Blood Moons: A Game of Light & Shadow

Almost a George R. R. Martin novel.  Almost.

In all seriousness, watching last night's total lunar eclipse was a pretty awesome experience.  While NASA may not consider them to be anything special, considering that there was a 300 year period just before the 20th century where there was a complete absence of blood moons, they still seem pretty awesome and somewhat rare to me.

Alas, I do have two complaints about observing celestial phenomena...

1. They generally involve staying up really late at night, which is just inconvenient since the cosmos don't accommodate a working schedule
   
   and
2. Cloud cover and light pollution mean you have to drive forever to find someplace with an optimal view

Both of those came into play last night/this morning since totality wasn't until 12:45am and our original viewing spot of the beach had to change with the marine layer that rolled in... literally at the precise moment we got out of the car and started walking towards the sand.  It was actually beautifully clear until then.  Fortunately, we had nearly 2 hours from start to finish and were able to head back inland and not really miss too much. 

Since I don't have a telescope, I was relying on my best zoom lens (50-200mm) and a tripod.  And the fact that the moon isn't all that far away really helps.  Since there wasn't a whole lot to change with composition given the distance limitations, this session was really all about the light.  At the end of the day, that is at the core of photography.  This concept was also underscored for me when this girl that happened to be at the same park kept getting frustrated as her little point-and-shoot camera's automatic flash kept going off automatically and blew out all of her snapshots.  I imagine even if she could turn it off, the photos would end up just showing a pinpoint of light anyway, which is what happened with every iPhone photo I attempted to snap. 

Fortunately, with the DSLR, I was able to override automatic modes with manual settings and focus.  I ended up opening the aperture as wide as it would go on the 50-200mm lens (f/5.6) and kept that as a control, so the variable was the shutter speed.  It's interesting how there seems to be a parabolic relationship in terms of light exposure - too much light and the details are lost in the highlights; too little light and the details are also lost, but this time in the shadows.  It's also pretty incredible how much light affects color and how the right lighting conditions can really produce some amazing images.  All of the below photos are digitally unedited with the exception of two that were cropped and yet, they still look pretty visually stunning - a great reminder that digital editing isn't always necessary.

The moon peeking through the marine layer just at the beginning of the eclipse - taken at the beach

Exposed for too long, so the details were lost.  And I freehanded this, so it's slightly blurry.

Further inland and with a tripod, 1/8s exposure @ 12:13am

1/6s @ 12:13am - interesting how the longer exposure resulted in underscoring the red hue as the Earth cast more of its shadow on the moon and made the whole sky darker.

And yet, evidence that photography is still more art than science... this photo was taken with the identical settings as the photo above: 1/6s shutter speed, f/5.6, ISO 3200, and less than a minute after, but looks so different.

Probably my favorite of the series, with the lunar surface detail, but also the copper "blood red".  Shutter speed of 1/5s and 10 minutes before totality

Many Moons
Active Shooting Hours: 1 hour
Review Hours: 1 hour
Hours To Date: 129

Happy April (Don't Be A) Fool's Day

[Edit: 4/2/14 - spent an hour today after work and experimented using a flash bounce on the products and this actually greatly improved the lighting!  I'll have to try and experiment with a photography light box next when photographing objects.]

Today's post is not at all photography related... I initially meant it to be to test my photography on products, potentially in a white box, but I didn't actually get all of my items in time.  In any case, I wanted to make a post and I may try to update with photos this weekend.

I realized that April Fools' Day, a day when most people prank and play tricks on each other, is actually a great annual date to check up on emergency plans, supplies, and smoke detectors to not be the fool when an emergency happens.  Since I have a full-time job and other responsibilities, I'll probably end up doing it the weekend prior or following, but it's a stable date to check everything.

This idea really spawned from the recent spate of earthquakes in Southern California and the realization that I live on the top floor of a multi-story apartment building.  When the rolling started, I realized I only had one very tiny desk to get under and no comprehensive emergency kit to speak aside from a few canned goods and some band-aids.  After the shaking stopped, I went on an Amazon ordering spree followed quickly by a trip to Target and compiled an emergency kit.

I consulted the Red Cross when ordering/purchasing the items for my emergency supplies and based upon that, compiled the list below so you can replicate your own kit.

To keep myself organized and accountable each year, I will be making an Excel inventory workbook with all of the items in the kit listed by expiration date so I can easily check on April 1st to see what needs replacing or updating.  In addition to updating the emergency supplies, I'll also be checking the batteries & functionality of smoke detectors.

Emergency Plan - during the chaos of an emergency, there won't be time and/or mental focus to decide who will do what when, so it's important to have it squared away with all members of the household before anything happens.

• Who (responsibilities each person will have, emergency contact info)
• What (what to do in the various emergency situations common to your location - fire, earthquake, tornado, etc.)
• Where (meeting/evacuation points both inside and outside the house)
• Red Cross Emergency Plan Resource 

Minimum Amount of Consumables - I put all of the food in a large storage bin and the water next to it.  To make this easy to review on an annual basis and replace items as needed, I sorted through the expiration dates and wrote labels on the top of the can.

• 1 gallon of water, per person, per day - I got several 2-gallon jugs from the store and a pack of water bottles
• 2 cans of food, per person, per day - assortment of chili, soup, veggies like corn, fruit, etc.  Don't forget to pack a can opener in the pack, even with the pop tops, I've had those fail before.
• 7 day supply of any medications, vitamins, etc.

Emergency Evac Pack - a mobile pack so I can easily take it with me in the event of an evacuation

1. Fūl Hybrid Rolling Duffel Bag - a backpack would do as well, I opted for the pricier but also sturdier rolling bag in the event of an evacuation to be able to take more supplies (like heavy canned goods) with me
2. Cash - during an emergency which may knock out power, credit cards will be useless.
   
3. Photocopies of important personal documents - insurance policies, passports, financial information, emergency plan, list of medications, etc.
   
4. Multi-tool - I purchased a Leatherman Sidekick, which has a pocket knife, a serrated knife, pliers, wire cutters, pliers, file, saw, bottle opener, and can opener.
5. Flashlight
6. Headlamp (it's nice to have something hands-free in the event of a power outage)
7. Hand-crank or battery powered radio
8. Spare batteries for all devices
9. Mylar "space" blankets
10. Water filter straw
11. Leather work gloves
12. Rain poncho
13. Toiletry kit / sanitary items / wipes / toilet paper
14. First-Aid Kit - I built my own based on the Red Cross Anatomy of a First Aid Kit resource and ordered a red lunch bag to house all of it 

Other Considerations:

• Emergency Pet Supplies (food, leashes, food/water dishes, waste disposal, medications, etc.)
• Entertainment/comfort items - toys like stuffed animals or books specifically for small children to keep them happy and calm

Emergencies are an unavoidable part of life, but being prepared will help make them all a little less scary.  It's interesting to me how this kind of information is really only passed on if parents teach their kids, when it really would be good to include in a school curriculum.  Perhaps there wouldn't be so many helpless individuals if basic survival skills and various financial products were standardized and taught.

[Edit 4/2/14: Added below photos]

Fūl Rolling Duffel, taken with the pop-up flash.  The bag semi-reflected back and created weird shadows.

Same bag, same camera settings (Nikon 35mm f/8), but with a flash bounce.  Not perfect, but much improved.

Evac pack items, tools in the bottom and first aid and toiletry items out front.  Just pop-up flash, which reflected off some of the white colored items but not others as well.  The carpet and the back wall look especially drab. 

With flash bounce. Increased the color saturation slightly in post-editing.

Easily my favorite of the series and not just because of the Maker's Mark!  Love how the red contrasted with the metal can lids.  Nikon 35mm f/8 with flash bounce.

Active Shooting Hours: 0.5
Review Hours: 0.5
Hours To Date: 127