If you have a timer that can trigger shots at a regular intervals (AKA an intervalommeter function), you can have the free VirtualDub software convert your shots into a timelapse video.
Browse the forums at Timescapes.org for more details, but in the meantime browse my draft results in my Timelapse & HD Video set on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreysullivan/sets/72157622147534372/
Here are a couple of resources to help you identify where to look in the sky:
http://www.amsmeteors.org/showers.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_16541_view-lyrid-meteor.html
Here are the upcoing meteor showers for the year:
2010 Meteor Showers (major ones):
www.theskyscrapers.org/meteors/
Meteor shower calendar for 2010 (including smaller ones):
www.astronomia.org/2010/calfugaces.en.html
I was on the verge of buying a cheap uderwater camera when I ran across the GoPro helmet cam: a compact unit that can shoot in one of 5 video formats all the way up to 1080P HD, plus the capability to shoot 5 megapixel still images one at a time or at selectable intervals.
The GoPro is water resistant to 80 meters deep, so no problem if you want to shoot video or stills while snorkling, fishing, whitewater rafting, or skiing.
It produces videos in an MP4 format which not all programs support, but I found free software which enables conversion to more common formats, while adjustment of video quality:
http://www.highballblog.com/2010/02/how-to-edit-your-gopro-hd-videos-with_25.html
At the risk of stating the obvious, the GoPro portion of the video here is the portion clearly shot from pro freeskier Kevin Wherritt's point of view. (I should also add the caveat that the video uploaded here is a quick preview edit, and is of course severely downgraded in resolution and quality for ease of online use.)
Coming soon to a country near you:
UK Gov nationalises orphans and bans non-consensual photography in public
www.copyrightaction.com/forum/uk-gov-nationalises-orphans...
"The quaint notion that the author alone has prime and inalienable rights over his/her own work, must be able to restrict usage, negotiate a fee, prevent usage they consider immoral or distasteful, or assert their moral right to attribution, is about to pass into history"
Not only will companies be able to use your photso in virtually any way they want, but there will apparently be no penalty for a company intentionally setting up the conditions that will qualify your photos as orphan works:
" The Bill contains no deterrent to the creation of orphans, no penalties for anonymising your work, no requirement for bylines. It is a luncheon voucher for industry hungry for free and cheap content."
An "orphan works" bill is being actively pushed in the United States by aggressive corporate lobbying (bribes to politicians) as well so your images can be stolen, as long as someone can say that you couldn't be contacted (changed your email address since you uploaded photos somewhere). Under the UK model penalties for misuse will be nonexistent, companies can willfully misuse a photo and pay a modest fee only IF they are caught:
"So Flickr, Google Images, personal websites, all of it will become commercial publishers' photolibrary. A fee will have to be deposited with a collecting society in case the owner spots the usage. The author who discovers his work has been used as an orphan can then make a claim and receive a percentage of the peanuts, after the collecting society has had its share, and the government its share."
Don't want images of your children to be used inappropriately? Don't want images of your parents to be used to advertise mental illness or hemmorhoids? Tough luck. You didn't make it enough of an issue with your elected representatives, and you trusted the corporations that you uploaded your images to.
Just wrapped up the photoworkshop at Joshua Tree. Saw some returning customers who now seem like old friends, met some new ones who I hope to see again, and had a blast shootng from efore sunrise ultil after sunset... for eight days!
Normally we host a 3.5 day workshop, but this time we were flexible and let some people join us for the first half of the week when we normally get the instructors together to scout current conditions for a few days. The end result was like leading two back-to-back workshops. Fortunately we always seem to luck out adn have a great group. I love shooting with enthusiastic people who inspire me to greater levels of energy and creativity. I can't wait for Grand Teton and Yellowstone in late May/early June!
Another day, another playground made of sand. A playground for kids (young and old), a playground for photographers. Let the play begin!
The extensive dune field near Stovepipe Wells is by far the most heavily visited sand dune complex within Death Valley National Park, but even here you can find great views within a few short steps of the parking lot.
The last time I took my kids to Death Valley, we had a list of places we wanted to visit, so although we had a blast on the Eureka Dunes, we had to leave before we reached the top so we could make it to The Racetrack in time for sunset.
This time we had no such agenda, so we took our sweet time wherever we went, and thoroughly enjoyed each stop. I've been to the Eureka Dunes several times, and I've captured some nice landscape images, but I really like capturing people on the dunes. We're really small in comparison, and even our footprints are nothing more than temporary intrusions. The dunes themselves often take on sinuous shapes, and the lighting of the sun can enhance our perception of the subtle curves.
The forgiving nature of the soft sand also invites playful interaction via rolling, jumping, rolling and sliding across it. The Eureka Dunes are closed to skiing and sand boarding due to several endangered species that exist only on this one dune field, but I'll definitely consider taking old ski gear with me to the other dunes in Death Valley. Life too short to avoid playing with gravity!
One of the things I like about traveling to Utah is that I get to pass through the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley on my way out and/or back! In this case I visited a few spots to re-take some old shots with my new camera.
Dune fields in particular can be exciting to re-shoot. Not only do the dunes themselves change, but the light changes literally from minute to minute, so not only are your shots new compared to the last visit, but you'll get entirely different results at different times of day.
It's particularly rewarding to shoot dunes in Death Valley, where a little sweat equity will get you to remote sands untouched by human footprints. Just make sure that you visit at a time of year when the weather will be mild, and that you bring survival supplies, particularly plenty of water. They don't call it "Death Valley' for nothing!
Partly couldy days can create some spectacular shooting opportunities at Arches National Park.
That you're being watched?
Light painting on Balanced Rock at dusk in Arches National Park, Moab, Utah. I like to use flashlights for light painting, since I can control in real time the beam of light and what is lit. For larger objects such as this I use a spotlight.
On another night we went up to Delicate Arch...
Sunrise at Mesa Arch, one of the most popular dawn shots available at Canyonlands.
Doesn't it look like a massive collection of terra cotta lawn gnomes?
This is one of the water pockets...
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.
With the arrival of some early Winter storms that turned many aspen leaves brown, it was a tough year for Fall colors.
Here's an article for more information:
news.yahoo.com/s/space/20091020/sc_space/getoutorionidmet...
The Orionid meteor shower is expected to put on a good show tonight into the predawn hours Wednesday, weather permitting.
This annual meteor shower is created when Earth passes through trails of comet debris left in space long ago by Halley's Comet. The "shooting stars" develop when bits typically no larger than a pea , and mostly sand-grain-sized, vaporize in Earth's upper atmosphere.
"Flakes of comet dust hitting the atmosphere should give us dozens of meteors per hour," said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.
I can't read it, but it looks cool! Click on the photo to go see more pics from the article on Flickr...
How do they turn out? Judge for yourself... mine just arrived. Double sided, high resolution, matte finish, printed on heavy cardstock, what's not to like? The only flaw is the slight white margin at the top of the photo on the contact info side.
In case you missed my notices regarding this offer on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter (JeffSull), here's where you can get your 50 free trial business cards available here from MOO for the first 10,000 Flickr users: www.moo.com/en/partner/flickr-business-cards
As you plan where and when you might want to get out and shoot during the rest of 2009, consider the following meteor showers coming up:
Orionid - Oct 20-22
"October's new Moon also perfectly favours the Orionids at their peak in 2009. The shower's radiant, near the celestial equator, is at a useful elevation by around local midnight in either hemisphere, somewhat before in the north, so most of the world can enjoy the shower."
Northern Taurids - Nov 12
"The NTA peak has only a waning crescent Moon, however. With near-ecliptic radiants, all meteoricists can observe these streams, albeit northern hemisphere observers are somewhat better-placed, as here suitable radiant zenith distances persist for much of the night, though from the southern hemisphere, a good 3-5 hours' watching around local midnight is possible with Taurus well above the horizon."
Leonid - Nov 17
"Luckily, new Moon on November 16 ensures perfectly dark skies for covering whatever events happen"
"the 21h-22h UT apparently critical interval will fall best chiefly for sites across Asia, from the extreme east of Europe eastwards to Japan and places at similar longitudes, but with the possibility of some unusual activity at almost any stage from ~ 6h-24h UT on November 17, only European and African longitudes look set to miss out."
Geminid - Dec 13/14
"One of the finest, and probably the most reliable, of the major annual showers presently observable, whose peak this year is virtually coincident with new Moon."
More information:
skytour.homestead.com/met2009.html
www.imo.net/calendar/2009#nta
The Tuarids will peak on November 12 during the photography workshop that I'll be conducting in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks Nov 11-14:
www.MountainHighWorkshops.com
Hope you can join us!
