Open Window

Night Photography - Blue Hour

ISO 400 / f/5.6 / 30 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 5:17 P.M.

Did you know "the blue hour" comes from the French expression l'heure bleue, no wonder I'm falling in love with it. It refers to the period of twilight when there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. A "blue hour" happens twice each day - once in the morning and once in the evening, and is a brief period of time (not an hour) when the quality of ambient light for photography is superb. 

Without going in to too much detail, I should mention that there are three widely accepted subcategories of twilight and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) defines them as follows:

• Civil Twilight: the time at which the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon. At this time, there is enough light for objects to be clearly distinguishable and that outdoor activities can commence (dawn) or end (dusk) without artificial illumination. Civil twilight is the definition of twilight most widely used by the general public.
• Nautical Twilight: the time when the center of the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon, and only general or vague outlines of objects are visible. During the evening this is when it becomes too difficult to perceive the horizon, and in the morning this is the point when the horizon becomes distinguishable. This term goes back to the days when sailing ships navigated by using the stars.
• Astronomical Twilight: the time at which the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon. It is that point in time at which the sun starts lightening the sky. Prior to this time during the morning, the sky is completely dark. During the evening, this is the point where the sky completely turns dark.

The "blue hour" straddles the end of civil twilight and most of nautical twilight. To us lay-people, it's after sunset and usually when we would pack up our gear and go home, but we shouldn't for the best is yet to come.

I'm learning so much in this Night Photography eClass I'm taking with Kent Weakley. First I've learned that the "blue hour":

1. does exist
2. is incredibly beautiful
3. can't necessarily be seen by the naked eye, and
4. happens "come rain or shine".

To get the best results shooting at this hour, you have to have a tripod, and a remote control or timer on your camera because your exposures can be very long. Some of mine went a full half minute, and many wanted to be even longer, and I could never have stayed still handheld for that long.

It's also a big help to have an app or two to help you pinpoint exactly when l'heure bleue will be. I've been using an app called "Daylight" for the last couple of years which shows exactly when the three twilights are on a twenty-four hour clock. (An added benefit is that it also shows the phase of the moon.) Kent introduced me to another app called The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) which is available for free for a computer and for a charge for handheld devices. Ephemeris, according to my very good friend Merriam-Webster, is "a tabular statement of the assigned places of a celestial body for regular intervals" which means it shows you where the sun and moon are or will be. Both are helpful tools if you want to capture l'heure bleue.

These are my first attempts at Blue Hour photography? What do you think? 

ISO 200 / f/10 / 15 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 4:54 P.M.

ISO 100 / f/18 / 30 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 6:24 A.M.

ISO 100 / f/20 / 3 SECONDS - TAKEN AT 6:36 A.M.

You'll rightly note that the evening and morning shots were taken quite late. I'll get out much earlier the next time.

 

 

Jelly Fish

Today's post is a "guest post" from a former colleague of mine, who lives in North Carolina where they have been having an issue with an inordinate number of jelly fish. Jelly fish have been in the surf for over a week, along the coast, which is being attributed to unusually high winds.

John got these great photos just after the tide washed them ashore and before the dried up. You're right John, "One of those 'being there at the right time' camera moments." Wish I could have seen them too, I love the color. I never knew a jelly fish could be so attractive!

 

Night Photography

I love learning and for the past two and half years I've been "teaching myself" how to become a better photographer through books, online tutorials, and following other photographers online. The journey has been rich and rewarding but every once in a while it feels a bit too solitary. I've been following one photographer for a while now named Kent Weakley and recently learned that he offers eClasses online. When I saw his night shots and then saw that a 6-week long class on Night Photography would be starting on the day after Thanksgiving, I had to sign up. So I did and I signed up my little sister too. I thought it could be great fun to be doing this together.

So for the next six weeks I'll be sharing with you all some of the results of this class. We'll be covering the Blue Hour, the Moon, Stars, Fireworks, Nighttime Motion Photography and something called Light Painting. I expect to learn a lot and hope you'll find the results interesting too. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Sent from my iPhone

The Big Island of Hawaii

The Big Island of Hawaii has every kind of terrain there is on the continental United States, and that was a surprise.

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We landed on the west side of the island, on the Kohala coast, where we would be staying for the next five days and were quite surprised by the desolate volcanic desert that surrounded the airport. This was just our introduction to the diverse terrains of the big island. On this, the largest of the Hawaiian islands, there are deserts, rain forests, volcanoes, farm land and cattle ranches, small island-cities, and tropical beaches of every color - white, black, and green.

To see the Big Island, you either drive around it or fly over it, and Peter and I were lucky enough to do both, safely. On the ground, we saw desert that could have been in New Mexico, ranches that belonged in Texas, tropical shorelines that could have been in Florida, and rain forests that could be in Washington-state. From the air, we saw volcanoes that could be in Oregon, farm land that could have been in the western plain states, and dramatic coastline that could rival the east or west coast of the mainland. It's remarkable and unique.

Hawai'i, created by volcanoes, occupies just over 4,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, and continues to expand with their lava flows pouring in to the ocean. The two you notice the most on the island are Mauna Kea (White Mountain, because it gets a snow cap in the winter), and Mauna Loa (Long Mountain, because it is long and low). Mauna Kea is dormant and Maunea Loa is still active.

Despite cautionary concerns from friends, we booked a two hour flight on Blue Hawaiian helicopter tours at 7:00 a.m. one morning, flying out of Waikoloa, on the north west coast of the island. The route we took was southeast over the desert, flying past Mauna Loa, toward Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

In this flight path, we skirted the base of Mauna Loa in the stark bright sunlight of early morning, and then dipped under the clouds and smoke that hover over the lava fields which were once a rich landscape with over 200 homes. As we circled over the lava fields, it was amazing to see this molten matter in so many different stages of its existence. Our pilot explained that there are two main types of lava both of which we could see from the air. Pahoehoe (pa-hoy-hoy) is smooth and dense and flows like molasses. A'a (ah-ah) lava forms porous, jagged, light-weight rocks that tumble over and pile up on each other.

To see the earth with this much natural, creative - yet violent - energy was fascinating, but as we flew further north the slate gray lava fields gave way to lush green farmland surrounding the city of Hilo, and then the cliffs of the Hamakua coast. As we entered the valleys near the northern tip of the island, places you can't get to except by flight, it was amazing and nerve-racking to fly towards the walls of these mountains.

We saw hidden waterfalls and land untrodden by man - then turning on a dime our helicopter climbed westward to the crest of the mountains. It was here that we saw the extreme contrasts in this island's terrains. Behind us was the green lushness of the steep valleys falling to the ocean behind us with its black sand beaches, and ahead of us was expansive, dry ranch land spreading west toward the white sand beaches of the island's tropical resorts. It was like the two sides of that drama mask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed seeing the island and are so happy that we saw it from the air too. We told ourselves this would be "a once in a lifetime" experience - and it was. Sadly, a Blue Hawaiian helicopter crashed two weeks after our flight, and that has probably convinced us to remain on terra firma in the future, but "thanks for the memories" Blue Hawaiian, and these wonderful photographs.

Enjoy the slide show. Note: When you see the photograph of the helicopter "head on" you'll be able to see where we sat. We were in the front with the pilot. Noah, the pilot was on the left, I was in the middle and Peter was on the right ... the best seats in the house with windows everywhere!

 

Photos and Slide Show © 2011 Claudia Ward, All Rights Reserved 
Music: Hawaiian Jazz by the Hawaiian Music Party Squad 

If you're interested, and I hope you will be, check out Peter's video of the helicopter ride on the Big Island of Hawaii.

 

 

 

Hawaiian Volcano

These are my two favorite "Volcano" images captured from a helicopter that we took to see the Big Island of Hawaii from the air.

Photograph ©2011 Claudia Ward All Rights Reserved

The volcanic gases pouring forth into the atmosphere seemed so ominous and forboding, and the patterns in the hardening lava suggested continued motion for some time to come. 

Photograph © 2011 Claudia Ward All Rights Reserved

Let me know what you think.

 

Yorkshire Pudding

iPhone photo by Peter Tooker

As the holidays approach, it seems everyone is practicing for the family holiday. The question is whether to cook traditional turkey or to do something different like a ham or perhaps a roast of beef. Being no different, we've been practicing too, this week with an Herb Roasted Turkey Breast (more on that later) and last week a roast of beef. The true benefit of the latter in my estimation is the ability to make Yorkshire Pudding from the drippings. 

Yorkshire Pudding, a crisp, light, roasted bread laced with the flavor of the roasted beef. My mouth is watering just writing about it. Generally, Yorkshire Pudding is made with the drippings of beef, but Peter and I have even been known to make it with the drippings from a roast leg of lamb ... yum! Many will make individual puddings, in muffin tins, but I've always made one large pudding in a roasting pan and then sliced it in to large squares. It's indescribably delicious either way.

Old Fashioned Yorkshire Pudding
(6 servings)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cold water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons melted roast beef drippings
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• Preheat oven to 500℉.
• Mix flour and salt in a small bowl, add milk, a little at a time, beating with an electric mixer until smooth. Add water and eggs and beat until bubbly. Cover loosely and let stand in a cool place (not the refrigerator) about 1/2 an hour.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of melted roast been drippings into a 13" x 9" x 2" roasting pan and heat in the oven 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile beat batter until bubbles appear.
• Pour batter into the pan and bake 10 minutes, reduce heat to 450℉, and bake 12-15 minutes longer until well browned and crisp.
• Cut unto large squares and serve immediately.

 

Corn Soup with Cilantro and Smoked Paprika

Corn soup rather than chowder, was a novel idea to me but I wanted to try it because it sounded so simplistically good. We've had a spectacular corn season here on the east end. We don't remember a year when the corn was so consistently sweet, so we've wanted to use it in every possible way we could. 

I love corn chowder but it, admittedly, is quite rich and generally laden with calories. This corn soup, from Patricia Wells in her Vegetable Harvest cookbook is simply corn, 1% milk, and a few herbs and spices.  The corn is the star which is a signature characteristic of Patricia's cookbooks. Find fresh, local ingredients and prepare them to simply bring out their best features, this is her mantra and she's sticking to it. In my experience cooking from her cookbooks, you can't go wrong with this approach to food.

Corn Soup with Cilantro and Smoked Paprika
(Makes 6 serving)

3 ears fresh corn, shucked
6 cups 1% milk
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
About 1 teaspoon smoked paprika for garnish
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• With a sharp knife, slice and scrape the kernels of the corn from the cob. Place the kernels and the cobs in a skillet large enough to hold the corn in a single layer. Add the milk and the salt. Cover, bring to a simmer over low heat, and cook at a bare simmer for 45 minutes. (Watch carefully so the milk does not boil over.)
• Remove the corn cobs from the pot and discard. Transfer the corn kernels and the cooking liquid to a food processor or blender and purée: This may have to be done in batches. The corn kernels will break up, but the mixture with remain slightly chunky. (The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated.)
• Serve warm or chilled in shallow soup bowls. Garnish with cilantro and paprika and serve. (Note: The smoked paprika makes a real, and special, difference.)

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The sweetness of the fresh corn is what this soup is all about, whether it's served hot or cold, or with or without a garnish or two.

Tarragon-Sherried Mushrooms on Toast Points

Tarragon-Sherried Mushroom on Toast Points
iPhone photo by Peter Tooker

I've never met a mushroom I didn't like and we love using them in salads, as salads, in dressings, as a vegetable, as an appetizer, and for the main course for lunch. Years ago, I cut this recipe out of some magazine and just recently stumbled upon it once again. I bought a huge package of cremini mushrooms at Costco and we've just had to use them up some how. Alas, we've had these delicious, creamy tarragon-sherried mushrooms on toast points twice this week. The good news and the bad news? The mushrooms are now gone.

These are a wonderful, easy appetizer for a dinner party - everyone thinks you worked so hard, and they're a perfect fall lunch accompanied by a salad of tossed greens with a light vinaigrette.

Sherried Mushrooms
(Makes two servings)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ pound mushrooms, sliced (white and/or cremini are what I use)
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons medium dry sherry or Madeira, to taste
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Four pieces of thin-sliced bread, lightly toasted

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• In a medium skillet, heat the butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam begins to subside.
• In fat, sauté the mushrooms and shallot stirring until mushrooms begin to give off their juice.
• Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook mixture, stirring for one minute.
• Stir in the broth, sherry, tarragon, parsley, and salt and papper to taste. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.
• Stir in yogurt, arrange toast points on 2 plates. Spoon mixture over toast points. 

iPhone Photos from 10,000 Feet Plus

iPhone Photo from 10,000 feet - Mauna Kea on Hawaii

The iPhone 4 has an incredible camera in it. I dismissed it for the longest time as a toy until we went on a 30 day road trip last spring and then it became a working participant in my small arsenal of cameras. Recently, Peter and I flew nearly the entire breadth of the United States, from New York City to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, stopping in Seattle each way. These are long flights and what do you do on airplanes these days, when everything on board is mediocre and expensive? Answer: Look out the window. Just look at what I saw Flying High Above the Clouds.

 iPhone photos & slide show ©2011 Claudia Ward
Music: "Le Matelot Club" from the soundtrack of Victor/Victoria

The apps I used to take these images included the Camera app that came with the iPhone 4, Camera+, and HDR Pro, however, few of the images taken with the latter app survived because it still detected and showed movement. I'm thrilled with the quality of the images from the other two apps which were only straightened and sharpened in Adobe Photoshop Elements later. You'll see that I've included some images in the slide show that I might not show standing on their own because of the graininess, but they help advance the story of a setting or rising sun, so they're here. There are points at dusk and dawn when the light is not sufficient enough to overcome the graininess ... but, usually in those circumstances I'd have my DSLR on a tripod, just not this time at 34,000 feet in a 767.

Remember, to see the best quality slide show, click on the HD and then the words highlighted in blue "watch this video in High Definition". You'll be taken to Vimeo, where this slide show resides, click on the play arrow, and enjoy. Thanks.

Reflections: Veteran's Day Flag 11/11/11

 
Reflection of a Veteran's Day Flag 11/11/11

Veteran's Day - a day to remember and thank all veteran's who have protected this wonderful country of ours and the freedom that we should all cherish. We thank you all ... for all of your sacrifices, because we know that they were not small.

 

Tomatoes - Can You Ever Like Them?

iPhone photo © Peter Tooker

Tomatoes were a real challenge for me to eat when I was a child - perhaps it was the acidity, perhaps it was the 1960's "hot house" tomatoes which were hard as rocks, barely red, and absolutely flavorless. Whatever the reason, I didn't like them and I avoided them at all costs ... until one summer day, when my mother brought a fresh tomato home from a farmer's market. She cajoled me into trying this one, one she promised would be different. She also knew she was working with an impressionable child and "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down".

I watched her slice into this incredibly beautiful, bright red, juicy tomato and could hardly believe this is what a tomato was supposed to look like. She placed a slice each on two plates. She walked me to the living room (where we were never allowed to eat anything), invited me to sit cross-legged on the floor, handed me a napkin, sprinkled each tomato slice with a dusting of granular sugar, and, by example, picked hers up with her fingers and began to eat this wondrously special fruit. 

I was mesmerized by this special moment with my mother and the fact that we were breaking "the rules", but I have to say I fell in love with the tomato that day ... the real ones, the ones that grow in your own garden or at least one in your own town.

My younger sister is still, to this day, trying to find a way to eat tomatoes that she will like. The Tomato and Mustard Tart last summer "sorta" worked, for all the wrong reasons, but I now submit this recipe to her for a sincere "try". This Roasted Tomato Basil Soup is so wonderful, with a medley of flavors that features the tomato but isn't "all about the tomato". Please little sister, and any one else listening, you should try this recipe. Full of flavor with just a touch of heat. I truly believe a doubting-tomato-eater, could become a convert.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Serves 6-8

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
28 ounces canned plum tomatoes with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock
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• Preheat the oven to 400 ℉. 
• Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. 
• In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

 

Hapuna Beach on Hawaii

 

Hapuna Beach on Hawaii © 2011 Claudia Ward

Hapuna Beach on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii is a long stretch of pristine white sand framed to the north and the south by dark lava reefs. The tropical blue waters are warm enough for a long swim and yet cool enough to be refreshing but not cold. The clean waters permit snorkeling and the shallow surf provides for some fun rides for the younger boogie boarders on the beach. As the center of the Hapuna Beach State Recreational Park, the beach is easily accessible. It also has free parking, rest rooms and showers, a snack bar, and beach chairs and umbrellas for rent.

We spent two lazy days walking the beach from end to end, bobbing in the water basking in the beauty all around us. Mauna Kea, the often snow capped mountain on the island, overlooks this beautiful beach, and could be seen or perceived below, behind, or in the clouds, depending on how the wind would blow. The western part of Hawaii is largely desert in nature, and is the only side of the island that has these beautiful white sand beaches - delightful treasures nestled in along the coast.

Enjoy the slide show. If you want to see it in HD, and I recommend you do (the quality is so much better and is what I shot), click on the HD in the lower right corner and it will tell you that you can "watch this video in High Definition on Vimeo". Click on those words and you'll be taken to Vimeo where you simply click on the play button to see it in HD.

 

Photos and Slide Show © Claudia Ward
Music: Wood Wind by the Henry Paul Band 

 Wish you were there?

 

Tomato Art

 "Meaty Tomato" painted by Barbara Andolsek

If you've followed me for any period of time, you know I love the paintings of a California based artist named Barbara Andolsek. Despite the fact that we've never met, we've become quite good friends over the internet, one of the delightful and rewarding benefits of the 21st century. Barbara sources the subjects of her paintings all over, as she has a keen eye and a life-loving spirit, and I'm hugely complimented by the fact that she has chosen to paint a number of my photographs. I'm always surprised and thrilled to see them on her blog, which I encourage you all to follow.

Once again Barbara has painted one of the images posted to Open-Window just last month. She calls it "Meaty Tomato" and rightly so because that's exactly what that beautiful heirloom was. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Heirloom Tomato photograph ©2011 Claudia Ward