I’m happy to report 2017 was a much better year than 2016 on many fronts. Family was healthy, we avoided experiencing the passing of family members, there was a fair amount of travel, a few great photos were taken and most importantly to me my boys continue to experience nature and ask for repeat camping trips. In past years yearly recaps I’ve emphasized how much of my focus has shifted from taking nature
It’s an interesting feeling to be atop Haleakala, high above the South Pacific, with the feeling of being on top of the world. Atop Haleakala National Park you can see out for 50 miles in every direction when its cloud-free and you tower above the rest of Maui. Yet when you take a star trail photo such as this you quickly realize that you were really on the side of our spinning globe. Star trail photos are alw
As someone who has been interested in astrophotography for over two decades the term “Super Moon” is not only B.S., but it’s increasingly over used. “Super Moon” has become the layman term for a full moon at perigee, the closest point of the moon in its elliptical orbit to Earth. The culprit behind the overuse of this arbitrary term is the press, but even though I think it’s B.S. I
At the conclusion of a long night shoot atop Haleakala, on the island of Maui, I decided to do something I seldom have interest or energy to do… take a self-portrait. Photography on this trip in late 2013 was not the priority as I was vacationing with family, but I did eek out a night or two to explore the stars. Since my trip was not focused on photography my timing was not the best to capture the Milky Way in
When looking up in the night sky it can be an awe inspiring experience, but it can also be alarming. While many people focus on light pollution being an issue an equally alarming issue is FLight pollution (Flight + Light = FLight pollution). This doesn’t get much attention primarily because few photographers photograph and present sequences of images to highlight the problem. While much of my time is spent clo
2013 was a busy year all around and as such I focused primarily on personal projects and family. I took about half as many photos as last year, 36,000 photos to be specific ( 21,000 DLR and 15,000 iPhone). My timelapse projects carried over into 2013 from 2012 and again I selectively (more than normal) chose my DSLR photo subjects. If there is one nice thing about shooting timelapse it is that you quickly become a m
Last nights Hunter’s Moon was quite beautiful. I ducked the fog of San Francisco by heading slightly south to watch a big purple and later orange moon rise above the East Bay hills. Air conditions weren’t as good as I had hoped for clarity, but the particulates in the air sure helped accentuate the color. If you missed the full moon last night look again tonight, you won’t be disappointed. Photo De
Earlier this year I had quite the late night adventure driving the Big Sur coastline and photographing the stars on a moonless night. I had some time to enjoy the vastness of the night sky as I was shooting a time-lapse. While laying there in the dark, the combination of hearing crashing waves and watching the stars provided an interesting juxtaposition. Visually I could get lost scanning the stars, but the ocean se