I don't want to make this a news channel by any means but I would like to emphasis that fact the Colorado is facing a tough dry summer. The High Park Fire is at almost 60,000 acres and has destroyed 189 structures making it the most destructive fire in Colorado history. The biggest fire destroyed some where in the vicinity of 139,000 acres but did not approach the structure count that High Park has. I found a very good link that let's you monitor fires throughout the US; http://inciweb.org. There is a statewide ban on open fires in the state right now. Fires can only be started in designated areas within campgrounds, and private fireworks are included in the ban. Although the High Park fire was started by a lightning strike please remember that it doesn't take much to get a fire going in the very arid conditions that exist in Colorado right now.
Here is a link straight to the High Park fire;
High Park
If you are going to vacation in Colorado this summer, which I personally still recommend, or any where in the western US then I would definitely check out this website.
This is a late afternoon moonset behind the smoke. When I saw it the moon was blood red, I can't seem to recreate that color in the picture though.
It must be awful to have homes or dwellings in the path of something like that...
ReplyDeleteIts pretty disheartening that's for sure. On the other hand a good portion of those people didn't do what they needed to either. We typically have very hot dry summers, perfect for fires and with so many pine trees killed by beetles its just like a tinderbox in some areas. Most mountain homes sit on at 2+ acres of land. If you take the time to clear the area properly (which includes no trees near your buildings!) your home stands a good chance of surviving a fire. Even in the conditions present for this fire. Sometimes there is just nothing you can do but make sure your fire insurance is up to date.
Delete"When I saw it the moon was blood red, I can't seem to recreate that color in the picture though."
ReplyDeleteMoons are very hard to shoot along with a foreground. They're quite bright (they're sunlit subjects) but they don't light anything else very well. To get the moon, you have to underexpose significantly from what your camera thinks is right. Then to get anything in the foreground, you have to overexpose. That means exposure blending in post if you want both.
For a normal photo of a moon I'd start at around ISO 200, 1/200 sec, at f/8. For this kind of scene where the smoke clouds are stopping quite a bit of light, up maybe two stops from that to 1/50 sec. Then adjust to taste from there.
For the foreground, you would need the same aperture and ISO, but perhaps 2 - 8 seconds.
Okay, if the circumstances arise again I'll try and remember that. By the time I noticed it setting I just didn't have the time to do much more than point and shoot. Thank you Doug!
DeleteWe are supposed to have our summer vacation in Estes Park during the second week of August. I hope that the fire is either contained by then or the air is not too smokey. What do you think? Should we cancel our trip or go anyway?
ReplyDeleteThey are working closer to containment now and they are actually giving us figures for it now. It is a difficult fire to deal with but it will be contained (although probably not out) by the time you get here. The smoke is causing some haze but I don't think it will affect your vacation in Estes Park.
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