I'm feeling much better, thank you. I didn't miss my workout today - going on three weeks straight. Not too bad for an old guy. I'm feeling pretty good physically. I need to probably stretch a bit more, but other than that, I'm doing just fine - I should be buffed out by springtime :-)

For those of you who want to know - all these night shots were taken with a Canon 15mm fisheye lens. No trickery - I don't do anything to the image I wouldn't normally do in a traditional darkroom (mainly dodge and burn). Most of the images were exposed for well over 200 seconds - this one for 316 seconds at f/7.1 - camera set to ISO 100.

I get a LOT of emails asking "How do you know how long to expose the image for?" - and I'll just say that I've done this enough times to know when I'm pretty close. I think I took about a dozen shots when I went out, and for the most part they all turned out pretty nice. It's really a matter of practice and sort of having a feel for the light. I know - not very technical - but I prefer it that way. I like to go out in the lunar light and just enjoy the time I have.

People ask if I carry a light meter. The truth is I use to - but it really didn't help all that much. Now, I go out with my camera, a tripod, a remote, a flashlight, and an open mind - if I screw up - so what? I always learn from my mistakes (remember the images I posted out of focus? I learned to take my dang glasses with me so I could see the distance scale on the lens!).

I've been pretty lucky to work with (and learn from) some great photographers over the years. My most memorable piece of advice came from the man who sold me my first new camera when I was in my early teens - he said, "Take lots of photos, learn from each one of them, and don't get hung up in the technical mumbo jumbo - it'll slow down your progress". That's it - and he was right. The key is to get out there as often as you can - take as many photos as you can - BUT - learn from each and every one of them. Taking photos for the sake of taking photos is nothing more than taking snaps - anyone can do that. To become really good at the craft we all love, we need to learn from our own images - and the images of others. Don't get hung up in the technical side of things (at least not too much - it is fun to talk about lenses and cameras and such) - JUST TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS!!!

Okay -- I'm going to step outside to see what the moon is doing. It's been cloudy all day and raining on and off - but I think the clouds are clearing. Might be a good time to learn a thing or two!

Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment. -Rumi

Reading: The Perfect Vehicle - Melissa Holbrook Pierson

Listening to: Funny How Time Slips Away - Al Green

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