Sunrise This Morning......

[Lin Evans]

Not as clear as yesterday - this just before sunrise this morning.

I almost ran over a cougar getting here (about 35 miles from home). Dang cat jumped over the hood of my truck and I missed getting her in the windshield by about two feet! About 200 head of elk milling around on the road and had to wait until they crossed before setting up. Just a quick 360 degree pano - light wasn't great so....

http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sample/sigmapano.zip (about 5.6 meg)

Lin

[Ken Cox]

big herd - whose place are they grazing in -- pretty slim pickings

show ran great

ken

[Lin Evans]

Hi Ken,

I don't know who owns these two places, but the herds browse all around this part of the country. It takes lots of trees, shrubs and grass to support our large herds, especially in winter. They stay up high in the summer, spring and fall - frequently see them above 13,000 feet, but in winter they come down to the lower elevations. It's about 8,000 feet here. There are about 3,000 head in this area and in Rocky Mountain National Park. In town they usually settle down on the golf course and golfers have to work around them - LOL.

Lin

[cottage]

I almost ran over a cougar getting here... About 200 head of elk milling around on the road...

Lin

Sounds like just another day at the office for you Lin. Great job on the pano's. Keep them coming. Out of curiosity, does the name of this particular one denote the use of a Sigma lens/camera ?

Bill

[Lin Evans]

Hi Bill,

Yep, can't get away from the animals out here - LOL. Thanks! Yes this one was taken with the SD14 and Sigma 15-30mm. Unfortunately, 360 degree panos in the winter are tough. Obviously, the best lighting for a 360 degree pano is when the sun is right overhead. In the Summer and Spring it works out really well but in the winter, of course, you don't get overhead sun at all so that leaves a few minutes before sunup or a few minutes after sundown to avoid lens flare and overexposure. If you expose properly for shooting into the sun then stitching becomes a real issue because of the great difference between sky color, etc., between the few frames into the sun and the rest. It makes it really difficult to color match, etc., so I just try to shoot about 5 minutes before the sun comes up but then I have to deal with really low light and all that entails. The Sigma works about as well as anything else I have for this but I need a sharper lens than the 15/30mm - or at least a better copy than the one I have. Next summer I should be able to get some really good 360 degree panoramas but won't have the great snow capped peaks - sigh....

Best regards,

Lin

Sounds like just another day at the office for you Lin. Great job on the pano's. Keep them coming. Out of curiosity, does the name of this particular one denote the use of a Sigma lens/camera ?

Bill

[deskjet1uk]

I agree, another great pano Lin, the light is perfect in my eyes. Im always reminded by a member at our camera club (Hes 88 yeras of age) who has been a keen photographer since he was 8 years of age, that light is the key to any great photo. Your pan will make me rise before the sun is up and encourage me to see what I can produce with my camera as we have some beautiful countryside here in Yorkshire in the UK.

Ralph

[Lin Evans]

Hi Ralph,

Yes, light is the "secret" to many of the aspects of photography. Early morning light has its distinct charms. When light is still beneath the horizon there are almost no shadows which gives a totally different "feel" from the long shadows of evening light or the harsh shadows of mid-day. The sky can act as a huge "soft box" to flatten and disperse light. On the pano you will notice that the only significant shadows are high on the rocks where direct morning light has reached by virtue of the height.

On the down side, early morning just before sunrise calls for higher ISO or longer exposures so rock steady tripod is significant in getting decent results.

Best regards,

Lin

[deskjet1uk]

Hi Ralph,

Yes, light is the "secret" to many of the aspects of photography. Early morning light has its distinct charms. When light is still beneath the horizon there are almost no shadows which gives a totally different "feel" from the long shadows of evening light or the harsh shadows of mid-day. The sky can act as a huge "soft box" to flatten and disperse light. On the pano you will notice that the only significant shadows are high on the rocks where direct morning light has reached by virtue of the height.

On the down side, early morning just before sunrise calls for higher ISO or longer exposures so rock steady tripod is significant in getting decent results.

Best regards,

Lin

Hi Lin,

Thanks for the tips you supply, all photography tips are welcomed as I think myself quite proficient at the "computer end" ie, photoshop etc but lacking at the camera end of things.

Some of the sequences posted here are magnificent plainly because of the quality of the photographs, that much I have learned in the few short weeks I have been a member here. So with my new fugi in hand I intend to become a much better photographer and do PTE justice.

Ralph.

[njwoods]

hello all,

Thanks for the pictures-----you have great subjects hey??

I love to get pictures of sunrises, but sunsets seem to be easier for the timing aspect. I love the idea that you only have a certain window of time to capture it at its peak, and get the lighting that you are after. Or you can wait and get it more as a silhouette style of photograph.

It was fun being in Northern Canada one summer, the sun never sets completely. It goes behind the horizon for several minutes, depending how far north you go---then pops right back up. So you can go out at midnight to catch both the sunset and the sunrise!