"Lunar Eclipse"

Wednesday night I stood, and sat, on my front porch in the cold for an hour or so and made an attempt to photograph the lunar eclipse. My oldest daughter was out there with me for a while taking some video footage, but she said it was kinda boring and went back inside. My hubby and youngest daughter came out on occasion have a peek.
I took shots every minute or two or so. It started out quite colorful with the orange glow. At the height of the eclipse, the color was almost all gone. Then, as it lifted, the familiar bright white of the moon came back. The constant, but subtle changes in brightness made changing the settings on my camera challenging and kept me busy. The changes were not quite so subtle when I saw them on my digital lightbox and could see how it progressed so nicely. I decided to put several into one document. I like how it turned out. I just wish I had a faster lens and a little longer zoom. At the darkest point, I had to set the ISO to 3200 to get a halfway sharp shot and then, of course, there's also some noise as a result.
I enjoyed doing this project very much. My kids said, "It looks cool, like something you'd see in a Science book. They are my beloved encouragers! However they turned out, it was certainly fun to "shoot the moon!"

"I Will Lift Up My Eyes"

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

My husband took me shooting this evening. There's an inversion going on right now, so it's pretty hazy. I wasn't sure what this shoot would produce. It was quite windy and chilly, in fact, my husband ended up back in the car quite a bit before I was done shooting.

The warm light of the setting sun, was contradictory to what I was feeling as the wind broke through my ill chosen clothing. I hadn't planned on the wind and should've known better. Slowly, the layers of the distant hills got dimmer and dimmer. The light got lower and lesser, and the hills continued to fade into the distance. As the canyon walls dropped into shadow, the orange light from the sky reflected on the Snake River; far below the canyon walls, causing it to glow. Night was insisting on its turn, and it was a beautiful sight.

"Back to the Future"

On January 19th. we went to see "August Rush." Great movie btw, once you get past the whole premise.
Anyway...we arrived early and while we waited, we wandered into an antique shop next to the theatre. We had a great time looking around and the "kids" (our two girls and a friend) ended up trying on all the old hats. I was so upset that I didn't have my camera with me, as I almost always do.

I then remembered that my phone has a camera. Okay, it's not a very good camera, but it did capture this wonderful moment. They all so naturally turned toward me and I love the looks on all their faces. If I had my good camera with me and tried to set up this shot, it probably wouldn't have worked so well. Sometimes the best shots are the ones you don't plan and this was one of those shots.

Our girls are growing up so fast and I love the fact that this picture reminds me of the past, yet shows me how close they are to their futures. It is truly bitter-sweet. I remember them playing dress up when they were little and they continue to do so with AKB Productions as they film and act. You can see some of their work at http://www.youtube.com/AKBProductions.
I thank the Lord for photography and that through the years, I've been able to capture the special moments that capture me.