Stonington Nights

Friday was an uncommon day in 2009, it didn't rain, nor did it threaten. I took this opportunity to burn some slide film and record a few hundred million bits of data on a memory card. Had I a phone scanner who knows what goodies I'd have from the neighboring homes....but that's not why I write. The moon was full. Maybe that's what drew me (and Joel) to Stonington?!

I've had a love affair with the moon. Quite distant, just as well I suppose. The visual atmosphere is unlike any other when the moon is full and the sky cooperative. Joel and I tried to convince Treasurer Suzanne to join us because she is a noted Deer Isle - Stonington photographic guide. Suzanne told us she'd 'druther be with her husband on his birthday that night. The guy has a birthday once a year. It's nice to know where we stand.

This proved to be a good learning experience for me. I've used graduated neutral density filters for a while. I've never bothered to do comparative shots with slide film just to prove the effect of this filter. I've always relied on the focus/exposure points of my camera (in spot metering mode) to tell me effect.

When the moon crept above the haze (remember, it's FRIDAY night) the sky was still quite bright from the setting sun and the harbor was in shadow. My metering points told me the sky 1.5 + stops over my exposure setting and the darker elements in the harbor were 2 stops under my exposure setting. I slide my 2-stop nutral grad filter down its mount while watching the sky dim in my viewfinder. Luckily I had some fresh coffee. That cleared a few things up............no, wait! We're talking 'dim' in the photographic sense! Anyway, the grad filter brought the sky down nicely. The darker elements in the harbor will still under exposed, but the grad allowed me to increase exposure of the whole scene raising the detail in these darker elements.

The other bit of learning was how pleasing twilight can be for w scenic, especially one with a lot of reflective elements. For a time the harbor took on the tone of the sky. In addition the lighting was quite uniform between the sky and the harbor. Good time to be out. Better if we knew the folks who were wooping it up so much.

This shot wasn't touched up any. I just liked the tone of the scene.

Don't forget that our next meeting is a competition night.

The subject is "Open". Should be easy to comply with the rules!