Shooting the Almost Full Moon Ain't a Bad Idea

Last night I saw the moon when I stepped out for some fresh air and nicotine.

It's probably a good thing, I took a few practice shots.

The weather for full moon photography, this month, is looking pretty grim.

Right now winds are blowing out of the east and dark skies are headed my way.

But, this is Okinawa, Japan.  The weather can change every five minutes, sometimes.

Here's where I was at 6:52 last night shooting the moon.

It was a little bit windy then, too.

So, I put the tripod way down low and sat on the ground.

If the clouds break, I'll be ready tonight.  The full moon for this month is actually March 27th.

But, its a good idea to shoot the moon the day before its full.

Another great time to shoot, is the morning after the full moon.  You can catch it in blue skies.

The Moon Can Be Tricky

The little sucker pops up in a different position every night.  Ever notice that ?

Well, an unscientific explanation is, it's because earth is spinning.

The moon rises about 54 minutes later, each day.

So, at 6:52PM it won't be where it was last night.  Groan.

With the weather changing every five minutes and a couple of hours to kill, who knows ?

Maybe, I'll be sitting on that sidewalk again tonight.  And, maybe I won't.

Some information on shooting the moon may be found in my Photo Tips.

Another great resource is the Digital Photography School.

Today I Went Back to the Travel Agent Academy

OK.  When I left here last night I didn't really walk beers and drink dogs, or whatever.

The truth be known, I was really too tired at 2AM to reach in my pocket for a wallet.

So, I went home and crashed.  Told the dogs to wake me up early.

We had a nice walk on the beach, after sunup.

Then, I came in and checked my emails.

There was something from the Travel Agent Academy.

Why they call it Sell Asia Travel Specialist beats me but, I'm sold on Asia.

Heck, I even live here.

Over half my life, I've probably been somewhere in Asia. 

So, I went and took a quick refresher course in the Resource Center at the Academy.

In less than two hours, I took the three exams and passed them all.

Now, you can call me a Sell Asia Travel Specialist.

If you are planning a trip, anywhere in Asia, holler at me.

 Everything you need to know about travel, anywhere in Asia, is at my fingertips.

There's no way I'd sell Asia.

 But, if you want to travel here, I can hook you up.

NOTE TO TRAVEL WRITERS AND BLOGGERS:

See if you qualify for the TRAVEL AGENT ACADEMY.

It's like discovering a goldmine !

Birding, Birdwatching and a Brand New Bird Site

There's a brand new site for all people who like birds and I almost forgot to tell everybody about it. This one's a gem!

The guy who started it, I'll let him tell you about himself, if he wants to. All I can say is I've known his family for many years and I can guarantee he's an upright citizen. I first met him years ago right here in Okinawa, Japan. He was just a little guy back in the last century. He's grown up since then.

Probably, I wouldn't bet any money on myself if I had to arm wrestle the guy. Anyway, I hope he doesn't get too upset over me snagging the logo off his website to show you, because I plan on using it to get more members, from around the globe, to sign-up and check out this new bird site.


WHY NOT?  EVERYTHING IS FREE, FREE, FREE !!!


There are several Bird or Birding organizations I am a member of because I happen to enjoy wildlife photography. Some even list me as a photographer for their organizations. That's cool but, I'm not really what I consider to be a Birder. Those people are really into birds. Me, I just shoot birds (with a camera) because they happen to be where I am at the time. If there are no birds around when I'm out, I'll shoot bugs, snakes, butterflies, wild dogs, pigs, dragonflies, bees, fish and even pink elephants if they show up. If it's a wild critter I want a picture of it in the wild.

Well, I got an invite to join this Birder's Network a few weeks ago and was kind of surprised. The Grand Opening is today January 5th, 2011 and they started signing members up back in late November. There's already people from Canada, Colombia, Hungary, India, Japan, UK, USA, Venezuela and Uruguay in there. I think there's enough room to fill up pages with folks from every country in the world. So, thats what I want to help them try to do; fill the place up.

So, if you like birds, even if you're not a birder or bird watcher, just want to look at birds pictures or find out what they sound like, what they eat, where they go when they migrate, how they mate or what kind of bird dropped something on your windshield this is the site for you.

On the other hand, if you really are are birder and want to contribute your expertise to help the uneducated masses (another crowd I belong to) you are cordially invited. There are already several, real professional birders on the site but, there's always room for more.

From what little time I've spent on the Birder's Network I can tell you this: It's real easy to navigate and there are plenty of excellent resources available on the site. For a brand new bird site, I'm amazed at what's been posted so far. There are more than ample links to well-established bird organizations that I've used in the past to help me identify some birds that had me stumped. And, there are links to sites I've never heard of before but, will be using in the future.

Go have a look at birdersnetwork.com and you'll find one Michael R Lynch there, that'd be me. You can tell them RyukyuMike sent you but, don't mention the logo I borrowed, OK?