In days of old when knights were bold...photoghay was practiced by few. When a late image formed on some coated plate, it had to be "developed" in a dark place with toxic metals and gasses, pungent, often deadly chemicals- not fothe average civilian! Perhaps it was thought of as some sort of witchcraft carried on by my mad scientist or wizard in cave-like places.

Then came old George Eastman (well after Deguerre and Nepeace) who sold folks simple box cameras with film and said these immortal words "push the button and leave the rest to us" or something like that- or was that Grayhoud, the bus folks who said 'leave the driving to us"? Well, y'all know waht I mean.

The "brownie" was very basic but as more folks became photo enthusiasts and pros, more complicated and adjustable cameras were designed proliferated, and sold tothe masses. Some folks wanted to do their own "driving" so they constructed darkrooms and processed and printed their own images. This went on for a very long time in both the consumer and professional worlds- things evolved

Serious photoghaer had to master various skills as to exposure, focus, depth of fielild or lack thereof, and all that good stuff. Exposure meters were popular. Then, meters were built into cameras. And the various basics- exposure, focus, etc. became automated. Nontheless, if your camera had an adjustable shutter, aperture, and a mechanism for focusing, and you knew about the basic triangle that governs their usage and how they interface for various effects- you were good to go. A little manual, a little auto, and a few cool gadgets- take your pick and do your thing.

Are we moving "forward" to digital photography or in a way moving backward? The Great Yellow Spirit of Rocherst is no longer with us - Kodak ain't what used to be but, has Gorige's ghost come to haunt us. Nowadays it's "press the button and leave the PHOTOGRAPHY to ME says your camera and if you want anything to say about it, you better read MY 300-page manual and figure out how to override my decisions"!

Alright, excuse the hyperbole! But I have reasons. In my days as a wedding and press photographer, we took every precaution to prevent accidental mis-settings. As soon as the press cameras came with front-end leaf shutters we all removed the rear end focal plane shutters to avoid possible activation. We screwed down the M-X Synch switch to X and any other switch, adjustment, or lever that could cause serious problems. We didn't want to miss vital shots because of all these possible glitches. KISS was the acronym.

Then came the day when I realized that my studio would need to go digital. I tested a few NEW and popular models and was horrified. One camera REFUSED to shoot if IT thought the exposure was off. The data in the viewfinder looks more like the flight deck of a jet aircraft. There were little batons all over the thing that could set the entire system off in another direction. The menu- forgetabout! Yes- I know, I can shut most of that stuff
off but I PAID for all of it. And...if I'd accidently pulled the wrong switch the robotic monster would come back from the dead.An accident waiting to happen! The first thing I did was go out and buy a digital conversion foty studio camer for ase I- $$$ just to keep things simple.

Years have passed and today I am well-steeped in too much technology. I am still a bit reactionary when it comes to gear. The new Nikon digital model looks like an F-series body but is a modern mirrorless camera, that appeals to me- I like dials.

I do read manuals- thoroughly. I will try to secure a manual even before I make a major camera purchase. Some seem to be written a secret code and a few are poorly translated from the language spoken in the place they were made. You have got to do the homework or you can always neglect the manual and then post on UHH and ask waht you did wrong and start a 12-page argument!

8:15 PM 2024/23/01 Rant (2) Over!

Those of you who have followed my posts know that I do really remote (no trails, no people) really long (upwards to 33 days) technical backpacks in remote corners of canyon country. I just returned from a VERY different sort of trip . I was with my closest childhood friend, Rusty, and his wife Sharon who don't hike AT ALL. I took Rusty out two years ago but Sharon couldn't join us for medical reasons, so this was a chance to introduce her to the glories of canyon country without repeating what I had done with Rusty.

We started in my favorite National Park (and I've hiked in about 50 - from Denali, to the Everglades to Olympic ) Capitol Reef. Again not repeating any of the classics I took Rusty to.

Stay tuned for the next stop: Escalante Grand Staircase

Well, it's not quite that simple to just go to a town in Michigan to see them. First they have to be showing. Even if there has been a CME on the sun (Coronal mass ejection) it has to be earth facing and there are differences as to how long it takes to reach earth, it could be a day to 2 or 3. Then depending on the strength of the CME it may not even show up in Michigan, the stronger the eruption, the farther south it can be seen. Next you have to have clear skies (you can't see through the clouds...) Then even if these conditions are met, they don't necessarily show all night long, they can, but they also may only show for a few minutes to a half an hour or so, or sometimes 2 or 3 times during the night hours. Because if they hit during the day you won't see them. You also can't predict them accurately, because a CME has to occur first so maybe a day to 3 days. So if you are traveling from another state, your chances of seeing them are not really good. If all the conditions are met and there is a show, the farther north you get with an unobstructed view of the horizon is best. Anywhere on the northwest coast is pretty good, anywhere north of Houghton. A couple of places where a lot of folks like to go is Eagle Harbor, and Copper Harbor. I'm just a little south of Houghton and have seen them fine here at home. Folks even see them in the lower peninsula of Michigan, but the further north you go, the better.