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Cup of Coffee

Monday, June 13th, 2011

From this morning:

Mug and a spiderweb

Mug and a spiderweb

The setup: my daughter woke me up early, and insisted on a fresh-grilled hot dog for breakfast.  I’m cool with that – I mean, we only have certified parve hot dogs* (all beef), so we consider it kosher to have them at any time.

Yes, that pun was deliberate.

So I go out, and see a deliciously sunny morning. Ran for the 80-400mm lens & looked around for interesting things while the grill warmed up, then while the hot dog roasted. One of the first things I noticed: the spiderweb, which isn’t that sharp here. It was kinda insignificant, unless against a dark background.  But when I placed the mug next to it, I noticed a wonderful reflection of light coming off of our home.  Yes, I was using the side of our home as a reflector.

And I thought that was cool enough to post in its own right.

Another thing that I liked about this: when thinking about Jay Maisel’s philosophy of watching the edges, I felt that I pulled this one off just a bit better than I have in the past.  It’s like I’m on the very edge of understanding how to put these together without adding in distracting elements.

And that feels pretty damned good.

* Hebrew National, in case you care.

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Early Morning

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Early Morning

Early Morning

It’s a rough time of the year, the approach to the solstice. Sleep comes slowly, and what little to be found is fitful.

It’s too bright out. It never really feels like bedtime. It seems like I should be out doing something.

The image above: taken at 5:30 in the morning.  The sun had risen about an hour earlier, but was still at a sharp angle.  You’re looking directly north, with the sun at NNE. I was awake at 3:30 that morning, and it was already starting to get light…

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Getting up early

Friday, July 17th, 2009
Fishing at Dawn

Fishing at Sunrise

When you talk to photographers, myself included, you hear people talking about “the golden hour” like some mystical time of day.

Well, in Alaska it can be mighty elusive at times. Rather, in the summer.  In the winter it is most of the day.  In the spring and fall, it’s mighty strong, and lasts longer than most areas in the south.

Generally when you hear about it, you hear about it in the sense of “right before sundown.”  There are a few reasons for that, but mostly because people are awake then.  At dawn?  Even those who are awake are bleary-eyed.

But the rewards are great, if you can pull it off.  The pic to the right is an example (click it for a larger view!).  Those yellows only exist in the morning, and usually in the higher altitudes.  By evening, they’re much more golden, and brighter.

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