Daniel Binkard

27 September 2015

Lunar Eclipse, September 27, 2015

Lunar eclipse near Box Butte Reservoir, September 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The 2015 lunar eclipse seemed like a good opportunity to stress test the newest camera I owned at the time, which was six years old. As everyone knows, once a camera becomes more than a year old, it becomes incapable of taking good pitchers, and should be replaced by whatever is on sale at Walmart.
Astrophotography with minimal motion blur is an excellent stress test for a camera, because you're dealing with high ISOs to maintain a high enough shutter speed to keep the point-light stars from turning into arcs of light. It's also a good lens test, because coma is a factor in keeping clean points of light. Then I added an extra dose of dynamic range with a (partially) sunlit moon face.
All that technical junk aside, let's look at the three photos I kept as a sort of triptych of the eclipse.
The first is an early partial eclipse, with the earth's shadow just starting to slide across the lunar disc (These terms sound great. Umbra is another fun word.). The wispy clouds in front of the moon add a bit of depth. I always like seeing the moon through clouds.
Stage two shows the sharp shadow about halfway across the moon. While shooting, I ran through a bracketed set of exposures, intending to do an HDR merge and keep the sunlit portion from blowing out. Never did get things lined up and merged properly, whether through automatic means or old-fashioned Photoshop tricks. Better astrophotographers have undoubtedly made this sort of shot work. In the end, I decided to keep the overexposed portion. And the subtle rays coming off that area are fun. The clouds had changed by this time, with some puffy wisps getting lit up by the moon.
Stage three shows the moon fully ensconced (a made up word for sure) in velvety cloud and scattered red light from the earth's atmosphere. This is the ISO 3200 test on a 2009 camera, and the noise is definitely there. Working with the shadowy detail in the clouds is where things fall apart, and I'd like to try this kind of shot again with a modern camera. But I'm pleased with the results of this collection. It was a good night to be out under the stars, in the middle of nowhere, with the coyotes in the distance.

08 August 2015

Foliage on a Fence, August 8, 2015

Multiple exposure of foliage and fence, Chadron, Nebraska, August 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

This is a double exposure of fence and foliage, taken at two distances. Normally I’m playing with a focus shift and the same distance, but this arrangement worked nicely. The overexposed patterns in the background are welcome, adding texture to the scene.

02 August 2015

Sunflowers at Fort Robinson, August 2, 2015

Sunflowers at Smiley Canyon in Fort Robinson State Park, August 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The Jeep trail at Smiley Canyon has wonderful views of Fort Robinson, including Johnson Lake to the north. At this time of year, the sunflowers are out in force and provide natural foreground and framing objects. Some are more weathered than others. I like the variety of trees throughout the scene, leading from the near hill off to the lake in the distance.

24 July 2015

Sunset at Toadstool Geological Park, July 24, 2015

Sunset over Toadstool Geologic Park, July 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Too often I find myself at Toadstool Park at midday, with harsh shadows and a cloudless sky. But if I come early or stay late, I am often treated to a lovely sunset and softening light on the hoodoos. The striations in the rock stand out, and the sky can have its own lovely detail to complement the curves and jagged edges of the rocks.

19 June 2015

Repeated Grass, Nebraska National Forest, June 19, 2015

Multiple exposure of grass at sunset in the Nebraska National Forest, June 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A 10-frame multiple exposure of grass in the breeze at sunset. There are many uses for multiple exposures, and the ability to repeat shapes in new ways has great opportunity for experimentation. The grass takes on a new character with each blade multiplied tenfold. The gentle arc has a calm feeling.

22 May 2015

Fishing on the Jetty at Ocean Shores, Washington, May 22, 2015

Fishermen at Point Brown, Ocean Shores, Washington, May 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

On clear day, the jetty at Point Brown, the south end of Ocean Shores, will have plenty of beachgoers combing the rocks, looking for rock things. On this dreary day, fishermen were out looking for fish things. I like the front most fisherman, standing at a jaunty angle on the rock, surrounded by water pounding the jetty around him. The monotone scene called for black and white; even in color it wouldn't show much.