Keyword: weather

Shadows, light & lines captures the eye from this weathered wall. Believe it or not, this photo was made with the iPad Mini camera. Something that I always love to see is elements that create strong composition in the square format. The morning sunlight through the trees casts a shadow onto the wall of this vintage garage in my neighborhood. The vertical lines provided by the plants create an added touch of the grid pattern needed to complete this moment in time. I chose black and white bec…

In this day and age of technology you’ll never miss a picture of a rainbow. Digital cameras changed photography, and now smart phones are changing digital cameras. Yet, not too long ago my camera of choice was a Pentax and not an iPhone. But now the iPhone camera is becoming competitive, if not superior, to the DSLR or especially the Point and Shoot camera. I tried using Android phone cameras, and in my tests there is much more attention going into the iPhone camera by Apple than by Sams…

Lying along the waters of the Long Island Sound, Manor Park is filled with beauty. Among other things, one can capture the rising of a fiery red sun, boats anchored in pristine blue waters, gazebos that overlook the Sound, shimmering metamorphic rocks that were once part of the Appalachian Mountain chain, and even hummingbirds gracefully dining on the nectar of a trumpet vine. On some of the typically hot summer days, one can find respite in the Park’s iconic gazebos from a refreshing sea breeze…

Even as parts of Europe remain locked in abnormal warmth in spite of the calendar’s having been turned to a fresh new year—Muscovites might be forgiven for wondering if the calendar forgot winter—parts of North America have experienced cold that has not been witnessed for almost 20 years in some places. An anonymous 16th Century writer once observed: This winter’s weather it waxeth cold, And frost it freezeth on every hill, And Boreas blows his blast so bold That all our cattle are li…

The days are growing shorter now. Each morning, the sun rises a little later. Each evening, the sun sets a little earlier. In a matter of weeks, the Autumnal Equinox will be upon us. With summer now drawing to a close, it is a good time to reflect on the season that was. Whether one is in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, or elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, one is sure to have one’s own unique memories. Long after the seemingly endless days of…

Lying on a sofa in a holiday let perched on a cliff on the edge of nowhere. Looking at a tiny gleam of sun. The first in days. Until now the light has been flat, the cloud continuous, the wind fierce and the rain horizontal. I am coughing, sneezing, shivering, sniffling. Surrounded by Beecham's powders and used tissues. Yesterday the wildlife cruise I booked was cancelled. The boat had developed a fault. Today the water board are doing essential maintenance and the water is off. The building my sofa is in is part of a brutalist looking complex built to house RAF personnel. It is now painted white but looks as if it could still withstand a few bombs. Inside it's a honeymooner's dream with polished floors, an appliance filled kitchen and a luxurious bathroom filled with light. All put together by someone with excellent taste. I wonder what the looking glass makes of the wrinkled old woman reflected in it. She's coughing her lungs up and longing to go home. What a difference a day makes. It's midnight and I'm lying on the sofa once more. Eating strawberries and madeira cake. What changed ? Yes, the sun came out. Yes, I spent a few magical hours on a white beach with turquoise waves and flower studded machair, But the highlight of my visit, what made it all worth while was standing among the stones of Callanish in torrential rain. Soaking trousers, water pouring from my shoes, struggling to keep my tripod upright. Mopping water off my camera and lens. Trying to photograph amazing light and a double rainbow. Did I do it ? Succeed ? It doesn't matter. The magic was in the moment. Being there. Battling with the elements. Doing a polite dance with a taciturn American using a gigantic lens. He must have been doing extreme close ups. Eventually everything calmed down and the light went. But we both still stood there. Sunset was coming. Then people appeared. Clouds thickened. The mood changed. Show over. I returned to the warm car and the long drive back to the sofa on the cliff top. I could go home now. Satisfied.

It is not enough to understand astronomy -- I can't think of any other photography subject so depended on good weather. Guess why astronomers wish each others "Clear skies". To avoid unnecessary trips only to find the sky cloudy, it is useful to learn how to read various weather reports & maps. And if you are lucky, you may even find a suitable weather webcam nearby.

Sometimes the Irish countryside looks inordinately bleak.