. . . a photo-op.
Well, for me at least, it’s often an op; it’s not always a photo.
Such was the case with the partial lunar eclipse about 10 days ago, which was barely a viewing op. Remarkably for Ottawa during any celestial event, the skies were actually clear. The moon? Clear. The eclipse? Less clear.
With decent binoculars and at full partial eclipse (if you see what I mean) and with a bit of squinting, there was . . . a dark smudge atop said moon. Neither of my cameras–nay, neither phone camera on the Night setting nor non-phone camera fitted with a long lens and an extended shutter time–I say again, neither camera was any use to me in capturing said smudge. Neither was any good at even capturing the moon. As you see. I maybe said a few things.
But it was a lovely evening on the front porch, as well as a reminder that many things in life require something beyond in-the-moment participation. In this respect, photographing the heavens is just like baseball: You don’t get in shape for it by playing it.
Great shot, Isabel.
Tom
Tom – Many thanks.
At least you caught your pearl in a basket of tree branches. We had total overcast. Sometimes, the cosmic must be sought in less celestial contexts. At ground level, a September drought has drained the trees of their usually brilliant autumn colours. Rain will come later this week. A grand sufficiency prevails in this place of peace.
Laurna – Is that [a September drought] what has given us such unpromising colour this year? We’ve seen so many trees where the leaves “should” be turning colour but are instead shrivelling into gray-brown ugliness. Ah, well.
So many things aligned for you to see the partial eclipse – and you did see it. (We had cloud.) Plus, you had a nice evening on the porch, a wonderful pleasure at this time of year. The baseball analogy is apt – a game that both players and fans attend hoping but not expecting to win.
Judith – Yes, Ottawa is (in my experience) a bad site for viewing the heavens. Cloud cover is common, so it’s a bonus when it works out. I have vivid memories of trying to see a partial lunar eclipse from an unheated back porch in Edmonton in January – this was much better!
That was one Photo Op I missed. Not sure why
Glad you got out and tried for it, even if you didn’t get what you had hoped for
Jim R – 🙂 I wasn’t paying attention but someone told me about the eclipse. I’m thinking I could benefit from some practice . . .