Making the Most of a Not So Super Moon

Last Sunday I travelled to the Maine Coast to photograph our latest Super Moon.  Things didn’t come out as I had hoped, but nature photography is all about getting the most from what nature offers.

Super Moons

Simply speaking, a Super Moon is defined as a full moon that occurs at its closest approach in its elliptical orbit around the earth,

Mount Monadnock Super Moon, November 2016

at “perigee”.  In that position the moon is about 12-14% larger in the sky and about 30% brighter than it appears when farthest away, at “apogee”.   When magnified through our photographic lenses, Super Moons are not dramatically more visually exciting than any other “ordinary” full moon. Every time they occur, however, they draw attention to the beauty of our fully illuminated partner, and I usually get caught up in all the hysteria.  This last weekend the Super Moon struck once again.

Super Moons Past

Old Saybrook Breakwater Light

I have been lucky in my previous attempts to capture the full moon at perigee.  In March of 2011 and November of 2016, I was blessed with clear skies to catch the moon rising above Mount Monadnock.  In September 2015 the moon rose into the clouds over the Old Saybrook Lighthouse, but before it faded, I was able to grab one of my favorite moonrise shots.  Each time, these images required travel and careful planning to be in the right place at the right time, but I was always rewarded with amazing shots. That was not the case this weekend.  

The Thrill of the Chase

I must remind myself that the excitement of discovering a spectacular image comes, in part, from the fact that often these explorations fail.  Without the disappointments, the successes would be less triumphant.  We study and plan, but in the end, being a landscape photographer means we often succeed or fail on the whim of nature.

Super Moon over Nubble Lighthouse

Last week I gave a talk to the South Shore Camera Club in Quincy Massachusetts.  I discussed various evening photography

Nubble Light Sunset

topics including Holiday Lighting, rising moons and even rainbows.  It was a wonderful group, with great enthusiasm and interesting questions.  They were especially excited about a shoot they had planned for Saturday to capture the Christmas Lights on Nubble Lighthouse in York Maine.   I look forward to seeing their images, but it also gave me the idea to go to the coast to capture the full moon rising over Nubble Light.  Sadly for the club, on Saturday evening, the skies were cloudy, but I was hoping for better luck on Sunday.

I pulled out my Photographer’s Ephemeris and found a spot on Long Beach, south of Nubble Light, that would give me a good angle on the rising moon from about 1.7 miles away.  I settled in on

View to Nubble Light, Photographer's Ephemeris

the beach about 30 minutes before the 4:38pm moonrise.  Happily, the winds were calm and the temperature only in the 40s, but I was a bit concerned.   Several years ago, I might have been among very few on the beach to get the long view of the moonrise.  Most would have been clustered close to light, but, since the Ephemeris has become popular, many serious photographers know exactly where to stand for the best shot.  The scary thing was that most of the other photographers on

Nubble's Lights

the beach, about 30 of them, were gathered about 200 yards further south of my preferred location.  Was I in the wrong spot?  I found some comfort after being joined by two other mutinous photographers, both from the Greater BostonNight Photographers.  After double checking the Ephemeris, and also the Photopils App, we remained convinced that we had it right.  Still, we mentally calculated how long it would take for us to sprint down the beach to join the crowd

Moon's Last Flicker

We had a nice angle on the elaborate lighting on Nubble Lighthouse, but we also saw the clouds behind the light.  We waited for the time of moonrise and hoped that there would be a magical break in the clouds to allow the spectacular moon to break through, but this time my Super Moon luck ran out.  There was a brief and tauntingly beautiful glimpse of the fire red moon screened by the low clouds.  It was just enough to tell us that we were in the right spot to see the moon skim over the lighthouse, and then it was swallowed by the clouds.  The moon only reappeared in all its “Super” glory much later and high in the pitch-black evening sky.

Total failure?
Somehow, I convinced Susan to join me on this futile expedition.  She was concerned about letting me drive the 5-6 hours by myself, especially on the long dark trip home.  But was our trip a total failure.  I believe one of the greatest challenges for photographers is when we must make the most out of bad conditions.  

At the very least Sue and I had a long and largely uninterrupted time to talk.  Something which is quite rare these days.  What to get the kids for Christmas, whether we will escape from winter for a trip to New Orleans and most importantly, when will we finally get a dog! 

But I did have a bunch of camera equipment with me, so I had to shoot whatever nature left for me to see.

A Sliver of Moon

Shrouded Rise

First, we did see a momentary sliver of moon as it first peaked above the horizon.  It was not yet in the perfect location over the lighthouse, and it was screened by clouds.  It only lasted about a minute, but I was able to capture just one image that showed parts of the fire-red disk.  When I zoomed in, the reflected sunset light made the moon appear like sunrise, with the house and the people on the rocks providing a nice sense of scale.  And then it was gone.

On Cape Neddick
By watching the moonrise from the beach, I knew that I would miss shooting the lighthouse decorations while the island was still bathed in the beautiful twilight “Blue Hour”, but I still wanted to shoot the lights.  After we dealt with a dead car battery on the shore road (thank you AAA), we headed up to the crowded parking lot across from Nubble Island.  I was surprised that, from behind the clouds, the bright super moon created its own “Blue Hour” to soften the harsh contrasts that might have been created by the bare holiday lights.  I grabbed a few shots with the clouds skittering across the moon.  Then, in response to Susan’s good natured insistence, we headed back toward home, with dinner on the way.

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The Wreaths of South Street

On our way to the shore we stopped for breakfast in Concord New Hampshire.  Tuckers is a popular place for Sunday brunch, but we had to wait 45 minutes for a table.  While we waited for our little LED device to ring us back to the restaurant, we took a walk down South Street toward the center of town.  It was a great chance to focus on the variety of holiday door decorations. 




It was a great foretaste of the Christmas season as well as one rotting reminder of the Halloween past. We timed the walk perfectly, getting back just in time for a lovely breakfast, then it was on to the cloudy coast.























An Old Friend and a New Building

Of course, a trip to the coast is never just about photography.  On our way, we stopped in Portsmouth to pick up some Christmas gifts. 

After I had scouted my location for the moonrise, we visited with

Michelle,  Seacoastonline.com

our dear friend Michele.   She is the Executive Director of the York Community Services Association and just last weekend celebrated the grand opening of their wonderful new facility.  The non-profit association provides programs to assist low income individuals and families living in York, and also runs a thrift shop and food pantry to help feed people in need.  Susan and I have loved knowing Michele for years and her dynamic personality is a perfect fit for her community service organization. 
It was a long and busy Sunday with some disappointment.  Overall a good day with a reminder that, in photography, if everything always went perfectly, it would not be nearly as exciting when the magic happens. 

Jeffrey Newcomer

Partridgebrookreflections.com

603-363-8338

Photography of Holiday Lights

Tis the season for warm and lovely holiday lighting around our homes, stores and public buildings.  It is also a good time to discuss some of the challenges in photographing these emblems of this special time of year.

I have discussed holiday lighting photography in articles from a few years ago for the New England Photography Guild and in my own “Getting it Right in theDigital Camera” blog, but this seems like a good time to review some of the essential tips. 

Later this week I will be giving a talk to the South Shore Camera Club in Quincy Massachusetts and they requested a presentation on capturing the holiday illuminations. I didn’t think I had enough material for an hour long discussion on holiday lights, so I have been madly searching for more images and information. These are always great learning situations, so I have been out trying to shoot images that better illustrate some of the essential points.  Fortunately, I am just back from spending several days celebrating thanksgiving with my son in New York City and I had wonderful opportunities to shoot some of the elaborate decorations in Manhattan. 

Ok, since my talk is on Tuesday and I have my last “Introduction to Digital Photography” class on Thursday, this will be a brief list tips for your holiday photography.  For more details, check out my articles from a few years ago.  With the exception of the increasingly prevalent use of LED lighting,  little has changed (see below)

Floating Lights

1) Expose to reveal the detail of the context of the image.It is important to show that your lights are hanging on something, and not merely appearing to float in the air.  Whether the lights are strung on a house, a church, or trees in a park, it is the context that tells the story of each image.  Just be careful to avoid washing out the lights.  It is always an important to maintain balance in the exposures.

2) Put the Flash Away

Direct Flash

There are very few situations in which is flash can be helpful in capturing holiday lights. In general, a flash will merely wash out the lights nearby while inducing shorter shutter speeds that will underexpose the more distant bulbs. 

Slow Sync Flash

More even capture of the lights may be obtain by using the slow sync flash option which is available on many cameras.  This feature combines the flash with a slower shutter speed to record more of the background detail.

Almost always you will get better images by turning off the flash, attaching your camera to a tripod, and using a long exposure.

No Flash

3) Choosing White Balance  

Daylight Color Balance

For years, most holiday lights used tungsten bulbs which create a yellow tint when shot with a daylight setting.  Switching to the tungsten setting corrects the tint, making white bulbs appear white, but, in mixed lighting situations, surrounding areas may take on a blue tint.  The color balance can be a matter of taste, although in Photoshops two images can be blended with a mask to combine the white lights with the un-tinted background. 

Tungsten Color Balance

The choice of color temperature is especially important when shooting in the restrictive color environment of JPGs.  When shooting RAW the color setting is not important, since it can be easily changed in post-processing, but JPGs are much less capable of color adjustments. 

Highlight Mask

LED lighting imposes another level of complexity since they can produce a wide range of colors.  Experimentation with various color settings can help, but I usually shoot in RAW with the AWB (Automatic White Balance) and then do my experimentation during post-processing.

Blended Light Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA

4) Move in for Detail I tend to love wide views of Christmas illuminations, but it is important to remember to move in to capture some of the interesting detail.  Compositions created by just a few bulbs or details of greenery can provide refreshing variety.  After shooting my grandly lighted landscapes, I try to force myself to keep stepping deeper and deeper into the scene.

5) Finally, Don’t forget to check my other tips about capturing the “Holy Grail” of holiday light photography Including, shooting in the blue hour, capturing the lights in fresh snow, catching the twinkle in the lights and finding strong context in the images.

Getting the Most from Christmas Lights Photography

Christmas Light Photography (NEPG Article)

Perfect Christmas Tree – ASquirrel Saga

Now go out and catch some great holiday lights.  Maybe I’ll see you at the South Shore Camera Club this week

Jeff Newcomer, NEPG
www.partridgebrookreflections.com

Negative Space in Photography, The Power of Nothingness

Negative space is the area around the key element(s) of an image. When used effectively it can complement and draw attention to the subject of the composition, which is often referred to a “Positive Space”.  

Eagle's Watch

Negative space has applications throughout many genre of art, painting, sculpture, even music, and of course photography.  It is the process of highlighting the subject of a piece by surrounding it with areas that are of less visual interest.

Sometimes, this includes areas that are essentially blank, but it may also be regions that show softer focus or lower contrast, anything with less visual interest that might draw the eye from the primary subject of the piece.  

All too often I tend to pack my images, corner to corner, with as much detail as possible.  I paid good money for all those pixels, why not jam them with as much information as possible?  But it is a healthy exercise to look for compositions in which negative space can strengthen the message of the image. 

Nose Space

Pavlov Island, Alaska

My most frequent use of negative space is when I add nose or motion room.  

Nose room is the amount of open space left in the direction of a subject’s gaze, or direction of motion.  Flowers, trees and other inanimate elements may still have a sense of direction that can also be enhanced with negative space.

Corn Gazing Left

Flower Gazing Left

 

Rule of Thirds

Negative space may also strengthen a subject and draw the eye by surrounding it with areas of lower interest or it can allow the positive space to be moved away from the “dead” center of the frame to a visually stronger location, such as at the intersection of the lines of the rule of thirds.

Not Purely Negative Space, but It all works to draw the eye and tell the story

Frigate Silhouette, Galapagos Islands

There are many uses for negative space, and the best way to understand the power of nothingness is to study a few examples and then look for opportunities in your own shooting.  The important thing is to understand that your frame does not need to be filled with detail, corner to corner.  Visual impact can be enhanced by simplifying with a little negative space.

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

Spacing in Your Photographs, Avoiding the Overlap

I have been working my way through my pictures from our recent trip to Italy.  There’s a lot more to do and I will be dedicating much of my “stick season” time to editing my favorites from the more than 5,000 images.  One of my early favorites is the evening shot I captured from the Rialto Bridge over the Grande Canale in Venice.  The light was beautiful as it seemed to curve around the bend in the canale.  I had a number of version of the same picture but one seemed to stand out.   They all had the same golden light, the same classic architecture and the same collection of water buses, taxis and gondolas, but I realized that the “hero” shot was the one in which all the boats stood alone, separate from one another.  The subtle spacing of these important restless elements resulted in a cleaner and more easily comprehensible image.  

Avoiding Overlap

Any Excuse for a Picture of Abby

The importance of providing space is a key element in effective compositions.  The positioning of the space around the key focal points of an image is frequently referred to as “negative space” and is often crucial to a composition.  Negative space can be arranged to provide head room or open an image in the direction that a subject is looking or moving.  It can be used to move the subject away from the dead center, create subtle context or provide a soft background for portraits.   

Golden Light, Overlapped

My brief discussion today is about a different kind of spacing, that is, the avoidance overlapping of key elements.  Standing among the crowds on the famous Rialto Bridge, I was excited to catch the beautiful light, but after I grabbed my first couple of shots, I settled in to wait for that fleeting moment when all the boats could be seen distinctly with spacing from all the other randomly moving craft.  It can be a frustrating endeavor.  Too often, just as one water taxi moved clear, a gondola would glide in front of a water bus.  As the sun faded, my time was limited, but finally the magic happened.

The Magic

Cows Don’t Space

In nature, perfect alignment does not always occur, but it is always worth the wait. In particular, cows seem to know what I’m looking for and appear to take pleasure in foiling all my artistic efforts.  With cows and horses, the more animals the more difficult it is to get all of the beasts in prefect orientation.  You must often take the best you can get and try to find spacing between at least a few of the most prominent individuals. The rest can be allowed to settle back into “negative space”.

Sometime a little cloning can help provide some space or remove the cow that seems to be coming from another’s butt.

 

Negative space does not have to be completely vacant.  Only a few kids stood apart in my picture of the start of the Children’s DeMar Race last year, but they were enough to provide a clear visual focus.  







The herd came running to me at the edge of a cow pasture in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.  They formed a chaotic overlapping crowd, but one calf managed to achieve separation and saved the image.

Trees Are More Cooperative

Stonewall Farm

The avoidance of overlapping is also important in landscape photography and when shooting stationary trees and rocks it is often much easier to achieve.  It usually just involves taking a step to one side or the other. During this year’s Fall Foliage Workshop, I took the group to one of my favorite forest glades at Roads End Farm in Chesterfield New Hampshire.  From a few angles, the evergreens framed a splash of brilliantly colored background trees.  The trick was to arrange the viewpoint to allow the foreground trees to stand apart without significant overlap and while still framing the color.  It is all a matter of remembering to be attentive to this detail.

Spacing

Arranging a composition within the viewfinder should always involve a visual checklist.  It takes lots of practice but attention should be directed systematically to several important factors, including the location of the image’s focal point, avoidance of distractions both in the background and around the edges, accurate focus and also the avoidance overlap of important elements. While shooting in the field, the excitement of the moment can easily you to miss the overlaps, but it will become glaringly obvious as you edit your images at home.

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com