Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : sky

Monday, November 5, 2012

Chasing the Sunrise

Morning Walk

There is something so peaceful and inspiring about getting up early and watching the earth come alive from the night's slumber. I guess in a way it has become an obsession because I never tire of watching the sun come over the Gillis Mountains on the east side of Walker Lake.

When there are interesting clouds, I grab my camera and tripod to rush out with coffee in hand for an early morning walk. If I time it just right, sometimes I catch the transition just as dawn rolls back the curtain of night. It is a wonderful feeling, almost like witnessing the earth's creation.

As dawn begins to light the eastern sky, the stars are still visible over the silhouetted tall elm trees.

Silence fills the earth as the early rays of sun begin to warm the still lake; the first inland gull begins its morning quest.

The sun ascends; a star-studded sky is now an artist's pallet of color.

A lone owl watches and waits for an early morning snack.

Standing quietly on the bank's edge, the camera catches a falcon flying overhead.

Mr. Robin warms overhead as the sunlight breaks through a dense layer of cloud.

A flock of inland gulls scurry with wings warmed by the morning sun.

A contrail appears to shoot from the sunlight blushed moon as it descends, giving way to the start of a new day.

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

Many of these images are available on my website:

http://www.bonnierannald.com/

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download.

All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Quadrantid Meteors

Star Chasing in January

The first meteor shower of 2012 was the Quadrantid that peaked on January 4th, around midnight for the western U.S. The Quadrantids are reported as being the most intense of all the meteor showers and also the shortest duration, occurring when Earth passes through the debris left by asteroid 2003 EH1.

Staying true to my nature of moon chasing and star watching, I was out and ready to catch what ever action came my way. Unfortunately, there was the light from a waxing gibbous moon and just enough cloud cover to obscure anything but the brightest meteor trails. Even the harsh winter night temperature was mild for this time of year, dipping down to around the freezing point.

The lens that I choose was my wide angle Nikon 24mm 2.8 to cover as much sky as possible. The Nikon D90 camera was set on manual mode at f/8 and the shutter was held open for approximately 10 second intervals on Bulb with an electronic cable release. And I also used my sturdiest tripod.

Noticing the descending moon setting in the west between the Wassuk Mountains and just over the bare tree branches, I made a long exposure and happened to catch one meteor trail that was visible through the clouds.

Even with the moon glow, the stars over Mount Grant were standing out against the winter sky.

The night sky over Walker Lake offers some of the best star gazing and it's always a thrill to see what the camera picks up during the long exposures.

Unlike 2011, this year promises to be a great year for meteor watching in the Northern Hemisphere because most of the meteor showers are due to peak when the sky will be dark and not bright with moonlight.

For information on 2012 meteor showers:

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

Photographs Make Great Gifts