Twelve-Years Ago (30-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 10: Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage Southbound (Mehamn to Tromsø).

On the second day of the southbound Hurtigruten voyage, the ship stopped in eight ports: Mehamn (01:00-01:15); Kjøllefjord (03:15-03:30); Honningsvåg (06:00-06:15); Havøsund (08:15-08:30); Hammerfest (11:15-12:45); Øksfjord (15:30-15:45); Skjervøy (19:00-19:45); and Tromsø (23:45-01:30).

At about 01:00 the captain made an announcement that Northern Lights were visible. I put some warm clothes on and went out. It was cold (minus 10 degrees) and windy. But the northern lights were brighter than I ever remember seeing before when growing up in Minnesota. It was hard to stand still for 10 seconds on a moving ship in the cold and heavy wind to take a selfie. I did hear that some of the folks that got off in Kirkenes also saw the Northern Lights that night (but didn’t wake the others up…). It was because of the view that night that I decided to go back to Norway in the middle of the winter in 2013 — and saw even more impressive displays in Tromsø.

Northern Lights Self Portrait. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 10.5 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 400, 10.5 mm, f/2.8, 10 sec). (David J Mathre)

Happy Birthday Dad — From Norway.

Two days earlier the family got together to have a birthday celebration for my father before the majority of the group disembarked the Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald in Kirkenes.

Three-Years Ago (25-January-2016) — Japan

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 20: Yokohama.

It was clear, but cold when I woke up. The full moon was setting over Yokohama. What I didn’t notice the day before was Mount Fuji. I could see and take pictures of the mountain right out my cabin window. Before the sun rose, the sky above the mountain was lit up with the unique blue colors of the earth shadow, and pinks of the “Belt of Venus”. Shortly after breakfast I was part of a group that departed for the Hakone, Hiroshima, and Kobe Overland Field Trip. We would rejoin the ship in three days in Kobe.

Larger individual images in this slideshow can be viewed here.

Three-Years Ago (17-January-2016) — Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 12: Crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Every morning the sunrise breakfast team kept enlarging. The yoga group reaching for the sun, and levitation practice in the sun.

alt_title. (David J Mathre) — Panorama of the sun rising over the Pacific Ocean from the aft deck of the MV World Odyssey. Composite of two images taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/11, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)

Three-Years Ago (13-January-2019) — Pacific Ocean

Gone to See the World. Semester at Sea Spring 2016 Voyage on the MV World Odyssey. Day 9: Crossing the Pacific Ocean From Hawaii to Japan.

Images from sunrise and sunset from the deck of the MV World Odyssey. One thing that I noted on this voyage was the very red color of the sun at sunrise and sunset as we crossed the Pacific ocean. I wasn’t expecting smog in the middle of the ocean. The closer we got to Asia, it became even more pronounced. I normally do not try to take pictures of the sun without a very dark filter, especially through a telephoto lens. However, on this voyage the atmosphere near the horizon became that filter.

Orange colored sky and clouds over the Pacific Ocean just after sunrise. Composite of 10 images taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/16, 1/250 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and stitched together with AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J Mathre) — Orange colored sky and clouds over the Pacific Ocean just after sunrise. Composite of 10 images taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/16, 1/250 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and stitched together with AutoPano Giga Pro. Click on the image for a wider view. (David J Mathre)

Individual images in the slide shows can be viewed here.

Saturday (17-November-2018) — New Jersey

Backyard Autumn Nighttime Sky Over New Jersey.

Earlier in the evening it didn’t look promising for a clear sky. I checked again after midnight, and did see Orion and some other stars. I set up two cameras same as the previous clear nights to take images for star trails, and if lucky catch a launch of a rocket from Virginia at 04:01. Unfortunately, I only got 15 minutes of clear skies before the clouds rolled back in. I did check again at 04:00 for 5 minutes, but it was still overcast and I didn’t see the launch.