November 2017 - Night Before the Full Moon

Full Moon Tomorrow

On a tropical Paradise such as Okinawa, weather may be unpredictable.

That's a good enough reason, to shoot the moon, the night before and the night after.

With a three day window, chances are, some great photos may be taken.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Sigma 50-500 + 1.4 converter for focal length of 700 MM

Exposure: f/16   1/100   ISO 100

Location: Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: NOV 3 2017 6:26 PM

Visit Time and Date for moon specifics in your location.

Full Moon Over Kin Town

Looks Like the Real Deal

Yesterday's moon wasn't quite fully rounded so, I shot it again tonight.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Sigma 50-500 + 1.4 converter, Focal Length 700MM

Exposure:  f/22   1/40   ISO 100

Location: Roof of my office building in Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  OCT 16 2016 at 6:52 PM

October 2016 Full Moon Okinawa Japan

It's 99.3 Percent Full Tonight

 

 

According to Time and Date.Com the full moon occurs at 13:23 tomorrow.

By then, it will be broad daylight and, we won't be able to see the moon, until the sun sets.

The object may appear fuller, tomorrow night but, no sense in taking chances.

Living in this tropical paradise things cloud up sometimes and, no moon will be seen at all.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Sigma 50-500 + 1.4 converter for focal length of 700MM

Exposure:  f/16   1/160   ISO 100

Location: Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  OCT 15  2016  9:34PM

Animated GIF: Chopper in Blue Skies

Unidentified Flying Helicopter

 

 

Usually, I go and research things photographed, after a day of shooting.

This bird looks similar, to some, I've been hauled around in but, I can't name it.

So, we'll leave that part up to the aerial stuff experts.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Sigma 50-500 with 1.4 converter for focal length of 700MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/400   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  JUN 19  2016  5:20PM 

The photos used to create this GIF were taken while waiting for the moon to rise. 

Busy, packing bags for a trip to Zamami Island, I'll be going offline, for awhile. 

If, there's no blog post tomorrow, it just means, I'm having too much fun.

Er, I forgot to put a laptop in my backpack !

Full Moon Golden Week 2015

Briefly Peeking Through Clouds

 

 

A walk along the Okukubi River to the sea was fruitless last night.

The skies clouded over and, it was doubtful the moon would appear.

Back to the office, I went, with only a few scenes shot along the way. No moon.

After downloading the camera, I looked outside and there it was.

Clouds were blowing by fairly swiftly.

The highway in front of the shop was packed with Golden Week travelers.

Too much light pollution for me so, I set up the tripod out back.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Sigma 50-500 at 500mm

Exposure: f/16  1/125   ISO 100

Date and time: May 4, 2015  9:01PM

Location: Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Travel Photo: Not the Stairway to Heaven

Location: Okukubi River, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date: NOV 6, 2014    Time: 5:05PM

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Sigma 50-500 at 270mm

Exposure: f/11   1/13sec   ISO 100

Waxing Crescent Moon Up There Tonight

33% of the Moon is Visible

Usually, I check the schedule for the full moon and, start shooting a few nights early.

Tonight, I decided to shoot the moon, just because it was up there.

After I downloaded the camera, I wanted to find out when the full moon is coming.

That doesn't happen until next Thursday.

When I, developed and saw all those craters, I decided to keep this image.

It turned out, this was my favorite, out of a total of 9 shots.

Never before, had I paid any attention to Waxing or Waning crescent moons.

They have a handy chart at Calendar-12 that taught me this stuff.

It may have been taught when I was in high school.

The teacher probably didn't know, I slept through that part of the class.

Or, maybe, I went on a field trip, by myself, that day.

Look at those craters on the moon tonight.

Do you suppose, scientists have named them all? 

 Maybe, I slept through that part, too.

If the crescent was facing the other direction, it would be waning.

When it looks like this, it's waxing.  That's all you need to know.

Are you still awake?

The image above was made with a Pentax K3 and Sigma 50-500mm lens.

Exposure: f/16   1/3second   ISO 100

15 Photos of the January 2014 Mini Full Moon with a Pentax K3

There were some serious, black clouds in the sky last night.

They called this one the mini moon because it's the smallest one we'll see this year.

The first time it peeked through the clouds, I shot it. These three photos were taken at 7:10PM.

 Normally, I wouldn't bother shooting cloudy moon pictures.

But, you never know. The moon might have never showed, again. And, It doesn't hurt to practice.

 The black clouds rolled-in and, I was sure we would lose sight of the moon, again.

 The two images above, were taken at 7:11PM.

The moon didn't come out from behind the clouds, again, until 7:15.

There must be a mule, somewhere, in my family tree.

Because, I can get stubborn. I stood out there on HWY329, freezing.

Every chance I got, I fired, three quick shots, using burst mode.

Because, I could see more clouds, blowing in, fast.

Look what happened at 7:16PM !

The stubborninity started to payoff at 7:23.

Chances were, I might never get to see the moon any better than this.

So, me and the camera went Click, Click, Click.

Clouds, wind, fire, cold and trucks, shaking the highway, couldn't stop me.

 The smallest full moon of the year was what I went out to get.

This just turned out to be one of my favorite images.

Kinda cool, what Google+ AutoAwesome does for you, too !

All 15 photos above were made with the Pentax K3 and a Sigma 50-500 lens at 360mm.

More about shooting the moon may be seen in my PHOTO TIPS

Wildlife Photo: The Chinese Bulbul with a Sigma 50-500mm Lens

Here is a practice shot taken with the Sigma 50-500mm lens at 500mm.

The Chinese Bulbul ( Pycnonotus sinensis ) is a bird I've posted here before.

This shot was taken en route to the Okukubi River in Okinawa, Japan.

That's got to be my favorite spot for Photographing waterbirds, because I can walk to the place.

That Sigma lens gets fairly heavy when you're out for a few hours so, I haul it in my backpack.

The Pentax gets an 18-250mm lens until I get near my shooting destination.

While hiking, the camera is in a holster and I can grab it in a split second if needed.

As soon as I'm within a few minutes walk of the river, out comes the big Sigma.

I stretch that lens out as far as it will go just to take some practice shots.

This was my first photo taken on March 29, 2012 and there are a few hundred more waiting.

This week I'll just be doing some quick blog posts because I'm using one of those WiFi spots.

There's a bunch of giggling, yapping high school girls in here.

They make more noise than a whole flock of those noisy Chinese Bulbuls so, I'm outta here !

Sigma 50-500mm APO DG Telephoto Lens Review and Photo

The Sigma 50-500mm lens is my weapon of choice when I'm going to spend all day shooting wildlife.

A Pentax K10D is the camera body I use but, you can get this lens for a Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony or Olympus cameras as well.

Ideal for wildlife photographers who don't want to carry a bag full of lenses, it is also a favorite of those who shoot sporting events and air shows.

Nicknamed the Bigma, this baby is heavy. Without a camera attached, it's just a tad over 4 pounds (1.86Kgs). It's not something you want hanging around your neck unless you're someone like Arnold, that Terminator guy.

A sturdy tripod or monopod is recommended, not only to steady the camera but, to keep from breaking your back, as well. New, these lenses are selling for $1300-$1500 depending on camera model.

Used, I've seen them go for under $800 probably because people broke their backs not knowing how to handle them.

The Sigma 50-500mm works best in bright light because you won't get the wide aperture settings required for low light shooting, especially at the long end of its zoom. But, a prime lens for any of the major cameras (f/2.8) that reaches out to 500mm will cost a few thousand dollars more.

Auto focus is fast, smooth and quiet. Occassionally, white and grey skies will confuse the Auto focus but, that happens with almost any lens when you're tracking a bird in flight.

Some wildlife photographers claim the Sigma 50-500mm requires a tripod at focal lengths over 300mm. I agree, use a tripod when you can but, when you can't, use your Burst Mode and take the shot.

The photo below was taken, handheld, at 500mm with the Sigma 50-500mm APO DG.

My rating for the Sigma 50-500mm APO DG Telephoto Lens: Five Stars.

GET YOUR SIGMA 50-500MM LENS FOR CANON, NIKON, SIGMA, SONY OR PENTAX CAMERAS WHERE I BUY MY CAMERA SUPPLIES, ANY REPUTABLE DEALER !