Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey — Firefly Trails.
I noticed that the fireflies are out. I haven’t done a firefly trails image since last year. It wasn’t be best conditions since the moon was out (waxing crescent) and it was pretty bright. I set up my night time camera Nikon D810a with a 105 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 1600, 105 mm, f/8, 120 sec) to take a series of 174 images. Even though I tried to manually focus the lens, I didn’t get it right. The images were processed with Capture One Pro and a composite created using Photoshop CC (statistics, maximum). There was a lot of out of focus blur. I tried both Focus Magic and the “Out of Focus Blur” tool within Photoshop. This helped but I still wasn’t happy. I then tried the new Topaz Sharpen-AI tool. This did a much better job than I expected. Still it would be better if I got the focus correct to begin with. Tomorrow nights project.
Firefly Trails. Composite of 174 images taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 1600, 105 mm, f/8, 120 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro, and the composite generated with Photoshop CC (statistics, maximum). (DAVID J MATHRE)Firefly Trails. Composite of 174 images taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 1600, 105 mm, f/8, 120 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro, and the composite generated with Photoshop CC (statistics, maximum). Focus correction with Focus Magic (20). (DAVID J MATHRE)Firefly Trails. Composite of 174 images taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 1600, 105 mm, f/8, 120 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro, and the composite generated with Photoshop CC (statistics, maximum). Focus correction using PhotoShop Fix Out of Focus Blur. (DAVID J MATHRE)Firefly Trails. Composite of 174 images taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 1600, 105 mm, f/8, 120 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro, and the composite generated with Photoshop CC (statistics, maximum). Focus correction using Topaz Sharpen-AI (focus, max). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Best to view the images in full screen mode.
Daily Power Use (est 51 kWh) from Sense and Solar Production (80.63 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The power use is an estimate since there have been a number of data dropouts since Friday about noon. I am waiting on a response from Sense regarding the problem.
I am a scientist by training (Eckerd College, BSc; Caltech, Ph.D.). I worked for 27 years as a Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry developing processes to manufacture medicines for human and animal health. I now spend my time as a photographer and world traveler. My interests include the natural world, wildlife, landscapes, sky, and seascapes, travel, and astrophotography. I look for unique ways of viewing the world and presenting my images. I have traveled to over 55 countries in six continents, often on Semester at Sea voyages. While at home in New Jersey, I spend time on home renovation and expansion of a wildflower garden/meadow.
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