My friend arranged for a group of us to go see the firefly display. It was magical! I’ve seen fireflies before, and even spent childhood hours catching them in my hands, but I have never seen so many. Constant little lights. Of course I had my camera and tripod with me.

The host has made observing very easy. He has made paths with chipped wood, which makes for easy walking. He even has observation posts with posts!

OM System has a computational feature in some of their cameras (I have the OM 1 mark ii) called live composite. With this setting, the camera takes a base photo, then repeats the exposure for as long as you like, adding only new light to the image. That way the overall exposure does not increase. I used this feature a few years ago to photograph fireworks. What works for fireworks (and star trails, and tail lights and headlights, etc.) also works for fireflies.

After creating a few images I realized that the paths of individuals could be captured. Just imaging connecting the dots.

I tried in May to photograph Earthshine, with no success. I grossly underestimated how much I needed to reduce exposure to achieve a useful image. So, with the crescent moon waxing slightly since Sunday’s new moon, I thought I would try again. Last evening I went to Beavertail State Park and watched the sunset. Then I hung around, hoping that the clouds would part and the moon could break through, and I could get some useful images.

The best approach is to take two images, one exposed for the illuminated part of the moon, and the other exposed for the Earthshine. Then the hard part–combining them in Photoshop.

The moon was also close to some planets. Venus was closest, then Jupiter, and, closer to the horizon, Mercury. I was using a 300mm lens (600mm full frame equivalent), so I was only able to include Venus with the moon in the frame.

Combining the images in Photoshop involves importing them as layers, then aligning the two lunar disks. Next, applying a gradient on the crescent image (positioned on top) to blend the two together. It took me several tries at this, having never done this technique before. Here is the result. Don’t forget Venus in the lower right corner!

As the pair reunite, they groom each other, and rest their heads on one another. They display this behavior shortly after sunrise and, as with these images, near sunset.

PSRI has four open competitions this year. I missed the first one, so I submitted prints for the second competition as well as make-ups from the first competition. We had the judging last evening, which provided a nice distraction from the election results pouring in. They showed the black-and-white images first, so I watched as the scores were announced for my two make-ups and one of my regular submissions. Where was the other one? Honorable Mention? No. Third Place? No. Second Place? Again, no. I could hardly believe it. I got first place in the first competition I entered for prints. I worked hard on the image, trying to get just the right balance between light and dark, and the most appropriate shading, which was a new challenge for me. Let me show you a comparison of the original image and the final product of my labor. Just slide the line back and forth over the image.

I did several things when editing the image, but the first step was to convert it to black-and-white. I tried a method new to me that I learned from my friend, Cemal Ekin. Cemal recently posted on his blog about using the linear gradient mask in Lightroom Classic to perform the conversion. I like this method, as it leaves you with full control of color variations as well as toning the final edit. I used several other techniques to emphasize the light on the pot and the hands of the potter. Here is the final image itself.

Then came the Class B color images. Again, I watched as my make-ups and one of my submissions were posted with their scores. Where was the other one? Not HM, or Third, or even Second. Really? I won first place in color prints, too? This image is familiar to anyone who has been to my house and used the bathroom or been the recipient of my business card. You, as a visitor to my website, see it on the opening page. It’s probably my favorite image, Green Darner #40. I made this image during a photography workshop in the upper peninsula of Michigan several years ago. The copy in my house is printed on metal, so I printed the competition image on metallic paper. Here it is.

I want to be clear about something. That I won two first-place awards with my first competition entries is not the point, however affirming that may be. I am not printing to win prizes, but simply because I like it as a final step in realizing an image. I am also assembling a portfolio of prints in a smaller size. I’ve included the ones I enter in competition as well as others I like and want to share in that way.

As you can see from the map, I would have to leave early from Waikiki to get over to the other side of the island. Google Maps told me I’d need about an hour to get there. I worked backward to figure out my rising time and thought I was all set. If you recall from an earlier post, staying in Waikiki virtually necessitates using the expensive valet parking at the hotel. I had not used my rental car the day before because that was the day I went to Pearl Harbor. The tour company picked me up for that trip. I also told the valet workers that I needed the car early this day. So, I go down to the lot, present my ticket, and wait for my car. And wait, and wait, and wait…. Meanwhile, I’m doing mental calculations about the time, wondering whether I would entirely miss the sunrise. I asked what was going on, and the young man informed me that yesterday’s workers parked my car in another garage since I didn’t need it that day, and forgot to move it back for today. Finally, the car arrives, I load my gear and take off. Several people had suggested I drive over H3 to get to Kailua; time required that I save that route for the return trip and take Highway 61 instead. I pulled into the Kailua Beach parking lot with only minutes to run down to the beach and set up my tripod and camera. I had planned on the next beach down the way, but sometimes you just take what you get. Here is the best shot of several. The small aperture causes the sun star.

After the sun was up I watched some people enjoy the ocean–kayaking, swimming, and just walking the beach, a very popular activity. Then I drove back to Waikiki through H3 and discovered why that route was highly recommended.

Click on images to see them uncropped and full-size