Sue Rissel Photography

Waning Gibbous

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:33:00 +0000

This was taken a few days after the other moon shots I took of the full moon. As this was taken in the evening, the position of the moon's "face" is tilted compared to the early morning position. I can still make out the 'yin-yang' quality I saw in the full moon as well.

For this shot, I decided to try something different. I brought the ISO down to 100 and decreased shutter speed. The result was slighty more detail (I thought) and less glare. It's too bad I couldn't figure out how to capture Orion (which was to the right of the moon at this particular time).

SOOC Sunday - All-Black Woolly Bear Caterpillar

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:32:00 +0000

I edited this post so I could add it to Straight Out of the Camera Sunday!! Both shots are 'straight' except for the small watermark and re-sizing. Click the graphic above to play along!

Here in Northwestern Pennsylvania, we have a lot of local creatures and superstitions. Some people say you can predict the winter weather by decoding the red band on a woolly bear caterpillar. I say it's fun to do, but I don't take much stock in it. This year, however, I found a woolly bear caterpillar with NO red band; all black. Such a darling little creature.

It is also interesting to learn that I've been predicting the winter wrong all these years. From almanac.com: "According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter." Josh and I have always figured wide band = long winter and short band = short winter. The position of the band near the head would tell us when winter would start; closer to the head = early winter and so on. What strikes me as odd is that this method has not failed us in seven years, but we were predicting using the wrong method.

Either way, a black woolly bear is a treasure to see, and I was happy to pull out Little Ozzie and take a few shots.

Skywatch Friday - Season 4 Episode 17

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:16:00 +0000

Early Wednesday morning I set up my tripod, layered on the gloves and a hat, and started shooting. This is what I ended up with. Not bad for my first try, going into it blindly, so to speak.

Some tips I learned is that a fast shutter speed reduces the 'glare' from the full moon and increases the detail. I don't have a long enough lens to zoom in far enough (yet). Manual focus seems to work best.

That said, here are the winners of my 20-shot expedition. I got cold and gave up trying when my hands started to loose sensation. I'm SO not used to cold weather yet.

Halo

Moon and Clouds

Yin-Yang Moon

Play along with Skywatch Friday by clicking below!

Tara over at If Mom Says OK has gotten me interested in Skywatch Friday. Show her some love!

Sue Rissel Products on Zazzle!

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:24:00 +0000

I've decided to try my hand at making postcards. The cost is relatively low even if you/I buy a small amount. My goal is to make motivational postcards and travel postcards for Warren, PA. It's one tiny step of progress.

See below to view my products currently available. I will be adding more each day, maybe one or two at a time. I'd also like to dive into other products Zazzle.com allows me to design.

Burning Sky, Burning Supper

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

While cooking dinner Friday night, I noticed through a window a soft golden glow over everything outside of the house. I grabbed my camera and ran outside, down into the backyard. The clouds were amazing. Aside from a teensy tweek to sharpen the trees, resizing, and watermark, these are 'straight out of the camera' quality. I didn't touch the color at all. This isn't a trick of editing, the colors really were intensely beautiful.

Crescent Park

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:18:00 +0000

Crescent Park walkway on the southern banks of the Allegheny River, Warren PA

Experimenting

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:05:00 +0000

I have been experimenting with a different photo editor lately, Picnik.com. It allows me to watermark my photo wherever I choose, and this is a great asset.

I'm also going to experiment with selling some of my photos again. I think I'll go back to using RedBubble, but this means I have to create an entirely new account since I left them over a year ago.

Or should I start putting my photos on products at Zazzle.com? That's an option as well.

Speaking of experiments, I have decided to delve back into the world of HDR photo art. I'll share these as I go along with it. Despite having done this before (and enjoying it), it's been quite a while since I have bothered with it. I can't wait to see what I can find!

Riverside

beggarsshotglass@gmail.com (Sue) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:59:00 +0000

A view of the Allegheny River from Bett's Park in Warren, PA.