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Lunar Eclipse
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Lunar Eclipse

by Ed Erkes

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted November 22, 20033,437 views8 comments
Nikon F4S with MF-23 databack programmed to take exposure every 5 minutes. 24mm lens at f 5.6. Fujicolor 400. Initial exposure at dusk, underexposed 1 stop. Sunlit moon exposures at 1/500s. Total eclipse exposures at 1 sec.
Had planned to take this image at Lake Mattamuskeet in eastern NC but awoke Saturday morning to cloudy skies. Internet weather info predicted clear skies at the Virginia border, so I packed up my gear and drove north. Skies were still cloudy at the Virginia border, so I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and finally found a decent location at a boat landing in Oyster, VA.
This was my first effort at eclipse photography and I was pretty pleased with the result. I had hoped to capture the full eclipse sequence from first contact through last contact, but the moon traveled higher than I expected and moved out of the frame.

Ed Erkes

Comments

8 comments
Comment posted by Michael Bates on November 23, 2003 at 8:12 AM
TOTALLY COOL, Ed!!!!

Michael
Registered on November 1, 2003, 149 Posts, 2381 Comments
Comment posted by Andy Morrison on November 23, 2003 at 9:15 AM
Welcome to NPN! What a cool shot. The foreground is what makes it for me. I love the boat and reeds. You did a great job composing this. Nice work and I look forward to seeing more.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 36 Posts, 413 Comments
Comment posted by Tom Guffey on November 23, 2003 at 10:35 AM
Ed,
Very nice shot, and talk about being dedicated to getting it! Time and effort well spent. The boats in the background add to the mood of the shot! :cool:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 553 Posts, 1954 Comments
Comment posted by beth summer on November 23, 2003 at 11:52 AM
LOVE IT :jump: Cloud colors over the boats and buildings put it over the top IMO. Excellent and well worth your time traveling!
Registered on November 1, 2003, 437 Posts, 5220 Comments
Comment posted by Hank Pennington on November 23, 2003 at 1:50 PM
Congratulations on pulling this together, both in terms of your technical skills and perseverance! Your vision and prolonged effort were well invested. This looks a little soft from posting, but I'm sure the detail is there in the foreground and background to make a great print. I suspect the colors in a print will be striking too, along with all the other great elements here. Nicely done!
Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 1532 Comments
Comment posted by Dave Uhlig on November 23, 2003 at 4:34 PM
Ed, I really like the vignetting on the edges. It really brings me into the pic. Well exposed, it does look a tad soft, but I don't think that hurts it here. I like your inclusion of the reeds in the foreground. Welcome and keep em coming.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 304 Posts, 1567 Comments
Comment posted by Ed Erkes on November 23, 2003 at 5:07 PM
I appreciate the kind comments on this photo. Regarding the comments on the softness of the image, it made me remember that I forgot to sharpen the image before posting. It is kind of a mood scene, so I didn't really notice it. I was going to add a sharpened version to this post, but couldn't figure out how to do it.
Again, thanks for the positive feedback.

Ed
Registered on November 1, 2003, 2 Posts, 36 Comments
Comment posted by Ott Luuk on November 24, 2003 at 3:31 AM
Can`t get much better than this! Congrats on an especially cool image :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 102 Posts, 348 Comments