How fast is a sunset?

Sunsets go fast. Just how fast? I was cruising home yesterday and saw this scene happening in front of me (driving west, obviously) so I quickly found a spot to park, jumped out of the car, put on the 70-200 and took some shots…

This was at 8:08.33.

Exactly one minute later, the sun is half obscured by the clouds…

Finally, by 8:10 the drama was gone. Obviously the clouds didn't help, but the effect is the same.. it is amazing how quickly the sun drops.

I didn't like any of my shots much… somehow left it on f2.8. Mostly I was trying to find a composition point to minimize the power lines.

So I played in Lightroom. Fun times.

Quick Pic - Sunset Drive

Operating a camera while driving a vehicle is not recommended.

Foreground elements almost always make a photo more interesting. As beautiful as the sunset is by itself, there is more to see and more context of place when you include something about your environment.

This shot makes a statement about so many things... including the simple fact that there are so many things blocking the beautiful sunset view.



I had high hopes for catching trucks in the sunset, but the height of my dash meant that the vehicles on the other side just blend into the horizon. A real photographer would have stopped at a nice spot to silhouette the vehicles into that sky. Or something like that.


Have a great weekend everyone... go take some great photos!

Don J.

Sunset

Driving westward toward home in the evenings has given me a wonderful light show over the last couple of days. Today I finally stopped on the side of the road to take a snapshot. This is the Sigma 14mm on the 40D.

This lens has a tendency for lens flare, but I did not take the time to remove the little dot on this one.... it is just part of the deal I suppose.

In case I do not post between now and then, blessed, happy, safe and meaningful Christmas and holiday season to you.

happy shooting,

don j.

Quick Pics - Drag Racing

I am a big fan of Mark J Rebilas' race photography (and a gearhead at heart) so I have been eager to get out to the new Dallas Raceway in Crandall, TX to watch some racing and take some pictures.

The track website lists Prestage Photo as a sponsor, so I guess that must be these guys... I like the golf-cart/photo stand.

Of course I was a bit jealous too, because without access like that, shooting from up close got a nice shot of the concrete wall...

From the other side, a little panning with slower shutter speeds makes it more interesting, but still the wall is intrusive.

Up higher in the stands gave a great view of another beautiful Texas sunset... here with a 14mm on the 5D for a super-wide view.

And here with the 70-200 on the 40D for a tighter shot and more compressed background.

I did not find a good spot for shooting the starting line... the wall and ugly backgrounds conspired against me... The racers were quite impressive nonetheless, pulling the front wheels off the ground and launching hard.

One of the Moser Racing entries held his wheelie well down the track..

...then came down hard with a shower of sparks from beneath the car. The car had drifted over the center line, which must have been a bit of a rush considering there is no directional control with the front wheels off the ground.

When the racing had to be suspended for some track clean-up, it was time for a walk through the pits. It is nice to have access to walk around and talk to the racers, and to look at the cars.

Little Red Corvette..


More slow-shutter panning as cars moved through the pits...


There were lights coming from all over making interesting shadows and light patterns on the cars...


Playing with the Canon 50mm lens and short depth-of-field is always fun...



And in the pits you can get some unique angles that you just don't get to see every day...



With that, it was time to come home (gotta sleep sometime!). I would not spend $20 every weekend to shoot from the stands, but it is definitely worth the trip occasionally for the sights, sounds (bring your earplugs) and fun of fast cars and good folks.

Have a great weeked... and go make some pictures!

don j.

Quick Pics - Out at a Pond

I went out hoping to shoot some bird pictures this evening, but the birds were uncooperative... I have not done much bird photography, but apparently I have some work to do in location picking.

One little birdie... and this is cropped down to less than 1/8 the original frame...


They may have been staying away from the remote control planes flying at one end of the pond...

Soooo..  I looked for other things to shoot...

Ants..

Plants


Flowers


and finally... I found a new favorite sunset spot. This could be a great after a thunderstorm rolls through. It is a very large open area, shooting from the dam of a pond.

Up Close


And wide angle


Happy Shooting

don j.

Quick Pics - That Sunset

What a beautiful sunset to round out the first half of 2009. For me, this year is best divided into two parts anyway, so here's to a great 2009.2.







Happy Shooting

don j