AYWMC- Feb. 2, 2019

Posted on February 6, 2019 by annettegeffert

What a difference a week makes! We are now shooting in manual mode and I must say this class has explained the exposure triangle better than any I have seen in the past. It helps that Emma Davies was a schoolteacher. She has a way of explaining and simplifying to help us grasp the basics of what we need to know to get by and actually use the info provided. Now for the assignment. We are starting in aperture priority mode at f8 and will open up the camera one f-stop to f 5.6 for more light, so we will move the shutter speed or the ISO faster or higher to get less light to compensate and get the same exposure. It makes sense now, but I will pick up my camera and be back here. One thing to note is that my camera has three stops in between each of these settings…

This chart is the best! Simple, and useful!

quick guide exposure triangle

So, here is the assignment.

Step 1 Select aperture priority mode, choose an aperture that is a full stop (i..e. f8) and take a photo.

Step 2 Write down what settings the camera picks.

Step 3 Go onto manual mode and dial in the settings that the camera picked, except change the aperture by 1 stop (bigger) to have a wider aperture, and a shallower depth of field.

Step 4 If you leave the rest of the settings as they were in step 2, your photo will be slightly over exposed, because you have a bigger aperture. So you need to change the shutter speed or ISO by a corresponding 1 stop in the opposite direction (less light). In this case use shutter speed, and change it to 1 stop less light (faster). Take the photo again. Keep everything the same between photos – where you stand, what you’re photographing, how much light there is.

Both the photos should have the same exposure, if the light hasn’t changed and you focused on the same spot. The only difference should be a slightly shallower depth of field in the second photo.

Have another go, this time on shutter priority. Try changing the settings by 2 stops, and by using a combination of both aperture and ISO to compensate

Started with f2.8 then went to f4 and shifted the triangle up ISO one fstop accordingly to achieve the same exposure.

f 2.8 ISO 100 1/60

f.4.5 ISO 200 1/80

More open aperture needs lower sensitive ISO or a faster shutter speed to have the same exposure. I had some trouble with the aperture locked and figured out my camera had a button that locked on it. Shooting in manual isn’t comfortable for me yet–just need more practice. Have a great week, and catch some light along the way!

…and the moon shall turn to blood

Posted on January 19, 2019 by annettegeffert

We should have perfect viewing conditions tomorrow evening as the total lunar eclipse happens here at the ranch (January 20, 2019 starting at 9:41 PM CST) I have my camera gear ready and will bundle up to be out in the clear cold night to capture some of its mysterious beauty. I am looking for a pair of gloves that has the fingers cut out, but I may have to take an old pair and improvise. That way, I could just cut out the index and thumb and be slightly warmer. Yes, I like that idea better!

I’ve been interested in skywatching for a very long time. Mike and I met one icy cold night at the Stephen F. Austin Observatory forty years ago this month. I was a non-science major avoiding the flunk out course of biology and attending my first astronomy night lab, and Mike was a grad student who needed a flashlight to see his paper. I had the flashlight and the rest is history, as they say.

My other reason for following eclipses is the references to a blood moon in the Bible and its prophetic connection. No one knows the day or the hour when our Lord will return, but there are some signs we can watch for, and the blood moon is one of them.

This article is a good guide for the information you need to catch this astronomical event. Hope to be back here on Monday with some great pics.