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Jul 8, 2018 08:21:31   #
I literally, involuntarily said "Wow" when I saw the pic. Incredible.

You'll look at this one for years to come, recalling Smokey, the trek to the cabin, and all your strategics, and the satisfaction will never cease.

Well done!
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Feb 15, 2018 06:50:33   #
I'm not an expert, but I've probably dedicated 200-300 hours taking photos from moving trains. Some things that have helped me...

1. Use a rubber lens hood that you can actually touch the window. Watch for red/green/blue UV effects on the train's windows. Also examine the window itself for scratches/smears. Find a clear area of the window.
2. Watch for overhead and opposite window reflections. You can often counter them with strategic use of the hood.
3. Use a monopod with a ball head. Lean the monopod so the camera is near the window.
4. As others recommend, use a fast shutter speed, or the Sport Scene setting on your camera. Don't be afraid though, of a wide landscape shot, of blurring the foreground.
5. Resist the tendency of shooting forward or backward - keep an eye on what's coming, frame up and wait for it. Composition is king.
6. No cows.
7. Don't stop taking pictures of something you feel you've taken enough. It'll surprise you.
8. Be aware of power lines - try to avoid them if you can.
9. Always shoot with the sun behind you, unless it's setting or rising.
10. When you miss a great shot, anticipate something like it in the next minute.

Hope some of this helps. Feel free to take a peek at some of my shots - http://www.bill.photography/views-from-trains.html
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Dec 3, 2017 06:14:49   #
See, that's what scares me. He said once he attached a camera to a telescope... that's where I'm headed.

Great article, and the Q&A was interesting. The whole time, James Taylor's "Up on a roof" was meandering thru my head. Thanks for sharing!
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Nov 30, 2017 07:36:51   #
That's a great get. Thanks for sharing!
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Nov 7, 2017 01:22:49   #
Took a leisurely drive to the North Georgia mountains this past weekend, ended up at Black Rock Mountain, late in the day, and the sun was poking through the clouds in different places.

I'm pretty novice/amateur at HDR, and thought that'd be a good spot to practice. I basically just did the standard -1, 0, +1 series on a tripod. Got home, ran them through Photoshop's "Merge to HDR Pro" and fiddled until I was pleased.

Any suggestions, I am all ears! Thanks for looking.


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Aug 24, 2017 13:37:42   #
Thank you! Honestly, looking at them humbles me.

lhardister wrote:
Great photos! I really love the "diamond ring" & "string of pearls" shots. Great touch and timing. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.
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Aug 24, 2017 13:36:15   #
DonTen wrote:
I finally looked at your sight. Great pics. I can't believe we where so close to each other. I was right on center line in the public park just south east of you. It is something I will never forget.


It's amazing we were so close, and the irony is that we communicated with each other when we're farther apart! I'll never forget it either. A friend recorded video during totality. The video didn't turn out very well, but the audio - the crowd's whoops, screams and shouts - are as relevant as my photos are.

Seven years is a really long time, but I've already started looking at the "blue line" site. Would love to keep in touch, and compare notes on research/preparations from time to time.
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Aug 24, 2017 10:13:15   #
Wow! Those are some fantastic shots! Great job.

That first one, with the beads on one end, the solar flares 180 degrees opposite, a true piece of art, my friend.

I can imagine the stress with rain and clouds.

Question - I used an effective 400mm lens, so my moon/sun was much smaller than yours, giving more headroom for movement before having to adjust my tripod head. I created a 4 minute routine of several bracketing series, changing the EV to the plus side three times, then to the minus three times on the way out.

Did you do bracketing, and if so, was keeping the subject on camera a significant challenge?

I'm thinking next eclipse (yeah, this hooked me!) having a star tracker set up, and investing in a lens like yours.

Seriously, though. Your shots are amazing.
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Aug 23, 2017 10:13:25   #
DonTen wrote:
Yes it was a hot one but I am from St pete FL so it was about normal for me. I only started planning to go see this about 3 weeks before it happened. I hope I get to see the next one and I will plan better also. Could you post a link to your sight. I would love to see the other pics. Thanks


Great area, St. Pete - we used to go to Sarasota on family vacations.

My site is bill.photography - haven't gotten around to looking through the pre and post totality images...was much more motivated to look at the totality shots.

DVR'ed the weather channel coverage, watched it all day yesterday. Still, just wow.
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Aug 22, 2017 21:08:58   #
Those were great! Amazing diamond ring - great job!
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Aug 22, 2017 18:15:06   #
Don - Hi!

Thanks for the compliments - it's neat we were in the same area! I was part of the crowd at Lady Amelia's B&B. That was one hot day yesterday, wasn't it? That looks like some nice shade in that last pic!

Today, I'm just kind of reflecting on the experience and how I just feel so lucky to have been there for it. Still just amazed by what we experienced, and that I got "souvenirs" in my camera. The solar flares were completely unexpected.

I worked up a plan, and had no idea how effective it might be. I could've done a few things a little better, but overall, I'm way more than satisfied. Can't wait for 2024 - going to be quite on top of it, versus this year, when I first heard about it this past spring.

I've got a few more shots and some commentary I posted on my site today, bill.photography .
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Aug 22, 2017 13:21:38   #
Thanks!
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Aug 22, 2017 13:20:50   #
Thank you! I didn't know how my prep was going to work out - better than expected. :)
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Aug 22, 2017 11:06:34   #
Taken with Canon t6s, 55-250mm lens (at 250mm), F8, ISO 400, varying shutter speeds, using Marumi Solar Filter. With exception of first photo, everything else was cropped a bit.

Other than being truly hot all day, yesterday was incredible. The clouds were going in and out, and as you can see, the clearing sky right at the beginning of totality was perfect timing.












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Aug 12, 2017 11:57:31   #
Thanks for the reply! Just want to emphasize that I'm not using the filter to look thru the viewfinder - if anyone read it that way, I'm not encouraging that at all.

I'm only going to be viewing the eclipse (until totality) on my tablet through my camera's wifi. As for looking directly at the eclipse before and after totality, I'm following conservative guidelines, with product from recognized manufacturers.
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