Perseid Meteor Shower

For my latest assignment for the HCCVB blog, Mom and I packed blankets, lawn chairs, my camera, tripod, and remote trigger, and we headed to McCloud Nature Park to see the Perseid Meteor Shower.

This annual meteor shower peaked over the weekend (very convenient), and at its height, experts predicted that we could see up to 60 meteors per hour. We didn't see nearly that many (it happened in the wee hours of the morning...way past my bedtime), but in the couple hours we were gazing, we did get to see some great shooting stars.

This park hosts the Indiana Astronomy Society once a month during the summer, and they welcome the public to come for free and peer through the eyepiece of their telescopes. The program on Saturday night was a special event for the meteor shower, and I wasn't sure how many people we'd be joining. Mom and I actually looked at each other and said, "Well, we could be the only people there, but that's okay."

So we were wonderfully surprised when we drove into the park and saw a full parking lot and dozens of people already camped out, waiting for darkness to fall. By the time it was truly dark, there were more than 100 people there. I was thrilled to see that kind of turnout for a park program.

It's been years since I did any night sky photography, and this just got me itching to do more!

Stargazing at McCloud Nature Park

I will never forget the first time I looked through the eyepiece on a telescope and saw the rings of Saturn with my own two eyes. Sure, I’d been learning about our solar system for years in science class at school, but truly grasping the existence of other planets and celestial bodies can only go so far when you’re learning from a textbook.

Seeing it for yourself, though, even if it’s small and hasn’t been richly colored in photo-editing software—seeing the rings of Saturn, the Great Red Spot of Jupiter, and multiple moons orbiting these planets… it makes it all real. Read more... 

Top 10 evening activities and upcoming races

If you're looking for ways to enjoy (cooler!) summer evenings, or you want to lace up your running shoes, my latest two posts on the HCCVB blog should give you some ideas.


Top 10 things to do on a summer night in Hendricks County
Long days and nice weather mean we’re all looking for ways to spend more time outside, and Hendricks County has endless options for you! Whether you’re looking for family-friendly fun, cultural festivities, or a night on the town, here are 10 ideas to get you started. Read more...


Upcoming events allow runners, walkers to see Hendricks County on foot
Runners and walkers alike — both seasoned athletes and beginners — have more than a dozen opportunities to participate in organized fun runs and timed races through the rest of 2012. Check out this list highlighting some of the scheduled events throughout Hendricks County— and bookmark it for future inspiration. Read more...


Did I miss anything that you would add to these lists?

You can also find all of my posts for the HCCVB on my author page.

Balloon glow

August means it's State Fair time in Indiana, and this year, I got to see something that I've been wanting to for years: the evening glow of the hot air balloons.

The annual balloon race has been a tradition for many years, though it was just moved to Saturday morning (from Friday) a few years ago. For me, this is great news, because it actually gives me a chance to see it. The night before the race, the balloons gather in the infield of the fairgrounds. They inflate but don't leave the ground, and as the sunlight fades, the light of the propane burners turns the balloons into giant lanterns.

The field is clear of spectators while the balloons are being inflated, but we were able to watch from outside the fenced area and see part of the process.

Each balloon, as it was inflating, had one or two team members holding tight to a tether on the very top, keeping it straight and (for the most part) away from its neighbors.

It looked a bit like they were playing tug-o-war with Goliath.

The sight of the illuminated balloons is truly spectacular. You can help but smile in awe, whether you're six or 86.

The evening's emcee had the pilots do several coordinated "all glows," where they all lit up together (as you see below).

When all the balloons had successfully inflated, we were cleared to come closer and wander amongst them.

I was amazed by the intensity of the heat that emanates from the propane burners, and I didn't get any closer than about 15 feet away. I can imagine that the people in the actual basket stay pretty toasty on cool morning rides!

If I had a good opportunity to go for a ride in a hot air balloon, I'd take it. So far, the cost has been prohibitive for me (expect to shell out around $300 for a trip!), but maybe someday I'll suck it up and get a chance to do it.

Have you ever ridden in a balloon? Would you?

106/365 Scenes from the parking lot

How about we make this a theme week? It's been a while, and I was struck with inspiration this week! The theme is "scenes from the parking lot." (It sounds a bit like a theme from This American Life, doesn't it?) All photos will be ones I capture in or from a parking lot. 

First up: this one's dark (done at night without a tripod handy), but here's the idea: My high school has undergone some much-needed renovations over the past 18-24 months, and it looks like everything is complete. I believe the lights in this photo are actually glowing from inside the new gym, but I haven't been inside, so I'm not 100% sure!

I drive by the school every time I go to my parents' house, so it's been fun to watch the progress and imagine what things look like on the inside. One addition to the school that I'll get to check out next month is an auditorium. Until this year, the school has been presenting concerts, plays, and other programs from the cafetorium -- a stage at one end of the cafeteria.

It's worked okay for the past 30 years, but it's about time these kids got a real auditorium! I'll be helping with the annual Junior Miss program again next month (actually emceeing the show), so I'll get to check out the auditorium firsthand and see the view from the stage itself.

No pressure, huh?

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/8 second, f/3.5 at ISO 500 at about 8:00 p.m.

70/365 Full moon

Imagine what it would be like living on a planet orbited by multiple moons. Our lone moon captivates quite a bit of our human attention as it is; do you think it would escalate exponentially with more?

Would the obsession with nocturnal creatures (i.e. the Cullens) become even more stratospheric?

Seeing as how we're not likely to acquire any more moons in the foreseeable future, I'll stick to enjoying this one. I'll also enjoy the fact that getting photos like this with my latest lens is possible without serious amounts of cropping. And that's pretty darn cool.


Camera: Canon 40D with 70-300mm IS lens, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 and 300mm at about 9:30 p.m.

36/365 Cooky neighbors

Come nightfall, one house in my neighborhood stands out. During the day, it masquerades as an ordinary ranch-style house nestled in a well-established neighborhood.

But when the sun sets, it looks like a small airport.

These neighbors have accent lighting focused on every. Single. Tree. And Bush. And Rock. And window around the house. Seriously. Their electricity bill must be astronomical. The patriarch of the family has also boasted about their highly sophisticated video security system.

And all that makes me wonder is: what the heck do you have in there? Because while the house is very nice, it's nothing special, or large, or fancy. It's just an ordinary home. An ordinary home that doesn't normally require that kind of security.

The mystery-novel reader in me wonders what's going on behind those closed doors.

Camera: Canon 40D, 10 seconds, f/5.6 at ISO 100 at about 9:30 p.m.

314/365 New theme: black and white

After a week of photos taken before noon, it's time for a new theme!

Ready for it?

Black and white.

I adore black and white photography, and I don't convert my color photos to black and white nearly enough. The challenging part of this theme is that not every subject looks good in black and white. For instance, red and green look like equal shades of gray when you remove the color.

Granted, if that's what you're going for, then by all means, shades of red and green together make a great black and white photo.

Black and white is great for focusing the eye on detail. Subtract all the distraction of vibrant colors, and you end up with texture and form. The photo above is of the tower at the Murat Centre in downtown Indianapolis. It's a theater/concert venue with very interesting architectural detail -- a fact which makes it great for shooting in black and white.

I love night photography, too. I admit it's more fun when the temperature is above 32°F, though.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/50s, f/4 at ISO 1600 at about 6:30 p.m.

270/365 Dusting of snow

Around this time of year, I start to get very excited about the prospect of snow. I get jealous hearing stories of 12 inches in other states -- or even in the northern portion of our own state.

I believe that winter isn't winter without snow. After January 2, I'm ready for 75 degrees and sunshine again -- but I feel like living in those mild conditions year round would just make the passage of time feel very slow. You don't get any seasonal signs that the year is progressing. And what is Christmas without the prospect of a blanket of white?

But alas, I live in central Indiana. So the vast majority of our snowfalls consist of a dusting or perhaps an inch of accumulation. And I'm not really interested in moving north.

So I guess I'm stuck, huh?

Camera: Canon 40D, 2 seconds, f/4 at ISO 100, lit by an incandescent porch light at about 9:00 p.m.

159/365 Friday night lights

When a home football game is happening at my old high school, you can see it from miles away.

The glow of the lights is easily visible, which you can see above the trees in the middle of this photo. It makes you realize how difficult it is to see -- and catch -- a ball if you're on the field and you look directly toward a light.

If you're into football, I think approaching and driving toward that glow is kind of exciting, even if I'm not at the game itself. What I find especially cool is hearing the band from miles away. Nothing says America quite like that!

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000 at about 9:30 p.m.

54/365 Distant lightning

Spring storm season has arrived, so I greeted it on my front porch with my tripod and remote trigger in hand, hoping to catch some good lightning shots.

But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. It started raining before the bolts of lightning moved within sight, so I had to move to cover.

I love good lightning photos, but not enough to subject my camera to the elements. I guess that means I'm not cut out to be a true storm chaser. Or at least I won't be until I have money to burn on multiple cameras.

Better luck next time.

Camera: Canon 40D, 72 seconds, f/8 at ISO 200 at about 11:00 p.m.

346/365 Venus blazing

I looked in the sky last week for a glimpse of Comet Lulin with no luck. This pale green comet was supposed to be visible with binoculars, but on the nights I tried looking, either the light pollution or cloud cover obscured my view.

But in the opposite direction on the last two nights, Venus has been absolutely stunning. It looks like a fluorescent bulb in the sky.

In this photo, you can see the fainter star trails near the top of the frame, and Venus is the bright white streak in the middle. You can see it unaided; all you have to do is look directly west after sunset, and you can't miss it.

Camera: Canon 40D, about 15 minutes, f/8 at ISO 100 around 8:30 p.m.

256/365 Barn lights

I was so bummed on Tuesday morning when I saw on the news that I missed a rare alignment of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter.

Usually I make it a point to step outside and see all of the cool celestial events, so I'm disappointed I missed this.

I stepped outside Tuesday evening to check it out, but by then I was too late. I had my camera ready, so instead of getting a shot of the night sky, I focused on the barn.

This shot reminds me of a pair of eyes gazing out, and I like that some of the light is spilling onto the little bit of remaining snow.

Camera: Canon 40D 1s, f/11 at ISO 400 at about 7:45 p.m.