Sunrise, sunset

An easy way to make nice pictures is to photograph the sky at sunrise and sunset. But you need to prepare your shot.

CAUTION : NEVER PHOTOGRAPH THE SUN ITSELF.
It burns your eyes and it’s painless, but you end being blind forever. All the photos of the sun that you can see in the astronomy pages were made with a special filter.

If the sky is cloudy, it’s perfect. The colors will be even more fantastic. So, fisrt of all, you must know the local time of sunrise/sunset, not the legal time. You will find all the information you need in astronomy clubs or websites to calculate the right moment.

Then, depending on the season and on your location, you have to be ready more or less early. Itís up to you to test and find out the right time.

So, for a sunrise, you will make photos before the sun rises, and for a sunset, you will make photos just after the sun sets. Now be careful because it goes very fast. The light, the hues change continuously. And you will certainly make dozens of photos.

You need a tripod also for stability. Before the critical moment, make a few shots to be sure you’re in focus. It’s not so easy to photograph clouds… They’re not sharp objects.

As far as the lens is concerned, make your own tests. Some will prefer long focals, others, wide angles. It also depends on the landscape and on your gear.

Hunting

I could’nt make photos this fall.  In France, hunting is allowed everyday during the season. And accidents occur: some hunters like drinking a glass or two (even more) of  warming drinks before a party. So, it happens they forget to break their weapon, and if they slip on a muddy ground or whatever, the gun goes off, wounding somenone in the crew. Or a hunter aims too hastily and approximately and shoots people walking or cycling. These examples are real, unfortunately.

Moreover, hunters think that nature is their own and they don’t want to share it. They don’t hesitate having arguments with  people. And you wouldn’t risk being shot because they can’t control their nerves.

So, I donít want to take the risk. In October, I took my  8-year-old niece with me. First, we heard dogs, then, shots. She was so frightened that I had to take her back to the car.

There is hope however. A French association, ASPAS, is petitioning to forbid hunting on Sundays. But what would really be great, would be no hunting on Wednesdays,  Saturdays and Sundays. If hunters want to practice their leisure, they can take some holidays  and leave weekends for the others.

Goshawk

It has been snowing a lot in France these days. And I love it, even if  it’s a little complicated to drive… Still, every time I can go walking in my favorite forest, I like following tracks left by animals.

A few days ago, I discovered two tracks: a bird of prey and a hare. And there was blood. I imagined the scene: the bird saw the hare and attacked. Thanks to powerful paws and claws, the mammal was quickly killed, pulled  and taken away, as there was no evidence of hairs.

A few yards farther, I saw the birds’ prints in the snow. They were fresh, dating from the previous night at most. So, I made photos and took measures to show friends of mine who are serious ornithologists. They hesitated with a buzzard, but they went 80% for a goshawk (Accipiter gentilis).

New extras and photos

I eventually found some time to prepare four new wallpapers. So, now you can choose among 12 themes, 6 resolutions each.

You can load them for free for personal use. Contact me for any other use.

You will also find new photos of birds, mammals, landscapes and sky.

Enjoy…