steve_lyon1

<p>Apple pie cooling on the table before dinner Christmas day.</p><div></div>

<p>Along with most everyone else, I was able to photograph the Venus transit yesterday. This was taken in Tucson, AZ where clouds weren't an issue but heat is. This was taken at "Prime Focus" (straight through the telescope) of a 1980's vintage Celestron C5 (1250mm f/10) with a Solar Screen filter (aluminized mylar). The filter passes more blue than anything, so I fixed white balance in Lightroom 4.1. This is full frame from the D40. This is just moments after "2nd contact" when Venus was fully on the sun.</p><div></div>

<p>Moonrise over the Rincon Mntns at Saguaro National Park - East</p><div></div>

<p>Mandarin orange, right off the tree in the back-yard.</p><div></div>

<p>Happy New Year?</p><div></div>

<p>Merry Christmas to all!!<br /> A tradition in Winterhaven [one of the older neighborhoods in Tucson, AZ] for 60 years has been the "Festival of Lights" during the holidays. This last weekend, we joined thousands of others to enjoy the holiday cheer. Here's one of the pics I rather liked. Post processing in Lightroom 3 Beta, which did a nice job of handling the noise.</p><div></div>

<p>As winter approaches, with more darkness and colder temperatures, our cat Midnight seems to loose her interest in stalking things outside through the window and wants to spend more time curled up in a lap or the warm spot on the couch when you get up. Hard to resist those subjects, but a black cat in the light pool from a 150 Watt light bulb is a tough subject! Here's my latest attempt, converted to BW and cropped square in Lightroom 3 Beta.</p><div></div>

<p>Tubac, Arizona was established in 1752 as a Spanish presidio. The original fort is still there, now a museum, but the military garrison is long gone. The community is now known for the crafts and arts produced and for sale. Working artists are happy to chat about their work and how the town has changed over the years. These birds were enjoying the afternoon sun, and taking turns getting a drink from some of the art fountains at the base of the building.</p><div></div>

<p>Originally established in 1888, the Marion Soldiers Home and cemetery (now part of the VA hospital and national cemetery systems) is in the beautiful rolling Indiana countryside. In talking to the staff, the buildings that are now used as storage and office space were originally milk barns that were at the railroad station there. Took this shot during a visit late this summer, just did the B/W conversion this week.</p><div></div>

<p>From the "Pumpkin Festival" near Three Points, Arizona. Fall is definitely here in the desert SouthWest -- temperatures were just 80°F! Full afternoon sun made it hard to hold detail in the sky/clouds which were almost blown out. Some highlight recovery there in Lightroom.</p><div></div>

<p>No photo from me this week. Thanks to all for the positive comments on last weeks shot.</p>

<p>Wanted to send kudo's to <strong>Pedro Cardoso, Oskar Ojala, Matthew Brennan, Bernard Mills, Wayne Wrights, Shane Srogi, Keith Gierman, Jeff Lipsman </strong> & <strong>Raaj K</strong> -- I found your photo's most inspiring this week.</p>

<p>In light of the discussion in another thread about file size and loading speed, etc, I did want to mention to Keith Gierman that (at least on my screen) it appears we've lost some of the detail in the steam on the left side. The edge has some banding instead of a smooth transition. I think this might be caused by trying to get smaller file size? Not a criticism, but hopefully a helpful comment that perhaps with this subject a little less jpeg compression might have been called for. I love the way you held all the detail in the black parts of the locomotive.</p>

<p>Just to get my voice in -- even though the same has already been said -- I think significant changes that have been proposed will detract from what draws both submission and comment. I really appreciate this community space, and the insights from everyone. My "vote" would be to only make minor changes unless absolutely necessary. Limiting file size to 150kb seems reasonable. Limiting comments might help, but won't really have an impact on download time I suspect. My connection is slow enough that it does take a couple of minutes to load, but I'm willing to wait for the value I know is there at the end. I'm glad to see that so many are passionate about this. Cheers!</p>

<p>D40 + Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 VR @ 78mm f/13 1/15sec ISO 640</p><div></div>

<p>Deception Pass separates Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Very deep and narrow, the area has a swift tidal stream (faster than 6 knots when this picture was taken just after max flood). The area was first mapped in 1792 by the Vancouver Expedition.</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks, Shun. I know there is no "magic bullet" or we'd all know about it. But I'd always wondered about those couple extra bits of info. I'll keep working on training my eye to see what the camera's going to see. It's more than just taking pictures, it's the discipline of paying attention to conditions and results, and being able to use that the next time around. Love the forums here, and appreciate the great contribution that you and others make to keep us all on the right track. Cheers!</p>

<p>Maybe not the right place to bring this up--if so, please forgive and point me in the right direction. I've started following the WedNEsDAy pics thread each week for the last few months. And I've noticed that some of the contributors consistently have a much better "feel" to the quality of the light in their pictures (Jose Angel, Chris Court and Shun, to be specific). I was wondering if 14-bit capture might help explain that (beyond their obvious skills in use of the equipment)? When I get ready to upgrade to my next camera, would it be worth looking for that capability? Thanks!</p>

<p>First let me say "Thank You!" to those who commented on my photo last week. It really is a motivation to do better in the future.<br>

This weeks photo was taken at Snoqualmie Falls, about 40 miles East of Seattle. It's on the Snoqualmie river and falls more than 260 feet. There has been an operating hydro-electric plant there since the 1890's. It is one of Washington State's most popular scenic attractions. You might know it from the US TV series of the early 1990's, Twin Peaks.<br>

Being in vacation mode, had harsh early afternoon sun which gave too big a dynamic range to deal with. I think this BW conversion (done in Lightroom) perhaps gives a good sense of what it "felt like" to be there.</p><div></div>

<p>Sunrise over Cap Sante Boat Haven in Anacortes, Washington. <br /> </p><div></div>

<p>In Seattle on Saturday, found my way to Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill just after dark. It's a famous view of the Space Needle and downtown Seattle (and Mr Rainier when the weather is exceptionally clear).</p><div></div>

<p>Salt River Still Life</p><div></div>

<p>We have a variety of small wildlife that live in or pass through our yard, entertainment for the cat and us. The bunnies really like eating the seed pods from the large mesquite tree. This little guy is about 2 months old, and even though I was shooting through a window from about 15 feet, he was startled when I sneezed. This is the result.</p><div></div>

<p>"It's a dry heat" is the common saying. In the desert southwest July through September bring the summer thundershowers of Monsoon Season, with torrential downpours helping to quench the 100°F+ temperatures, often an inch or more in 1/2 hour. This was taken last Wednesday evening, near the Saguaro National Park East in Tucson, Arizona.</p><div></div>

<p>I sure enjoy the inspiration and motivation to <em>take</em> pictures, and <em>better</em> pictures, provided by these WedNEsDAy postings. It's great to see what everyone is able to do, and very humbling. A special thanks to <strong>Lil</strong> for taking the time to comment on each and every picture. Your dedication is noted and appreciated.</p>

<p>More of a snapshot than anything this week, but my wife's favorite of the week. Here's my permanent model frustrated with more posing. I put the camera on the floor a couple feet in front of her, in program mode, and let it do its thing.</p><div></div>

<p>Took a trip over the weekend. Here's a shot straight from the camera - handheld - taken in Chicago's O'Hare Terminal 3 at 9:03pm last Thursday.</p><div></div>