(A story with pictures. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.)
I make a suggestion."Let's go outside and see if we can see the moon now."
"OK, let me get my flip flops." says the assistant. If it has to do with outside, at night, he's ready to go.
"Yep, there it is. Let's see if we can see it better over the trees out in the pasture."
"In the pasture?"the assistant asks.
I answer, "Yea, but wait, we need the camera. And a chair and a towel."
Assistant: "What do you need a towel for? To sit on?"
"No, to rest the camera on." I explained. Half way to the pasture I realize it's getting darker. We might not be able to find our way back in the dark. "Hey go get our flash light so we can see."
"OK, but you sit right there in the chair until I get back. Don't move." he said.
Waiting on the assistant I play with the settings taking pictures of the trees.
Here he comes. Light shining every where but wher he's walking, flashing like a strobe light. Now we have to cross the barbed wire fence.
"You go first."I said. Assistant attempts to squeeze between the top two wires and the bottom wire.
"Agghh, I've caught my pajama bottoms." Assistant yells. "Here we go, I got through."
"Here's the chair." I throw the lawn chair over. "I got it." He says and starts dragging it through the field.
I squeeze throught the lines of wire, catching my hair and pulling it free. I look down. there's a snake. Blink. No, it's just a crooked ole stick. Heart returns to normal rate. "OK, I'll take the chair now. Let's go over here towards the middle. Gotta get away from those trees."
"Shine the light over here. Now watch for snakes." remembering the one over by the fence. I set the chair down. Assistant, quick as lighting, sits down in the chair.
"No you can't sit in the chair, it's to prop the camera up on." I said.
"OK, I'll sit down here beside the chair." He swings down out of the chair holding on to
the arm.
I take another couple of pictures, then the buzzing starts. "You hear all the skeeters?" I asked. "Yep" he said. "Hurry up"
"Well, let go of the chair. Your going to make my picture all blurry" I hurriedly change 
the settings up and down, round and round. I finally try the Auto mode. Finanly, I got the color right. I just wish it were closer.
"Arggh, we gotta go. Hurry up the skeeters are eating me" the Assistant cries.
"OK, OK, I can't take it." I jumped up."Run for the fence." 
Light goes every where just like a disco ball. "Shine the light where we need to go, please." I begged.
We made it back through the barbed wire fence. No snags. Back at the house, we tended to the whelps on our arms and face.
Out of a dozen or so pictures, only one or two are worth anything. Which only proves 
the value of digital photography. How else can you take pictures, run back to the house, hook up to your computer and immediately see what was recorded?
I love Digital Photography.
And so the moon is getting fuller by the day and I haven't mastered the perfect aperature and shutter speed. I have also made the determination that the following equipment is necessary for Photographic Adventures chasing the moon.
- Tripod
- Note pad and pencil for recording aperature and shutter settings
- Flashlight, one for your assistant and one for you if you want to see where your going.
- Skeeter repellant
- Chair for Assistant
- Here's a website that shows you a simulation of what phase the moon is at this website: Virtual Reality Moon Phase Pictures (I found this at Short Courses web site)
A long time ago I had the perfect combination figured out on my Minolta SLR. The saying rings true "If you don't use it, you lose it". I haven't used that piece of information in quite a while. Need to write this stuff down. So.......
While I'm re-learning about how to adjust settings on the internet, I have started a link list of Digital Photography How To Sites on my Daily Shots Page for reference when I forget again.
We shall try again, shooting the moon tomorrow night a little more educated.
