Zion Canyon Photograph Released

I am excited to release "Zion Canyon" for the October Print of the Month. My family visited Zion in 2004 and only recently have I been able to complete this image according to my original visualization. Technically, it is a stitch of 3 vertical frames blended with PS3s photomerge function. The location is along the Emerald Pools trail and represented a special day of hiking for our entire family. I hope you enjoy the print and if you have any questions, please drop me an email.

Zion Canyon Print of the Month

Film vs. DSLR by Jerry Lodriguss

Mr. Lodriguss has written a very nice article that totally captures my giddiness with DSLR astrophotography. The article captures what I have been informally observing over the past 6 months as I experiment with DSLR astrophotography. I encourage you to check out the article, especially if you have any history of film astrophotography and are considering DSLRs for astrophotography.

Film vs. DSLR by Jerry Lodriguss

Thomas M. Back: 1957-2007

It is with a heavy heart that I post the passing of one of our great innovators in amateur astronomy, Mr. Thomas M. Back. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Back at the Black Forest Star Party a few years ago and had a very memorable and pleasant conversation with him about optics and astrophotography. At that time, he was just starting to produce his own refractor telescopes. He was very kind and gracious in our brief time together. His passion for quality optics and observing were contagious. My prayers go out to his family for healing at this time of sorrow. Mr. Back's contributions to amateur astronomy and optics will last for generations.

An interview with Mr. Back can be found at Cloudy Nights website

Globular Filament 7

We have had some wonderful weather over the past two weeks. I spent 2.5 nights at Rob Adkins' place taking some astrophotos. Here is the first composition from the weekend. Exposure information and notes are on the webpage. This is a composition I have wanted to try for quite some time. I hope you enjoy the image.

Globular Filament 7

Loxahatchee River Print of the Month

Hello,
I hope this message finds you all well. In February, I visited south Florida with my mother and sister. My professional purpose to the trip was to visit the Ansel Adams exhibit near Jupiter, to visit the Clyde Butcher gallery, and to photograph the locations that Mr. Butcher has introduced to me over the years. One of those locations is the Loxahatchee River near Jupiter. It is a narrow body of water with alligators lurking along the banks keeping a watchful eye on paddlers as they navigate the tight twists and turns around Cypress and other trees just beneath the water line. My favorite composition from this visit involved the Canon 24mm tilt/shift lens. The tilt/shift permitted me to raise the field of view above the water line without tipping the camera up toward the sky which then introduces a severe angle of the trees. By using the upward shift of the lens I was able to keep the trees perpendicular in the image. The image also took advantage of modern RAW conversion in Adobe Lightroom where the huge dynamic range was compressed into a presentable format for both the web and on fine art paper. I hope you enjoy the image and get to visit this lovely area.

Loxahatchee River Print of the Month for September

HDR presentation on GoogleTech

Ewe Steinmueller has another presentation at GoogleTech where he discusses the latest in acquiring and processing images utilizing High Dynamic Range. I find the technique quite compelling and will be experimenting more vigorously with the technique in the coming months.

Ewe Steinmueller HDR presentation at GoogleTech

On-line publication for astrophotographers

My friend, Warren Keller, put me onto a very nice on-line publication for astrophotographers. The publication is "Astrophoto Insight" and the current issue is available for free download. The publication is bi-monthly and contains a wealth of practical information for the practicing astrophotographer. I highly recommend the resource to all.

Astrophoto Insight

Rho Ophiuchus in color

After much debating and many iterations, I believe I have finalized a color presentation of the Rho Ophiuchus and Antares Nebulae. The area has proven to be quite difficult for me to understand and to translate in digital form. I think I am like others and want the Milky Way to be presented with a fairly even sky background. Many years ago while imaging with medium format film I made the declaration that "the Milky Way sky is not black." Well, I was violating my own conclusions by trying to force a neutral black background on this area of sky. The area is quite dusty and has many gradations of color and light across the field. So, after many hours of digital work I think I finally have a presentation that is both artistically pleasing and relatively accurate in its depiction of the beautiful area. I hope you enjoy the image.

Rho Ophiuchus and Antares Nebulae