog. I said right away on my post that I had not gotten any pictures of the eclipse. You were probably just looking at the picture wondering how in the world I got one that good before even reading what I had written!! :) Actually I like the ones you guys took! Good job.

Unknown said...

Yes - the second one is awesome! I'm so bummed that I had no idea it was happening! I guess that's what happens when you watch nothing but cartoons. =(

Sabrina said...

We had clouds for the most part that night and our bible study so I didn't get to see any of it so I love all of the pictures I can see.