Shooting the Moon

One of the things I like to aim my camera at is the moon. Man has looked at the moon for years. There are songs, books and other works about the moon. This week we celebrated 40 years since man set foot on the moon.
The moon landing is one of those events you remember where you were. That July evening in 1969 I was huddled with the family in the family room in Union Mills to watch the event.
We were afraid we would miss it as a thunderstorm hit. We always turned the television off during storms, something Shirley and I still do today.
Any way the storm passed and we got to see history.
The moon isn't hard to shoot when it is rising. It's just a low-light front lit scene.
Start by metering the sky, adjust your shutter speed, compose the scene and use the camera's self-timer or cable release.
Check the calendar for the next full moon and then shoot the day before. Why, because the eastern sky and the landscape are close to the same exposure.
The exposure will work out close to F/8 for 1/8 second with a long lens.
Take the time to watch where the moon rises. Also scout out the landscape ahead of time.
It's best to shoot the moon rising or setting. It's not as bright and has a nice glow.
The shot with the tree is the moon setting. I had seen that tree before and kept an eye out when ever I passed it on Old Washington Road.
The corn framed by the moon is setting early on a fall morning.
The windmill along with the geese and boats are also a rising moon. The windmill was shot in Eldersburg. The geese and the moon were shot on the Eastern Shore. The boats are in Wachapreague, Va.

Irish Festival

Saturday found us in Gettysburg for the 10Th annual Adams County Irish Festival.
A few days before Saturday, I got an e-mail from Celebrate Gettysburg magazine asking if I could do a last minute assignment.
Let's see, I can take Shirley with me, it's Gettysburg and Irish music. No problem.
A few words about Celebrate Gettysburg. The magazine is a few years old and reflects the community.
This is my third assignment for them. The first one was an artist and the second one was the tech prep program for Adams County, both were fun.
After 34 years in newspapers, magazine work is a different animal. Not as many deadlines and a slower pace. There is no spot news or sports which were my strength, but I always had the most fun showing features.
I like the idea of shooting features. The folks at the magazine have liked my work, which makes the assignments more fun.
This was my first visit to the Adams County Irish Festival. I had thought about it in the past, as I wrote about it in a publication I was responsible for when I was in newspapers.
I like Irish music, so it was easy to get in the swing of shooting. There were times when I started singing or tapping a toe to the tunes.
The food was really good. They served something for everyone from a fruit cup to corned beef on rye to fish and chips.
The event was held at Moose Park, outside of Gettysburg. I figured we would be there for about three hours and we were there just short of five.
The festival is the third Saturday in July, so mark it on the calendar for next year.
www.celebrategettysburg.com
www.adamscountyirishfestival.com

Renewing vows

I had the pleasure of shooting John and Donna Warner renewing their marriage vows this past week.
They were celebrating 35 years of marriage. They have had their shares of ups and downs. Donna is a cancer survivor, as she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006.
She missed the Westminster High School Class of 1971 (we are both members of the class) reunion that year and she had done must of the work. So it was good to share one of the ups.
They held the event at Emory Grove in Glyndon, a Methodist retreat. Some of the building are on the historical register.
It was a great step back in time. The cottages at the site are interesting to look at.
Donna and the wedding party walked between the cottages to get to the tabernacle, where the ceremony took place.
The wedding party was the original party of 13, who returned to take part in the special day for John and Donna.
It's important to note that Donna wore her bridal gown from 35 years ago with very little alteration.
One of the best part of the day from a photography angle is emotion. One of the main jobs of the photographer in capturing the moment.
I was quite happy with the results.
To read a story of the event from the Owings Mills Times click on www.owingsmillstimes.com