NIKON D70 - 30 sec, f3.5 at 18mm
Yep, I've posted twice in a single night. For those of you not subscribed to the RSS feed (read my Ma and Rik) go here to see my earlier capture for today.
Last night I spent over 2 hours on No Traces mesmerized by his photography and writing. Just look at this and this and this. Bloody hell it's good stuff. Then thinking back to a couple of photo's Karen has taken, I decided to give long exposure photography a go tonight, for the first time.
I wandered out onto the deck, set the camera to 30 seconds, lay it on it's back on the table and pressed the shutter. Then I stood there in the dark, in the quiet outside, under the stars and the moon, on my own. I absolutely loved every second while I waited for the shutter to click again.
Oh man it was an epiphany. It is so me. I can be by myself, think my thoughts, and enjoy the moment. I can cogitate and incubate ideas. All while waiting for the camera to click again. And to top it off, I get an image that no one else can see with their own eyes. I can so understand now why Bob at No Traces spends the time in the middle of the night in the freezing cold.
This is my first long exposure shot. That's the chimney and the stars. Next stop, a decent tripod, and the user manual of the camera to learn how to drive bulb.
UPDATE: Looking at this photo again, I wonder how much of it is stars and how much is noise.
Eric Merkle - Saturday, 7 November, 2009 5:42