David's Images of the Day Photoblog
Lone deck chair at dawn and the sun rising through the clouds. I found out that one of the traditions before arriving at a foreign port was a special event for Academic staff and Lifelong-learners (LLL) where we could order appetizers based on the food of the country we would be visiting. I would order two, and skip dinner, because they were always good.
I woke up early for a sunrise shoot. A thick fog enveloped the campground where I parked the RV. I packed up and drove the scenic drive towards the River Bend, and Oxbow overlooks hoping to get above the fog. It was still dawn when I arrived at the River Bend viewpoint where there is a stone building overlooking the Little Missouri river valley. The valley was still covered with fog, but the sky above had some beautiful pastel colors (Belt of Venus, and the earth shadow). I drove a bit further until the sun started to be visible, and got several shots of the sun rising above the fog filled valley. When I arrived at the Oxbow overlook, there was a faint rainbow because of the fog. I find rainbows always difficult to photograph. Then remembering something Winston Hall taught me “always look behind you, because that is where the best picture is” — and sure enough there was a Bighorn Ram coming over a grass covered ridge. Quickly switching for a camera with a telephoto lens, I got some great silhouette images including one with the Bighorn in midair as it started to run away. Once the show was done, I drove back to the park entrance. The fog was beginning to rise when I came upon some Bison crossing the road, and into the fog.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
The students boarded the MV Explorer in shifts beginning at 08:00. It was an efficient process, and most everyone was on board by 11:00. We were told that after lunch that there would be a mandatory evacuation drill. Everyone was supposed to get their life-jacket and report to their evacuation station wearing long pants, long shirt, shoes, and a hat. Once we got to our station, the ship staff did a roll call to make sure everyone was accounted for and present. The drill is required before the ship can leave port. After the drill was completed, we were ready to leave at 17:00. Most everyone lined up on the open decks to watch the departure. The parents and relatives that came were all lined up on the roof of the port terminal. Michael Mariant was set up to take a series of images from Deck 7 that will be combined into a time-lapse video for the entire Fall 2012 Voyage.
Weather permitting I plan to take an early morning image during dawn or sunrise, and an evening image at sunset or during dusk. I did this exercise during the previous two Enrichment voyages on the MV Explorer, and got images with great colors.
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Sunrise Aboard the MV Explorer. Composite of three images taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 24 mm lens (ISO 200, 24 mm, f/16, 1/60 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and AutoPano Giga Pro.
One thing we learned the hard way during the voyage was the need to take the camera and lens out on deck at least 30 minutes before taking any images to prevent fogging due to moisture condensing on the lens. The best way to do this is have the camera and lens in a sealed plastic bag during the temperature equilibration. Otherwise, you need to wait until the condensation evaporates.
A bit of a heat wave after the cold temperatures last week. Colorful morning clouds at dawn. It was warm enough during the afternoon to completely melt the ice in the bird bath, allowing the solar-powered fountain to start working. After it got dark I made a time-lapse video of the fountain.
