Fine Art Photography of Earth and Sky by Jeff Ball

Kolob Canyon Sunset

2011-08-04T14:16:00.002-05:00

On the western edge of Zion National Park lies the intense red rock canyon of Kolob. The area is a must-see for those visiting Zion. In this image the last rays of sun illuminate the rocks creating an intense display of reds with the green foliage highlighted in the valley. Please click above for a higher resolution view.

Douglas Falls May 2011

2011-08-01T13:36:00.002-05:00

Please see the link above for the latest image from the Flowing Water photography workshop, Douglas Falls.

Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae

2011-07-29T10:21:00.002-05:00

Looking toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy we are treated to numerous glowing patches of glowing gas and dust. The three most prominent patches of nebulosity in this image are known , from L to R, as NGC 6559, M8, and M20. The large nebula M8 (M for Charles Messier) is commonly known as the Lagoon Nebula. The blue and red nebula at the top right is M20 and is commonly known as the Trifid Nebula. We are looking toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy in this image and the distances to these objects is approximately 4,000 light years away. M8 and M20 are beautiful sights in a common pair of binoculars in the summer sky. From the northern hemisphere they lie due south after sunset in the summer months and are in the constellation of Sagittarius.

3 New Images are now posted to Florida Gallery

2011-05-25T19:33:00.001-05:00

In January I had a wonderful opportunity to photograph in the Everglades. 3 new images from that trip are now available at the link in the title. Enjoy.

Blog has begun the move...

2009-11-27T03:18:00.004-05:00

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! I am so happy with the interface on my new website that the blog has already moved over there. So now everything is in one place...jeffball.squarespace.com. Eventually earthandskyphoto.com will point to the new website, but I am cleaning up some issues from a site hack. So for now, the squarespace domain is my home. Please visit when you get a chance and check out the new posts with more on the way. Take care and thanks.

New Website Preview

2009-11-25T22:34:00.002-05:00

I am getting excited about my new website. I had been searching for a while and I believe I have found what will work very well for me. The site is hosted by squarespace. They provide a template type of input that is configurable in many different ways. The site will also host my blog. So everything will be moving to the new site when it is up and running. Unfortunately, most of this has been the result of a hack on my original website, but the site was in desperate need of an upgrade. The earthandskyphoto.com link is still not active as I had to transfer web hosts, but you can get a glimpse of the site and new blog at jeffball.squarespace.com. I hope you get a chance to check it out. I don't have the galleries active yet as I am building them now. Please let me know if you have any problems accessing the site and check back often as I hope to take it live very soon. Take care and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Photographic education

2009-11-20T17:49:00.002-05:00

Photographic education never ends. The sources I utilize for continuing education are listed in the links section to the right. Most recently, Charles Cramer provided an update to his Photoshop handbook to his email subscribers for free! Charles is one of, if not the best, photographic instructors in the word today. I owe a great deal of my improvement to his instruction and photographic examples. The update covers a lot of the changes with PS CS4 and there were a lot of changes. I encourage you to visit his website and sign up for his newsletter and to certainly look into taking one of his workshops. I hope to attend one of his Yosemite workshops in the next couple of years myself. One additional note is that I have been working very diligently on the Smoky Mountain portfolio or "folio." This will be an entirely new presentation and one that I really find conducive to my artist vision. I will keep you updated as the folio nears completion. I am expecting the folio to be completed in the next couple of months. Take care and have a great Thanksgiving.

Smoky Mountain Rain

2009-11-06T21:18:00.003-05:00

I was hoping for at least one day of rain for atmospheric enhancement on our Smoky Mountain photography trip and boy did we get one. I have more portfolio images from the rainy day than from all others, but I didn't need 1-2 inches of rain, just a mist or a sprinkle would have been just fine. I love the saturation that the rain provides. My gear selection for rain prevention included garbage bags and umbrellas. Many other photographers recommend the garbage bag option as a way to demonstrate frugality. I have now yielded to the more elegant option for rain protection which includes a Kata E-702 camera rain cover from Amazon. I received the unit a few days ago and while I haven't had it out in the elements, it appears to be just what I need. It can cover my 5DMKII with the 24-105 zoom and even the 70-200 f2.8 IS zoom. You can find more information at Amazon or by Googling Kata. This will now be a permanent part of my supplemental bag for those rainy/snowy days. Can't wait to use it on our return Smoky's trip in April!

What a treat!

2009-11-01T00:23:00.003-05:00

I don't know why I took so long to take a photographic visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I can tell you that it won't take me long to visit the park again. I returned this past Thursday from 5 wonderful days of landscape photography in the park. The visit exceeded my expectations. There were many wonderful moments of exciting photography from changing lighting conditions, dramatic sunrises, wonderful streams, perfect fall leaves, and wildlife including elk and bear. I love the western U.S. locations, but GSMNP is second to none of these locations and I plan on it becoming a frequent location for me in the future. I have just completed my first work through on the images in Adobe Light Room. I will keep you updated on the progress of the images. My plan is to publish a PDF portfolio of the images within the next few months. Plans are underway for a spring visit in late April 2010.

Smoky Mountains Here I Come

2009-10-23T17:33:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow morning I will be heading to the Smoky Mountains for 5 days of landscape photography. My trip will be based out of Cherokee and I hope to capture some of the wonderful beauty of the area at this gorgeous time of year. Many things are in the works behind the scenes; astrophotography work continues with a new portfolio and entirely new presentation evolving both in digital as well as printed formats. I am very excited about these presentations, but they are going to take a while to complete. I may produce a smaller portfolio with the same formats from the Smoky Mountains if the work merits such a presentation. I hope all is well and please drop me a line. See you next week.

Hello again!

2009-10-01T08:34:00.003-05:00

My apologies for being absent. The past few weeks I have been training for a Multiple Sclerosis Bike Ride. Yes, I was new to biking as well, so it was a lot of effort to get ready for the 150 mile ride over two days. The ride went very well and I am getting very comfortable on the bike now. I am even a few pounds lighter now! There is a lot going on right now with photography and I will provide updates over the next few posts. Both astrophotography and landscape photography efforts are under way. I am also learning some new ways of presenting images and will be sharing my experiences here on the blog on that as well. So just wanted to touch base again and wish you well. See you soon with more info. Take care.

Leaves

2009-08-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

Experimenting with interpretation is one of the most enjoyable aspects of photography today. I must confess that I don't always know at the time of capture how I want the image to appear in the final state. Brookgreen Gardens stood out to me as a place of structure. The complex entanglement of the Oak trees, the beautiful sculpture work on display, and the lines and form of leaves and plants. This plant has a very green color to the leaves, but I found that too distracting from the original motivation for the image and that was the structure and lines. I didn't really envision a black and white presentation so I played around with some of the Light Room default color schemes. The one that represented my original vision most clearly was the "aged" scheme. The leaves really seem to respond to this color presentation. I apologize for not having comparison images, but I also believe they may be more distracting than educational. My main point is to experiment with all of the tools we have available today. Knowing what tools are available can only make one more proficient in the field knowing how to apply those tools to the interpretation at the moment of capture. I will continue to share with you more images from Brookgreen over the coming weeks. Take care.

Oak Tree-Revisiting the image

2009-07-18T09:36:00.005-05:00

While I enjoyed the "unreal" presentation of the original "Oak Tree Canopy", there were two items that continually gnawed at me. One was that the midtones were just too MIDTONED! So I applied another curve to the image to raise the mid and upper tones a bit on the scale. The second bother was that the image looked too "squatty." It simply looked compressed. So I elongated the image with the transform tool in PS and I like the aspect ratio much better now. Since I make no bones about manipulating images, this image is certainly no attempt at representing "reality." I will address the reality of photography off and on in this blog, but as you may have guessed, the camera is certainly not a truth-teller. I hope you enjoy the discussion of the revisit and have a great day.

Oak Tree Canopy - An Unreal Vision

2009-07-11T08:57:00.013-05:00

In the field I try my best to just respond to interesting light that catches my eye. Sometimes it may be the brilliant color that is being revealed while at other times it may be textures and the play of the light on the subject. In this particular case, I believe it was both, but my first interpretation led to a black and white presentation and minimizing the impact of "color" in the image.

Technically, this is a bit different in that it is a vertical panorama of two images taken with the 90mm tilt/shift lens on the Canon 5D MarkII. The tilt/shift permits me to simply shift the lens from top to bottom to increase the field of view and minimize field distortions as a result of changing the angle of the camera. This was also my first real outing with the 5DMKII and I must say it performed very well.

I do encourage you to click on the image to see a larger presentation. Viewing the image on a full screen, it certainly strikes me as something "unreal", but yet this interpretation does exactly what I want it to do in presenting the texture of the complex canopy of branches and hanging moss with the dappled light of mid-morning. To contrast this presentation, I hope to soon be posting a color interpretation so that we can perhaps compare the "real" and "unreal" interpretations afforded by the same image.

I do love the old oaks of the south with their hanging moss scattering light amongst their branches. To me the oaks really shine with the sun providing a mostly backlit situation, which can be technically challenging from a dynamic range standpoint. There are other images still "stewing" in the Light Room "pot" so please check back for more presentations and interpretations and a discussion of the approaches to each individual image.

"Slow music for fast times" - Highly Recommended

2009-07-07T17:56:00.003-05:00

I have been a fan of Hearts of Space for a number of years, when you actually listened to the radio on a RADIO. For the past couple of years I have been a subscriber to the HOS streaming music option on their website which is linked in the title above. The music featured on the program is exactly as their tag-line indicates "slow music for fast times." The Hearts of Space programs provide a very inspirational soundtrack for me when I am at the computer working on images in Light Room and Photoshop. I don't know what I would do without it as each show is fresh and unique. The streaming option provides a depth of music that would be unachievable through a personal music library. The newest episode is of particular interest to photographers as it features selections from the soundtrack for Ansel Adams biography film. I highly recommend the Hearts of Space streaming option as it has provided me countless hours of beautiful music to enhance my digital darkroom experience. Take care and please check it out if you get a chance.

I love photography!

2009-07-03T22:20:00.002-05:00

Winding down vacation and all I can say is that I waited way too long to get the camera out and go photographing. I did finally spend some time the last two days photographing at Brookgreen Gardens and in the morning surf at the beach. It has been far too long since I engaged in some landscape photography. Man did I have fun! Simply being in the moment, exploring beautiful Brookgreen Gardens and looking for compositions...it was marvelous. The thrill of the hunt, looking for that great moment of wonderful light and composition, and I think I may have found a couple of images to share with you. I can't wait to get home and work on some of the compositions in the digital darkroom. But even if I hadn't found a single composition, it was an amazing experience to simply be on the hunt again. Brookgreen is an amazing combination of gardens and sculpture. Being in the midst of wonderful fine art created even more momentum for my photographic pursuits.

I am trying to balance astrophotography and landscape photography and it may prove to be too challenging. But I am going to really take a stab at achieving the balance since I enjoy both so much and I believe the pursuit of one helps the artistic expression of the other. If it has been a while since you went out on the hunt for a great photograph, I encourage you to grab the camera and isolate yourself from the cares of the world and begin to look for those great moments of light and composition. I really hope to return to this area and explore Brookgreen more extensively. Stay tuned for images and more information and Happy Independence Day!!!

Recommended-Brooks Jensen Podcasts

2009-07-01T10:49:00.003-05:00

On vacation in Myrtle Beach with golfing, beach, and photography. My photography location will be Brookgreen Gardens just south of Murrell's Inlet. I hope to visit there tomorrow. But I had a chance to catch up on my favorite podcast from Brooks Jensen and I wanted to invite you to visit his podcasts as well. Brooks provides valuable insight into photography today from all angles including technical advancements and artistic presentations. I always glean something of value from his podcasts and if you are a student of photography like me, I think you will, too. Please follow the link above for his website and links to his podcasts.

First light...sorta

2009-06-24T08:28:00.003-05:00

Last night was my first night to setup the Mach1 and Tak FSQ 85 for an imaging run. The clear sky clock looked wonderful and the skies were pristine during the evening. I setup in the backyard since I was hoping to have two straight nights of imaging and wanted to work out the kinks in the new gear. Setup went very smoothly and the equipment worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, a persistent puffy partly cloudy sky never relinquished. So no images were taken, but the gear checked out nicely. I was able to do a lot; monitored the drives performance via the autoguider, perform calibration for autoguiding, refined technique for using the laptop for focus with and without an h-alpha filter in place in the camera, and tested all of the new USB cords and hubs in use. So it was a successful night and I am ready to tonight! Clear skies!

Horsehead: A refinement in processing

2009-06-20T13:17:00.008-05:00

With some time to process, I have dug into the Horsehead and astronomical workflow to find the best approach. My main efforts are built around noise reduction and determining at what point to apply noise reduction software. The choices are to apply in RAW conversion in LR or to wait and use a PS plugin or 3rd party independent software. I have previously used Noise Ninja after the image is nearly complete, but was recently introduced to Noiseware. I am using the Pro version of Noiseware as a PS plugin. The main advantage to Noiseware is that I can use it in my normal workflow within PS and can use color profiles effectively. Noise Ninja did not work well with color profiles as an independent app. Noiseware has numerous controls, too numerous to mention here, for controlling how and where the noise reduction is to be applied. My thoughts are that it might be best to add some noise reduction in the RAW file in LR and then utilize Noiseware late in the processing stage. This particular image had no noise reduction applied in LR. I am going to rework the Horsehead image with that approach and will report back with results. One thing I love about astronomical photographs is that they are so difficult to work with that it makes landscape optimization so much easier. Take care and check out Noiseware if you get a chance on some really noisy images.

One other change in workflow with this image involved applying a flat field from the RAW camera files to the image in PS. This worked very well and is now a part of my workflow. I found no advantage to applying dark frames to the image. I believe dark frames are largely a waste with the Canon 450D and that simply increasing the amount of signal is the best way to maximize the signal to noise ratio.

Apple's other update

2009-06-18T16:32:00.007-05:00

While all iPhone uses were upgrading to 3.0, and it is a nice upgrade, Apple also made some very nice enhancements to their Safari web browser. I hadn't really seen anything about this upgrade and was pleasantly surprised to see some new features. Two new features that I love are tied to the "new tab" request. Upon forming a new tab the surfer is presented with a screen of previously visited top websites by you in a portfolio presentation of images. I love this and it makes browsing my favorite sites even easier than pulling down a bookmark. In addition, the user can browse or search for previously searched webpages. This webpage looks just like the iTunes page of album art search for movies or music. These two features have not only made Safari my preferred browser on the MAC, but I have now upgraded to the Safari 4.0 on my Windows machines and I love it. Check it out if you haven't already, especially if you are a tab browser.

A bit of an update: There is a "Top Sites" icon at the top left of the browser that pops up the top 12 sites you visit. This actually may replace tabbed browsing. Finally, Apple has applied their creativity and genius in user interface to the web browser!!!

Cinderella's Ice Castle

2009-06-15T00:36:00.009-05:00

In the fall of 2008 our family visited Disney World for my son's senior high school trip. For a camera, we had my wife's convenient Canon 400D. The stock 18-55mm lens was on the camera which limited compositions as well as perspective control options. Long telephoto lenses can help minimize distortions when photographing from a distance. The ice decorations on the castle were quite stunning and so I worked on a couple of different compositions, mainly for practice, as I knew there would be some different techniques involved. On this particular image, I combined 4 frames vertically in Photoshop to give extra image area so that I could then perform a perspective correction. This composition poses several challenges including a huge dynamic range, hand-held image capture at ISO 1600 and 1/8 of a second, large crowds of people, and a tired tourist at the shutter. So this is the final presentation after RAW conversion in LR, vertical stitching and perspective control in PS3. I hope you enjoy the image and I encourage you to visit Disney World during the holiday season for some special treats like Cinderalla's Ice Castle.

Comet Lulin video

2009-06-13T13:18:00.007-05:00

Comet Lulin

2009-06-13T10:24:00.013-05:00

Comet Lulin graced North American skies in the winter of 2009. Fortunately, the closest approach was during the Winter Star Party in February. Comet Lulin proved to be much more interesting than I had previously been inclined to believe. The comet brightened dramatically over the week of February 24 and sported a beautiful ion blue tail. I slewed to the comet with the scope and began my initial exposures and was surprised by the views on the LCD screen. The blue ion tail was crumpled and extending away from the comet nucleus in a beautiful fashion. So this object became the main target object during the 2-4 a.m. imaging window on most nights. More information on the comet can be found by clicking on the title of the blog at NASA's website. You may also click on the image for a larger presentation.

This particular image was taken during the 2 a.m. hour of February 21, 2009. It is a composite of 9 exposures of 3.5 minutes each at ISO 1600 on the Canon 450D through the TMB 92SS refractor. Comet imaging poses additional challenges when the comet is fast moving such as Comet Lulin. The imager must combine several short exposures for the background sky as well as for the comet. So two iterations of stacking are needed since the comet is moving relative to the fixed star field. This is quite challenging in processing, but we do have techniques that allow us to accomplish this with nice results.

All of the processing was accomplished with Adobe Light Room 2.0 and PS3 with some Noise Ninja for noise reduction. Images were aligned and stacked with Images Plus. A Sigma median combine was used on the comet nucleus to achieve a reduction in star trails and isolate the comet nucleus and tail in the combination. The total exposure time is approximately 30 minutes. I am also going to present a movie which depicts the comet moving relative to the star field. I hope you enjoy the image and please check out the NASA link for more information on the comet.

What size should web image be?

2009-06-01T10:18:00.008-05:00

With the introduction of the "netbooks" and smart phones, I was curious to revisit the most common screen resolutions currently being recorded by web browsers and those data mining groups that do such things. One report I found lists 36% of surfers are using 1024x768 in January 2009, down a bit from 2008. Where is the move? To higher resolutions. The report only lists resolutions higher than 1024x768 and that percentage is 57%. But are we possibly seeing a move back to smaller screens? Do the data mining groups account for web browsing on smart phones? I know that I look at images on an iPhone, Macbook Pro, and a 24" Apple Cinema display. I have looked at the netbooks and can't say that they catch my fancy at the present time. A quick look at one of the HP netbooks (N270) shows it sporting a 1024x576 screen resolution. Will netbooks find a strong foothold in the marketplace? Another consideration for how large of an image to post to the web is how much of an image do you want your audience to view. I personally always want the entire image showing with no zoom effect. Why? I take great care on the entire composition of the image and want the image always viewed in its entirety. To me, posting a larger than 1024 image on the web would be like Ansel Adams only allowing you to view one of his prints from a distance of 6" away. There is a proper viewing distance for all images and one should consider that even for web presentations. Now I do understand that some browsers can re-size the image to fit the window, but I really don't want to rely on that effect 100% of the time. So at the present time I have chosen to post images with a long side of 1000 pixels with some modifications for portrait orientation. To me that hits the sweet spot of fitting nearly every screen resolution out there (93%)and presenting the image in its entirety to the viewer. So that is my take on proper image size in June 2009. I hope to revisit the issue as time passes to see where screen resolutions may go into the future.

An Orion experiment

2009-05-30T11:21:00.010-05:00

Now this is simply crazy. I had some Orion Nebula data from WSP that I basically captured on a whim. So in reviewing the data in Light Room I wanted to see just what the new techniques could bring out of this data. Let me state up front that this is simply not enough data to get what I eventually want out of this image. But, it is a great exercise in seeing exactly what the technique can do with very limited amounts of data. I selected 11 of the best frames captured on the Canon 450D and TMB 92SS combination. I optimized each image in LR 2.2 and exported to tiff. I used Images Plus and Sigma clip for the alignment and combination and then processed as normal in PS3. Now one other major error on my part, not that the clouds at WSP had anything to do with it, was that I failed to capture shorter exposures to compensate for the over-exposed core of M42. So I did plug in some old data from other instruments for the core of M42 in this image. There is a fair amount of noise reduction via Noise Ninja applied to the shadow areas. So for only 40 minutes of data with a lowly DSLR, I am very happy with the potential to really capture the Orion Nebula area as I hope next year. My expectations are that two hours of data at ISO 800 will be wonderful data to work with and accomplish my imaging goals. Please drop me a line if you have any questions or comments and I hope you enjoy the image.

Rosette Nebula from Winter Star Party

2009-05-28T11:18:00.012-05:00

The Rosette Nebula (please click on image for larger presentation) is approximately 5500 light years from Earth and spans over 1 degree in the sky which is more than 5 full moons. The nebula itself has different NGC designations including 2223, 2238, 2239, and 2246. The open star cluster in the middle of the nebula is designated as NGC 2244. The nebula is located in the constellation Monoceros.

This image is another in my continuing experimentation with using Adobe Light Room and Photoshop exclusively in post-processing. I actually selected only 11 of the best images I had for this object taken during the Winter Star Party in February 2009. The 11 images were each 3.5 minutes in exposure at ISO 1600 for a total exposure time of 40 minutes. ISO 1600 was used as a compromise to maximize exposure time due to the sporadic cloudiness that was present. The telescope used was a Tom Back 92mm signature series refractor at approximately f4 and a focal length of about 400mm. The camera used was a modified Canon 450D. So far, I am very happy with the results of the Adobe processing work flow. The only question that I have is how well with this process work on hydrogen alpha images. I hope to do some experimentation with this in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoy the image and please drop me a line if you get a chance.

Yes, Canon to offer video firmware upgrade

2009-05-27T20:31:00.003-05:00

I purchased the Canon 5D MarkII about one month ago. My primary purpose was to use it in my landscape photography, but I was really drawn to the HD video capability. The one downside to the camera was the lack of manual control in video mode. The user was limited to simply letting the camera do everything automatically in video mode. Today Canon announced the availability in early June of a new firmware upgrade that will now make available to the user manual controls in video mode. The user will have control over aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. This is a tremendous announcement and I am very excited about this new opportunity with the camera. Please stay tuned for further developments and reports on the camera and video opportunities it presents.

Kirk Rogers featured on Maine TV show

2009-05-22T15:22:00.006-05:00

Please take a moment to visit my good friend and wonderful photographer Kirk Rogers' website for a video clip that presents Kirk's astrophotography to the viewers in Maine, U.S.A. The clip is approximately 5 minutes long and shows Kirk's equipment, images, and the observatory of Rob Burgess where Kirk's gear is housed. Congratulations to Kirk on the feature and I hope you enjoy the show.

Bill Green's Maine featuring the Astrophotography of Kirk Rogers

The only mount I will ever need

2009-05-13T11:10:00.007-05:00

You may never have heard of the Astro-Physics Mach1 GTO mount before, but it is a beautiful piece of equipment that should prove to be the only mount I will ever need. I have had experience with numerous astrophotography mounts over the years including the Losmandy GM8, G11, and Titan as well as the Astro-Physics 600E QMD, 600E GTO, 900 GTO, and 1200 GTO. The Mach1 offers the astro-imager the most rigid and stable mount in a very portable package. The mount is capable of being used in a fixed location observatory or as a portable mount for remote high mountain imaging from the darkest skies possible.

Any mount this size eventually has a limitation as to how big of a scope it can carry. But my astro-imaging compositions require relatively small instruments and I don't believe my scope requirements will ever outgrow the capabilities of the Mach1.

I just received the mount last week and have begun familiarizing myself with the functions and performance. My plan is to image with it next new moon and I hope to have results for you a few days after that.

So until then...clear skies to you all and may you have wonderful photographic opportunities.

A Night at the Winter Star Party

2009-05-13T09:01:00.005-05:00

While at the Winter Star Party in February, I imaged with multiple cameras through the night. The primary camera was on the telescope with a secondary wide angle camera on the G11 mount and a third camera for night landscape from a tripod. One of the techniques I wanted to experiment with was a time-lapse of our imaging area with a star field for the entire night. My first results of this can be found on my Vimeo page linked below. A higher quality video is available for download from the Vimeo webpage for Vimeo members. Registration is simple and takes only a few seconds.

I really hope to explore this technique more fully over the coming months and to incorporate the results in a more comprehensive artistic output. I hope you enjoy the video and there is more information on the Vimeo webpage. I am also experimenting with the video capabilities of the 5D Mark II and will update the blog with results from that soon. Thanks and take care...

A Night at the Winter Star Party 2009

The Globular Cluster of Stars

2009-05-01T20:05:00.023-05:00

What contains over 5 million solar masses, has about the same mass of the smallest whole galaxies, and is the second brightest globular cluster in the local group of galaxies? The globular cluster known as Omega Centauri or NGC 5139 is the answer. This image was captured along the beaches of the Florida Keys during the Winter Star Party in February. (Please click on the image for a larger presentation.)

The image was taken with a relatively short focal length telescope at 400mm. This view is very close to approximating the view through a nice pair of astronomical binoculars. That is my favorite way to view this object as the sparkling cluster shimmers against a backdrop of dark space. For more information on the object please see
http://messier.obspm.fr/xtra/ngc/n5139.html.

The image information is: captured with a modified Canon 450D, 11 frames of 3.5 minutes each at ISO 1600 on a TMB 92mm telescope at f5. The mount used was an Astro-Physics 400GOTO. All processing in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Please contact me if you have any further questions and I hope you enjoy the image.

If you are ever at a southern location in northern hemisphere winter, please do yourself a favor and gaze through a pair of binoculars at this heavenly site.

Horsehead Nebula from Winter Star Party 2009

2009-04-30T11:30:00.010-05:00

Hello again,
I have completely changed the way I am processing astrophotos. I am no longer utilizing frame calibrations such as dark frame subtraction, flat fields, and bias frame subtraction. The reason? I felt that the images were pretty clean to begin with and that the camera manufacturers and Adobe LightRoom had better RAW image processing algorithms than any independent software manufacturer. I also know Adobe Light Room and Photoshop intimately and I am in control of the entire image processing chain at every step. So my first effort with this new approach is the Horsehead Nebula region in Orion taken at the Winter Star Party in February 2009 (please click on the image for a larger version.} The image is a composite of 5 frames at ISO 800 and 15 frames at ISO 1600 at 7 minutes and 3.5 minutes, respectively. The scope used was a Tom Back 92mm at approximately 400mm focal length and f5. The camera is a modified Canon 450D. I hope you enjoy the image. I will be posting more on my new processing as I work through other images from the trip. Take care and drop me a line.

Hello Again!

2009-04-26T22:14:00.006-05:00

Hello to all and I hope you have had a wonderful winter and spring. I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know that I am producing new work and will be presenting work in many different formats. For instance, you can now join me on Facebook to see what's new. Now Facebook will include a mix of personal and business, but it is a great place to interact and a great way to stay in touch. Please join me on Facebook today.

Jeff's Facebook Profile

P.S. I hope to begin sharing with you new ideas and resources on producing multimedia content featuring HD video. Please stay tuned and drop me a note.

Bryce Canyon

2008-12-06T21:15:00.003-05:00

There are images and compositions that bug you until you finally decide to develop them for presentation. This image is one of those that has haunted me for the past year. It is also representative of where my photographic style is going. I will have more on my next photographic project, but for now, this is one of my favorite images from a hike within Bryce Canyon taken last November. I hope you enjoy it.

NGC7000 BW

2008-10-26T23:38:00.007-05:00

I have continued experimenting from my light-polluted backyard with the Canon 350D (modified) and the Lumicon H-alpha filter and the 200mm f2.8 lens. The latest is a 2 hour exposure of the North America and Pelican nebula area. This is also my first exposure with the new Astro-Physics 400 GTO mount. The mount performed beautifully as expected and I am excited about the data gathered. I have more work to come, so please stay tuned.

An Experiment

2008-10-24T17:55:00.001-05:00

More details to come, but I am experimenting with some new gear and techniques. Stay tuned.

Hidden Universe Podcast

2008-09-27T22:41:00.002-05:00

While surfing my HDTV with the Apple TV I ran across the NASA series of HD Podcasts. Wow, these podcasts are amazing on my Samsung HD TV. I had not found video podcasts to be very satifying on smaller laptops and computer screens, but the Hidden Universe Podcast from NASA is extraordinary. I highly encourage you to check out the HD podcasts from NASA including "The Hidden Universe." While I am sure they are fine when viewed on laptops and moderate size computer monitors, the experience on a large HD TV is irreplaceable in my opinion.

Prancing Pony of the Milky Way

2008-09-08T21:49:00.017-05:00

The dark nebula in the center of the Milky Way is a fascinating visual object and one that indicates a wonderful night of viewing and photography is on tap. The dark nebula is commonly referred to as the "prancing pony" for obvious reasons. This is a stack of 10 two minute exposures with the Canon 350D at ISO 1600 and an Olympus 21mm lens. I hope you enjoy the image and there is more to come.

M5 Globular Cluster

2008-05-26T19:32:00.002-05:00

The other night I had the opportunity to experiment with the C14 and AP mount at the Donald C. Martin Observatory in Huntington. I imaged the globular cluster M5. The results and a bit more information are at the link below. I look forward to imaging the heavens through this setup over the next few months.

M5 Globular Cluster

Bryce Light-February Print of the Month

2008-02-16T14:50:00.004-05:00

My first visit to Bryce Canyon was not disappointing. I actually had low expectations as I felt that I had seen all of the photographs and so I really wasn't expecting to see anything new. Boy was I wrong. I was amazed at the quality of light at all times of day. Bryce Canyon is literally a "light theater" all day long as reflected light bounces around and through the various hoodoos, fins, and other canyon structures. It is a location that I long to return to. My first image from the location is simply "Bryce Light." It is the February Print of the Month. The print is fantastic, especially the larger sizes. I hope you enjoy the image on screen.

Bryce Light

New Corporate Collection

2008-01-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

Home Federal Savings and Loan dedicated a brand new location today in Ashland, KY. It is a beautiful facility and one their customers will be most impressed with upon entering. The interior designer selected "Paramount" for display in their client waiting area. The framing is custom designed by Mary Johnson from Alladin's Art Gallery in Ashland. It is rumored that they matched the couch to the print! Another corporate collection has begun with Jeff Ball Photography.

First Light on Zion Canyon

2007-12-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

My first photograph from the Digital Summit has been released. It was from a very special morning along the switch-back road toward Zion tunnel. I hope you like the image and look for many more images and announcements coming soon with some surprises!

First Light on Zion Canyon

San Juan River book published

2007-12-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

The San Juan River Book is now available for purchase. For more information and a preview, please click on the box below.

Spirit of the ...

A Fine Art Photogr...

By Jeff Ball

Book Preview

November Print of the Month: Zabriskie Point (color)

2007-11-23T15:37:00.000-05:00

The geologic classroom of Death Valley provides incredible landscape photography opportunities. Zabriskie Point is one of the highlights of the area and this is my color representation of the view looking west from the overlook area prior to sunset. I hope you enjoy the print.

Zabriskie Point Print

Return from Digital Summit

2007-11-20T15:02:00.002-05:00

I have just returned from the 2007 Digital Fine Art Summit. It was a fantastic event with guest instructor Charles Cramer joining Alain Briot and Uwe Steinmueller. I learned a great deal at this conference and have improved my photography and printing as a result. I am very excited about the work coming from Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Staircase. Please stay tuned for images as they become available on the website. I feel that another learning plateau has been achieved and look forward to future learning in the art of photographic printing.

Comet 17P/Holmes visible to the naked eye

2007-10-30T08:46:00.000-05:00

In the past week, a relatively obscure comet has undergone a tremendous outburst which is visible from backyards and streets to the naked eye. The comet is 17P/Homes and is currrently in the constellation Perseus. You can simply search for information on the comet through your favorite search engine, but I wanted to encourage you to go outside tonight and treat yourself to a spectacular comet view with the unaided eye or even better with your binoculars. I am currrently imaging the comet and will post images in the next few days. Enjoy the specatcular view and stay in touch.

Please check out this website for more information on the comet.
Spaceweather.com

New High Resolution program

2007-10-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

I am watching with interest a new development in achieving higher resolution images with today's DSLRs. The process involves maxizing image resolution by combining several images and performing super resolution algorithms. The program is PhotoAcute and is fairly new. Ewe Steinmueller is performing real-world testing on the application and has posted a diary at the link below. I hope to evaluate the process in the near future.

PhotoAcute Super Resolution review by Ewe Steinmueller

Hilton Head Surf

2007-10-13T13:21:00.001-05:00

On our family vacation to Hilton Head this summer I engaged in a study of morning light. Each morning I would arrive at the beach well before sunrise and simply photograph and study the light of the morning. Each morning was very unique with some mornings presenting harsh direct light and other morning like this one where the light was a gentle mix of pastels and was very soft. I hope you enjoy the new image and that it conveys to you a wonderful Atlantic Ocean sunrise morning.

Hilton Head Surf

New Film from Kodak!

2007-10-10T08:28:00.000-05:00

I really can't believe I have the opportunity to even post an announcement about "new film." I received my email newsletter from John Sexton today. Mr. Sexton is a wonderful photographer with a legacy of studying with Ansel Adams. In Mr. Sexton's newsletter, he presents the Kodak announcement of the the T-Max 400 BW film. He also references some data from Kodak that some 75% of 9000 professional photographers plan on continuing to use film. The survey quotes some of the photographers as to why they will continue to use film. It is a very interesting read and demonstrates that we are still in a very energetic and diverse art form where the tools one may choose are wide and varied.

Kodak New T-Max 400 film

Survey of 9000 Professional Photographers

New Podcast by Alain Briot

2007-10-10T08:22:00.001-05:00

A wonderful new Podcast by Alain Briot is now available. Alain discusses many pertinent issues for the photographic artist, or any artist actually. Alain discusses understanding your audience as an artist, what it means to be a "professional artist," how to discuss your artwork with others, and other issues. Highly recommended for any artist:

Alain Briot Podcast

The second generation of Fiber Gloss Papers

2007-10-08T08:44:00.001-05:00

Digital fine art photography is as much about papers as it is about inkjet printing technology. We are currently in our second round of new fiber gloss paper introduction by several manufacturers including a new entry from Harman. Ewe Steinmueller and Michael Reichmann have new articles where they share with us their impressions of these new papers. I am awaiting arrival of the Harman Fiber Gloss paper for testing and will report on the paper in the next few weeks.

Michael Reichmann article and initial review of Epson Ehibition Fiber Paper

Ewe Steinmueller article

Zion Canyon Photograph Released

2007-09-25T10:26:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-22T09:03:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-14T23:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

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

IC1396 from Almost Heaven Star Party

2007-08-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

This object eluded me in the film days, but it just jumps out with the DSLR and a fast lens. The night was lovely for this capture and I hope you enjoy the image. IC1396 is an emission nebula in the constellation Cepheus.

IC1396 webpage

Northern Cygnus Test Image

2007-08-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

I continue to experiment with the modified Canon 350D. This test is with the old Lumicon Hydrogen Alpha photographic filter from the TechPan days of film. I wanted to see if I could image from my backyard with this filter and come up with anything useful. Conditions were horrible on this night with temps in the 70's, humidity in the 90's, and a waxing moon. I am happy with the results and will continue my testing. The ideal scenario is for a much more narrow band hydrogen alpha filter, but at this time none are available for inside the camera body of the Canon.

Northern Cygnus Test Image

AHSP presentation now available for download

2007-08-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

I have now posted my presentation on DSLR Cameras and Lenses for Astrophotography for download in PDF format. You may access the slide presentation at the link below.

"DSLR Camera and Lenses for Astrophotography"

Veil Nebula Wide Field with Canon 350D

2007-08-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

I have posted a wide field image of the Veil Nebula complex taken from the beautifully dark skies of Spruce Knob on August 12. For the composition I used the Canon 350D and the 135mmf2L lens. I hope you enjoy the image and the accompanying notes.

Veil Nebula Wide Field webpage

Canon announces next Pro and Prosumer cameras

2007-08-20T05:34:00.000-05:00

Canon has officially announced their next camera offering to the Professional as well as the pro/amateur photographer. The 1DsMarkIII will offer a 21 mp chip in addition to 14 bit capture. The 40D will offer a 10.1 mp chip and 14 bit capture. Many features from the 400XTi are also found on these cameras in addition to a myriad of other new features including live preview. For more details on each please see the respective Canon links below.

Canon 1DsMarkIII

Canon 40D

Looking for an Astrophotography DSLR camera?

2007-08-16T13:10:00.000-05:00

Alan Dyer has posted a nice review of 3 DLSR cameras and how they compare in astronomical imaging. If you are looking for a DSLR camera and hope to do some astrophotography, I encourage you to read Mr. Dyer's review as it may prove to be helpful in making your decision.

Cameras in Head to Head Showdown
by Alan Dyer

Luminous Landscape Print Tutorial

2007-07-31T10:04:00.000-05:00

If you are seeking out resources that will improve your photography and particularly your digital printing...stop right now and purchase the Luminous Landscape Tutorial "From Camera to Print." The tutorial is available via download and contains over 6 hours of instruction on how to optimize a photograph for fine art printing. The tutorial features accomplished landscape photographer Michael Reichmann who is joined by digital photo guru Jeff Schewe. It is the best $35 value available in photography today. Highly recommended!

From Camera to Print Tutorial on Luminous Landscape

San Juan Published in Lenswork Extended

2007-07-30T09:04:00.000-05:00

I am very honored to share with you that the San Juan Portfolio has been published in the Lenswork Extended DVD. Lenswork is my source for artistic benchmarking. I am quite surprised that my first submission was accepted and published. The DVD is a supplement to the award winning print version of Lenswork. I consider both to be "must have" resources for any photographer. You may find out more at the link below.

Lenswork Extended DVD

San Juan Portfolio

DOP interview with Charles Cramer

2007-06-07T10:01:00.001-05:00

Another insightful interview with one of today's photography masters has been published on Digital Outback Photo. The interview is with noted landscape photographer and instructor Charles Cramer. Mr. Cramer will be the guest instructor at the upcoming Fine Art Summit in November which I will be attending. I invite you to listen to the interview for some wonderful background and insight into the photography of Mr. Cramer.

Webpage with interview link

Charles Cramer's gallery

Rho Ophiuchus and Antares Nebulae Complex

2007-05-31T09:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally finished my first DSLR astrophotograph and my first astrophoto in nearly 4 years. It was a very steep learning curve, but I came close to my original visualization. I have more information at the astrophotograph webpage below. I hope you enjoy the image and I look forward to more compositions this summer.

Rho Ophiuchus with Canon 350D and 135mm f2L lens

PhotoTech EDU at Google

2007-05-31T08:55:00.001-05:00

I stumbled across a collection of presentation videos archived at Google Videos that discuss various aspects of photography in detail. The topics vary widely and even include some astrophotography presentations. There is a ton of material here and I have only begun to review it. The material is very detailed and at times overly technical, but hey it is Google. One interesting tidbit I found was a discussion at the end of Ben Lutch's Astrophotography presentation where Google is mapping the entire heavens with images from anyone willing to contribute their astronomical photos to the project. Depending on your interests, there is a wealth of information on this site. I encourage you to check out the topics and see what catches your eye. Here is a link to the search results for "phototech EDU" at Google.

Phototech EDU at Google

Like falling off a bike

2007-05-27T00:38:00.000-05:00

Great news! I finished painting the house. So with that project out of the way I can now spend some time at the processing computer. That is exactly what I did today. It was a very frustrating first few hours. I can't believe how difficult it was for me to get back into the swing of enhancing astrophotographs, but it was like I had never worked on them before. I was constantly "falling off of the bike" and I nearly gave up entirely. At one point I thought I simply did not have enough data for the image to work the way I visualized. And then, it hit me, and I regained momentum and have successfully gone through one iteration of image enhancement on the Rho Ophiuchus image. I have plenty of data to work with and I am pretty confident I can get the image to what my initial visualization was for this composition. It takes a great deal of time and many iterations for enhancements to come to completion. I also like to step away from the image and let things "stew" a bit as I contemplate the direction the image is taking. So, I am working very hard on new stuff, it is just taking some time to get through the process and get things posted. Thanks for your interest in Jeff Ball Photography and there is much more to come.

P.S. I also spent several hours today preparing for my upcoming presentation at the Almost Heaven Star Party. I hope you can make the event and I hope to post my presentation on the website after the event in August.

A winner of a night

2007-05-21T08:48:00.000-05:00

Another night under the stars and this time the transparency cooperated. Last Friday night I visited the wonderfully dark skies of my friend Rob Adkins home in Wayne County. We had a wonderful night of photographing and viewing. The dark lanes of the Milky Way were easily visible from Sagittarius to Scorpius, even with bright Jupiter in the middle of them. We viewed numerous deep sky objects with and without the OIII filter. The views were just stunning on this night and compared favorably to any I have had anywhere over the years. We viewed Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, and Mars-all in one night. The seeing really steadied nicely for some wonderful early morning views of Jupiter.

Upon first review, it looks like I have at least 2 hours of very good data to work with on Rho Ophiuchus. Astrophotography images come slowly as preparation, imaging, and processing are extremely involved. I hope to have the image up soon. I am about 50% finished with painting the house. Once that project is completed, I can get back into updating images and the website.

Astrophotography night out

2007-05-14T09:05:00.000-05:00

Last night was my first opportunity to re-visit the night sky with astrophotography. The night was a complete success technically-meaning that all gear worked as planned and image acquisition was dead-on. The only issue was that the Clear Sky Clock (astronomer's main source for weather conditions) missed a small system of high cirrus clouds coming in from Ohio and it really reduced contrast in the southern Milky Way area. The imaging system is a modified Canon 350D and 135mm f2 L lens. The target last night was the Rho Ophiuchus area. The camera gear is riding on top of my friend Dave Tolley's G11 mount with a TV101 scope used for final polar alignment. It was a great night of practice for me since it has been nearly 4 years since I last imaged. I am very enthusiastic about the compositions to come from this setup and I am hoping for clear skies in the near future to work on these new astronomical images. Take care and stay tuned for more.

Sweetwater Strand

2007-04-09T22:22:00.000-05:00

My first photograph from the Florida trip in February is now on the homepage. Look for more information on this print as well as more photographs from Florida.

May Print of the Month-Sweetwater Strand

New Podcast: Ansel Exhibit Impressions

2007-04-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

A new podcast of my first impressions from seeing Ansel Adams prints in person for the first time.

Roman Loranc Interview by DOP

2007-04-05T09:40:00.000-05:00

Uwe Steinmueller has posted a nice interview with Roman Loranc, a BW photographer from Poland. Another master photographer extolling the benefits of simplifying one's approach to photography. Roman uses one paper, one film, one camera, and one lens (210mm) for 70% of his work. I think it is a valuable lesson that many masters can teach us to simplify our approach and focus on the artistic qualities rather than the gear and technology. Roman Loranc interview link.

Speaking at Almost Heaven Star Party

2007-04-04T23:24:00.000-05:00

I have been invited and accepted an opportunity to speak at the Almost Heaven Star Party on Spruce Knob in WV in August. The dates are 9-12 and the location is excellent for dark skies. I will be sharing some of my new thoughts and approaches to astrophotography with a DSLR. I hope you can join us for the event and I look forward to meeting you. More information at www.ahsp.org .

Canon Lens Manufacturing Video

2007-04-04T22:27:00.000-05:00

A link to this series of videos was published on the Astro-Physics Users list. If you enjoy seeing "behind the scenes" video, you will enjoy seeing how Canon makes their lenses from scratch. Highly recommended! Link to video.

Photo Warmups

2007-03-31T16:45:00.000-05:00

A new Podcast was posted today. It is a recording from the field while on my Florida photography excursion. The recording is an observation I made on the importance of "photography warmups." You can check out the Podcast on iTunes or at Feedburner.

Updates and miscellaneous

2007-03-29T00:34:00.000-05:00

I have just completed a data backup and initial RAW review of the images from Florida taken in February. I am very excited about what is to come, but it will be a while before images are presented. One reason for delays is that we are very busy with my daughter in High School tennis right now. So nearly every evening we are with Jennifer at a match or practicing. It is a joy to watch her play. I hope to update the Podcasts very soon with some audio I recorded on the Florida trip. I am also in final testing for my return to astrophotography. I hope to get out during the new Moon in April for a test run and maybe collect some nice data. So, things are slow as far as new stuff as the tennis season reaches its peak in April. Look for many new things coming after the season. Also, I just registered for my 7th workshop with Alain and Natalie Briot. This workshop is the Digital Fine Art Summit and will have as a special presenter and teacher Charles Cramer. I am very excited about learning from Mr. Cramer, oh, and the location is Zion! The workshop is in November. I have many commentaries on things photographic to come. One is my evolving approach toward photographic education. More and more I am convinced the best way to improve your photography is through one-on-one apprenticeships with a quality instructor. Small workshops are fine as long as there is ample time for the instructor to productively engage each student in individualized instruction. More to come on this as my thoughts become clearer. Have a great day and stay tuned for more in the near future.

Quick observing night and some testing

2007-03-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

Couldn't pass up a quick look tonight. The skies started to turn
partly cloudy around 10:30 or so. I really love the 8" Orion XT dob.
Everything just works so simply. I wanted to get first light through
my new 19 Panoptic and it was a joy. I switched all night from the 35
Pan to the 19 and then on Saturn went with the 12mm Radian. About
100x was nice for Saturn tonight as seeing was washy. Viewed M42 and
Running Man, the open cluster in Gemini (I was observing with no aids
and strictly from memory-I am a bit rusty), and the Leo Trio of
galaxies. It is always nice to get a little cold and see crisp views
of stars through the scope. Hoping for clear skies next weekend.

Earlier in the evening I did some testing with the Canon 350D and 135 f2 lens off the tripod. I wanted to get some "dark" condition experience operating the TC80N3 remote and also practice focus techniques. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to practice with your gear and get as familiar with buttons and knobs as you can. In the dark it really pays off when you know how to activate image review and move through images at high magnification as well as adjust ISO setting. So even though I wasn't photographing tonight, it was a good practice run for when things get "real."

San Juan River Newspaper article

2007-03-16T17:59:00.000-05:00

On March 2, Dave Lavender of the Herald-Dispatch published his article "Nature's Handiwork" which provided some insight into my San Juan Portfolio Grand Opening that same night. Dave did a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the portfolio and I now have a digital PDF version of the article for your review. The article may be viewed at this link. I do not have a version with the photographs embedded. The article looked wonderful and I am very thankful to Dave for doing such a nice job. He is a self-proclaimed "river rat" himself, and so he has a very strong passion for the beauty of our rivers. Enjoy the article and have a great day.

Horseshoe Bend 2006 Image and articles

2007-03-12T11:44:00.000-05:00

Horseshoe Bend is a fascinating location for creative photography. An early view for those who read my blog is now available of my latest print from Horseshoe Bend. The image is a first in two ways. It is my first near-far composition captured utilizing the tilt/shift lens with panoramic movement. It is also my first experience with the stitching plugin in Photoshop PS3 beta. I am very happy with the new PS3 stitching plugin and I am very excited about future efforts with this lens/software combination. The image has stimulated me to write about two topics related to the image. One article is titled "Two and three-quarter years" and discusses the importance of returning to locations in order to fully explore the creative potential that is there. The other article is titled "What do you do?" This article is an attempt to provide a very brief overview of how I take a RAW image and develop the image into a fully optimized print. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you enjoy the new material.

Astro-Physics to be featured on "Made in America"

2007-03-10T00:30:00.000-05:00

I have had the fortunate pleasure of owning and operating Astro-Physics telescopes and mounts over the years. Their equipment is top of the line and I can't speak highly enough of them. I just read on their website that John Ratzenberger's "Made in America" has filmed a segment on AP and it will air this coming Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. EDT. The show is on the Travel Channel and please double check the listings for the correct time. I have scheduled it on the DVR and I am sure it will be a very interesting segment.

We're back in the game!

2007-03-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

I just placed my order for a modified Canon 350D with Hap Griffin. The camera will have the UV/IR Baader filter in place. I am very excited about re-entering astrophotography. I am excited to bring what I have learned over the past 3 years to image optimization and composition. There are at least 8 compositions I find interesting with the 135mm f2 lens and I hope to begin imaging in June. Some testing will take place before then with the first images coming on-line later in the summer. So, here we go, it is definitely not as intense as when I was imaging 3 years ago, but it will be fun and I believe very capable of producing portfolio quality images.

First Look at PS3 beta

2007-03-06T01:16:00.000-05:00

Adobe has released a beta version of Photoshop PS3. I have been reading some remarkable stories of the enhanced Photomerge function with PS3 over PS2. I have recently gone to utilizing tilt/shift lenses as well as panoramic gear to aid in the quality of digital stitching. While at the Fine Art Digital Summit I captured a 3 pane image with the 24mm tilt/shift from Horseshoe Bend. I had played around with PS2 Photomerge and the results were not that impressive. Now my core program for stitching had been PTAssembler, so I was not concerned, it was simply an act of experimentation more than anything. Well I have been quite busy with the San Juan work and finally had a chance to take a look at PS3 Photomerge with the same 3 Horseshoe Bend images. I must say that the first impression is extremely positive. The blend was seamless and dead-on with alignment as well as tonal transitions in the sky. This is really impressive for an automatic setting. Now I just went through the paces rather quickly tonight and hope to really give the image a thorough workup over the next few weeks, but I must say that the initial impression is very favorable and I am relieved to now have a very high quality stitching solution with a very simple user interface. Stay tuned for more.

The San Juan River Exhibit Debut

2007-03-05T00:15:00.000-05:00

On Friday night the San Juan River exhibit opened and was very well received. I am very happy with the look and feel of the exhibit. It is really my first attempt at building a gallery style show and I am hopeful to place the show in other galleries. Now my attention will turn to some other publications I am seeking on this as well as updating the website for the portfolio and individual webpages for each portfolio image. All prints will be in a limited production of 100 and will be available in one print size. More to come soon so stay tuned. Also, more Podcasts to come from Florida as well as on numbering prints. A lot to come, so stay tuned and thanks for your interest.

Getting closer to AP gear decisions!

2007-03-04T23:49:00.000-05:00

OK, things are getting very clear now. I have settled on the 135 f2 Canon L lens for my main imaging lens for the next few months. After comparing the field of view with the 200mm, I really like the compositions I have in mind for the 135mm much better. Reviews for the 135 are very good and like I mentioned before, Loke Tan's work with the lens is excellent. I am not 100% sure on the camera yet. It is between the Hutech modified Canon 350D or the XTi. From my readings it appears that the 350D may have some advantages for one night sessions over the XTi and therefore be the most appropriate camera for my needs. The mount is a G11 which will be most graciously loaned to me by my very good friend Dave Tolley. So, the Astro-Photography picture is getting very clear and I am hoping to pursue my first compositions this summer. Stay tuned for further updates.

Update: The weather did not cooperate for photographic opportunities of the Lunar Eclipse, but we did catch some of the reddish glow of the total eclipse during the early moments of the penumbra eclipse. The clouds parted just enough to see the beautiful glow on the totally eclipsed portion of the moon.

Maybe I found it!

2007-03-04T03:27:00.000-05:00

Wrapping up a crazy weekend with a very successful opening of the San Juan River exhibit. I am writing to follow up on some of the "return to astrophotography" musings I posted earlier. To reiterate some of my criteria for re-entry:

Ease of setup. This means no computers, no autoguiding, and lightweight mounts and scopes.
Quality data in one night. The system must be fast and produce superb images.
Everything must come together in a unique package that I am not seeing done by anyone else. This is very challenging, but we will give it a try.

So, I revisited some of my first impressions of astrophotography and recalled that I just loved the Schmidt camera field of view. Today everyone seems to be headed for the big 20" RC and small fields of view, at least with one non-mosaiced frame. My first thoughts on an imaging system were the Tak FSQ. Now this is a great scope and may be in my future, but I believe I have found a better alternative for my needs. The Canon 135mm f2 lens performed for Loke Tan very admirably on his trip to Chile. I revisited his website as I recalled the remarkable photographs taken with that lens and the SBIG 11000 camera. The 135 stopped down to 5.6 provides excellent quality at a fast speed. The field of view is roughly 9x6 degrees which is nearly equivalent to a 5" Schmidt camera. Even better is that it should not require a computer or sophisticated equipment for focusing as I should just be able to utilize infinity for focus on the barrel. I just reviewed the field of view in compositions on my star charts and I calculate at least 10 compositions that I feel are worthy to pursue with this lens. It should be simple to piggyback on a scope and should not require autoguiding with a well trained PEC mount. So, that is the update today as we are looking at the 135mm f2 lens with the modified Canon 400XTi camera from Hutech. Now to find a mount! No hurry, just thinking out loud, remember?

Addendum: After further research, it appears that the Canon 200mm f2.8L II lens is very good giving a little tighter field of view at a very affordable price. So this is perhaps the direction now.

Can it be done?

2007-02-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

I have been researching the latest in astrophotography since my last photograph was taken nearly 3 years ago now. I am not sure I can do what I set out to do in my original post a few days ago. There are plenty of opportunities with scenic astrophotography with my current camera gear and I am preparing to explore those. My first efforts will be with next Saturday's Lunar eclipse at evening twilight. I have a composition in mind and I am hopeful for cooperative skies. But as far as imaging with a telescope, I am not sure I can setup a simple imaging system capable of acquiring quality data in one night of imaging. The major question I have is whether I can accomplish this without autoguiding. Astrophotography is complicated enough and the equipment starts to pile up unbelievably. I am trying to avoid the "need" for a computer at the telescope and thus eliminate an autoguiding setup. Autoguiding requires a separate scope, more batteries for computer and autoguider, and more cables. My hope is that I can image with the FSQ and focal reducer at f3.6 for at least 5 minutes with the Mach1 mount with periodic error correction turned on and calibrated. Will this work? I don't know, but I am in the process of evaluating the setup and its capabilities on paper at least. Stay tuned and hope for clear skies next Saturday.

Astrophotography revisited

2007-02-23T18:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I am starting to get an itch to return to astrophotography. If I do, it is only because I feel that there is something unique I might be able to bring to the genre. I have been casually thinking about how to do it and here are some of my thoughts. First, it must be extremely convenient. What do I mean by this? Well, the equipment cannot be monstrous and I must be able to accomplish a significant image acquisition in one night. This means that I need to acquire enough data in one night to come up with a portfolio quality image. So that leads me to looking into fast short refractors, DSLRs, and very portable mounts with accurate tracking which require no autoguiding. The lead candidate for refractor is the Tak FSQ. The camera would be a modified Canon DSLR and the mount would be the new Astro-Physics Mach1. All of these together would yield a very light-weight setup, virtually airline transportation capable. I have no interest in investing in an off-site remote imaging station in the high elevations of New Mexico or Arizona. I primarily want a setup that I can take out on a clear night and get some significant imaging accomplished. When I get the chance to take the system to a remote location for an extended amount of time, the imaging system that I have chosen will more than meet those needs. So, just thinking out loud on what may or may not ever happen, but it is fun to think about.

Canon 1D Mark III

2007-02-22T09:23:00.000-05:00

I don't dwell on new camera technology, but I do watch with interest what is happening at Canon. Today, Canon introduced its replacement for the 1D Mark II, a camera geared at sports and photo journalists. I don't completely evaluate the camera based on the size of the megapixels as I have seen dramatic improvements in images simply through Canon's improved in-camera processing and other chip improvements around noise reduction. This camera has a 10.1 megapixel chip and is capable of 10 frames per second. It is a APS-H sized chip translating to a field of view magnification over standard 35mm size of 1.3. I am anxious to now see the replacement for the 1Ds Mark III which will hopefuly deliver some new technology for the landscape photographer.

Here is a link to the press release:

Busy as a bee!

2007-02-20T08:25:00.000-05:00

Hello,
Just a quick update as things are quite busy at the moment. The Florida trip was amazing and I will have some Podcasts and writings on the experience. I am hopeful of at least one portfolio quality image from the trip. At the present time, all of my spare moments are spent preparing the San Juan River presentation in my gallery which opens March 2. So my online interactions will be sparse. Thanks for your interest in Jeff Ball Photography and talk with you soon.

John Sexton Interview at Digital Outback

2007-01-31T23:49:00.000-05:00

I just found and listened to a wonderful interview with John Sexton conducted by Uwe Steinmueller. I really enjoyed the comments made by Mr. Sexton with regards to finding creativity and projects by getting out in the field and making mistakes. He also comments on where digital processes come into play into his work flow and what Ansel Adams may have thought about digital photography. I highly encourage you to check out the interview with one of our masters of photography today.

You may hear the podcast at this link.

San Juan Portfolio Webpage Updated

2007-01-26T20:13:00.000-05:00

Today the San Juan Limited Edition Portfolio webpage was updated to include more information about the portfolio with a sneak peek at the images. Please check out the latest at the link here. Stay tuned as much more information will be coming in the next few days.

San Juan Portfolio nearing release

2007-01-19T18:01:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to announce that the creative energy has reached a boiling point and that the long-awaited San Juan River portfolio is nearing its release. To receive the latest information on the portfolio and to reserve your spot for a very limited edition portfolio, simply sign up for the newsletter on the website or send me an email to jeffball@earthandskyphoto.com . Thanks and have a great day.

Video Tour of Galleries

2007-01-14T16:57:00.000-05:00

Today a very brief video tour of my galleries at Pendleton Art Center was published on the podcasts. To view the video, simply go here or cut and paste this url "http:/feeds.feedburner.com/earthandskyphoto" into your iTunes after you click "Subscribe to Podcast." Enjoy the video and I hope to see you at the Pendleton Art Center.

Alain Briot Interview Part 4: Film vs Digital capture

2007-01-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

In part 4, Alain discusses technical considerations when selecting film or digital as your image capturing sensor. The podcast is available through your iTunes or by following this link.

Alain Briot Interview Part 3

2007-01-01T16:25:00.000-05:00

Part 3 of the Alain Briot interview was posted today. In this segment, Alain discusses color photography as an art form relative to black and white. I find Alain's comments very insightful and accurate in his description of the status of color photography in the photographic arts today.

You may access the podcast through your iTunes player or other podcast readers or by clicking here...

Happy New Year...a look ahead.

2007-01-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to you and your family. My best wishes on a healthy and blessed New Year for you.

As I reflect on 2006 and what was accomplished photographically, I am pleased in that I accomplished much of what I set out to do on this day one year ago. My first priority was an in-depth study of black and white photography in the digital age. My goal was to achieve high quality fine art black and white prints. I now believe I have achieved this goal as I am quite happy with the latest prints I am producing with the latest technologies.

I guess I will always consider myself a "student of photography." There is so much to learn, but through my study efforts and experimentation in 2006, I am much more focused on what I need to do in 2007. This year I will refine my personal vision and it will be focused exclusively on color photography as fine art. I have begun to study the works of recognized color photography artists and will also be contributing some of my own writing on the subject as the year progresses. This year will see less experimentation with still-life and architecture and really focus on our natural world. This is the environment in which I need to be creative...out in the forest...high on a ledge...paddling on a river...experiencing the quiet and power of nature and communing with God. This is where I should be concentrating my photographic vision.

I will be experimenting with some new image capture techniques that promises to bring the highest quality artwork possible today. I will share my experiences with you as I work through the learning curve on this process. It is a technique that world famous color photographer Joseph Holmes is currently engaged in. I have seen Joseph's prints utilizing these image capturing techniques and it is stunning. I am very excited about this endeavor and hope to have more information for you soon.

Photographic locations for 2007 are still undecided with the exception of the southern Florida trip in February. Possible locations for the year include Big Sur, CA, Zion N.P., Smokey Mountains N.P., Shenandoah N.P., Hocking Hills S.P. (Ohio), and as always the Monongehala National Forest in WV. I also hope to visit two locations at some point in the future to further my photographic education. One is the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, AZ and the other is the Art Museum on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

This year will also see a concentrated effort on building on-line content that enhances your enjoyment of fine art photography. I will continue to refine the content as well as the scope of the Podcasts and improve on the production quality as well. In addition, video productions will join the broadcast menu. The videoblogs will present a behind the scenes look at fine art production, on-location travelogs, interviews, portfolio presentations, and much more. I am very excited about this component and will also launch a new website dedicated to the broadcasts coming this year. I don't know exactly where the broadcasting venture will lead, but it looks to be very exciting.

As you can see, there is a lot coming in 2007. Whether you are a fine art photography student or a collector of fine art photography, my wish for you in 2007 is that you realize your creative goals. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments on these topics as I always welcome an engaging discussion on such matters. Thanks for your interest in Jeff Ball Photography and have a wonderful day!