Gangolf, your entries always elevate SummitPost, but they're hard on us mortals, trying to keep up.
A word about photgraphing auras (aurae?) and similar phenomena: Once I shot some beautiful, multicolored sparkles off hoarfrost crystals and was disappointed in how dull the pictures came out. It occurred to me that the color we see is highly dependent on the direction we view from. A little movement of the head, and the color of a sparkle changes. If you photograph them with a large lens, the light from a single crystal is one color where it strikes one part of the objective lens, and another color at the other side. Those colors are recombined where the lens focuses them onto your film or image sensor, and you get a washed-out average of the individual brilliant colors you saw.
The upshot is that people with big, expensive cameras with huge lenses lose the intensity of color, while people with little pocket cameras have a tiny lens, closer to the size of the eye, and they get more intense color from such phenomena.
When shooting colored sparkles on snow, stopping the lens down to a smaller diameter helps preserve the color. On more distant phenomena, like your auras, it doesn't matter so much, but might make some difference. On a far-off rainbow, it wouldn't matter at all.
Your aura pictures are classics; I'm going to show them to my kids.
Gangolf Haub - Oct 12, 2008 2:32 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Beautiful
Thanks Eric - I hadn't spent much of a thought on this, actually. Also, I usuallly don't notice those sparcles and colours myself but Judith does. She always tries to catch them with her little p&s camera but it never turns out satisfyingly. I had thought, that maybe a longer exposure time would give you a greater chance of catching dewdrop sparcles but so far I haven't been successful either.
I noted it elsewhere that I used a polarizer for these shots, which helps a lot with rainbow phenomena of any kind. Next time I'll use a combination of all above, hoping to finally get what I'm (or Judith is) after.
Hi Gangolf,
Your report is very nice, I was particularly impressed by your panoramic views, they are the best I have seen so far.
thanks for posting
cheers Johnnie
Gangolf Haub - Oct 13, 2008 8:01 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Wow
Thanks Johnnie! If you love panoramas, visit
http://www.alpen-panoramen.de/
The ones there make my own look poor. Right beside the "Home" Link they have the "Panoramen" Link. Click on "Top Panoramen" and enjoy. They also have a fancy way of labelling their panoramas...
Hi Gangolf, I checked out the site and was very impressed with the content. I still think that your report with its panoramic views was outstanding and in no way overshadowed.
cheers Johnnie
I have always said that clouds have their own beauty...and can add a new dimension to the views on a mountain. These pictures prove this point completely. Although, as a hiker, you see clouds as something that can end a day's hike quite quickly...I guesss you learn to appreciate in the moment when you hike as you never know when the weather will change.
Gangolf Haub - Oct 15, 2008 2:52 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Clouds
I have to agree. If you look at the top pictures on this site you'll almost always see clouds involved. Also, on a day like the one described in this tr you could simply sit down in one place and observe the ever changing vista.
Hey Gangolf,
Just saw your amazing pics of the "spectre" phenomenon. I've heard about them but never seen one represented so well, beautiful shot! I too will show them to my kids! Also, whats up with that sunken steeple, thats pretty wild!
Cheers from California!
Jeff
Eric Sandbo - Oct 11, 2008 7:10 pm - Voted 10/10
BeautifulGangolf, your entries always elevate SummitPost, but they're hard on us mortals, trying to keep up.
A word about photgraphing auras (aurae?) and similar phenomena: Once I shot some beautiful, multicolored sparkles off hoarfrost crystals and was disappointed in how dull the pictures came out. It occurred to me that the color we see is highly dependent on the direction we view from. A little movement of the head, and the color of a sparkle changes. If you photograph them with a large lens, the light from a single crystal is one color where it strikes one part of the objective lens, and another color at the other side. Those colors are recombined where the lens focuses them onto your film or image sensor, and you get a washed-out average of the individual brilliant colors you saw.
The upshot is that people with big, expensive cameras with huge lenses lose the intensity of color, while people with little pocket cameras have a tiny lens, closer to the size of the eye, and they get more intense color from such phenomena.
When shooting colored sparkles on snow, stopping the lens down to a smaller diameter helps preserve the color. On more distant phenomena, like your auras, it doesn't matter so much, but might make some difference. On a far-off rainbow, it wouldn't matter at all.
Your aura pictures are classics; I'm going to show them to my kids.
Gangolf Haub - Oct 12, 2008 2:32 am - Hasn't voted
Re: BeautifulThanks Eric - I hadn't spent much of a thought on this, actually. Also, I usuallly don't notice those sparcles and colours myself but Judith does. She always tries to catch them with her little p&s camera but it never turns out satisfyingly. I had thought, that maybe a longer exposure time would give you a greater chance of catching dewdrop sparcles but so far I haven't been successful either.
I noted it elsewhere that I used a polarizer for these shots, which helps a lot with rainbow phenomena of any kind. Next time I'll use a combination of all above, hoping to finally get what I'm (or Judith is) after.
DrJonnie - Oct 13, 2008 7:44 am - Hasn't voted
WowHi Gangolf,
Your report is very nice, I was particularly impressed by your panoramic views, they are the best I have seen so far.
thanks for posting
cheers Johnnie
Gangolf Haub - Oct 13, 2008 8:01 am - Hasn't voted
Re: WowThanks Johnnie! If you love panoramas, visit
http://www.alpen-panoramen.de/
The ones there make my own look poor. Right beside the "Home" Link they have the "Panoramen" Link. Click on "Top Panoramen" and enjoy. They also have a fancy way of labelling their panoramas...
DrJonnie - Oct 14, 2008 5:19 am - Hasn't voted
PanoramasHi Gangolf, I checked out the site and was very impressed with the content. I still think that your report with its panoramic views was outstanding and in no way overshadowed.
cheers Johnnie
imzadi - Oct 14, 2008 1:53 pm - Hasn't voted
Cloudswonderful post!!
I have always said that clouds have their own beauty...and can add a new dimension to the views on a mountain. These pictures prove this point completely. Although, as a hiker, you see clouds as something that can end a day's hike quite quickly...I guesss you learn to appreciate in the moment when you hike as you never know when the weather will change.
Gangolf Haub - Oct 15, 2008 2:52 am - Hasn't voted
Re: CloudsI have to agree. If you look at the top pictures on this site you'll almost always see clouds involved. Also, on a day like the one described in this tr you could simply sit down in one place and observe the ever changing vista.
jeffbirk - Oct 15, 2008 2:02 am - Hasn't voted
Amazing Spectre pics!Hey Gangolf,
Just saw your amazing pics of the "spectre" phenomenon. I've heard about them but never seen one represented so well, beautiful shot! I too will show them to my kids! Also, whats up with that sunken steeple, thats pretty wild!
Cheers from California!
Jeff