Weblog Entry - 11/09/2003: "nap definitely needed"

It's been a busy photo weekend. Saturday started with a predawn meet up of the Baltimore Large Format Group at Federal Hill for some sunrise shots of the Baltimore skyline. The sudden arrival of a cold front, though it brought clear skies, left me wishing for another layer or three of insulation. That's the trouble with being nothing but skin and bones, cold temperatures just suck the heat right out of your core. The shivers and chills were much relieved by the group's next stop, the Daily Grind in Fells Point. After a nice hot double Mocha I was ready to venture out into the chilly wind and play LF for another hour or two.

The main event didn't start until later that evening. I set up at the end of a pier in the Inner Harbor to photograph the lunar eclipse. Having only two tripods, I was limited to using the view camera to shoot with the multi-exposure technique in b/w and using the pinClack with some color film for a long star trail type pinhole exposure. The show started with perfectly clear skies and I got a nice series of shots of the moon crawling heavenward until about the midpoint of the eclipse. A few minutes before totality, a thick bank of clouds which had been lurking to the north decided it was time to get in the show. I tried to time the last few exposures fro the brief moments when the moon found a break in the cloud cover. The last half of the eclipse was hidden behind a gray wall too thick to make continuing worthwhile. I wasn't disappointed at all but actually rather relieved. Despite being dressed in several thick layers, gloves and hat, the cold wind blowing across the water was making my pierside perch quite uncomfortable. I was thankful for clear skies to record the beginning of the eclipse and just as thankful to have an excuse to pack up and go home to some hot soup.

The b/w negs from yesterday's play look pretty good. The Baltimore skyline from Federal Hill is perhaps the most photogrpahed view in the city, so most of my shots from there look a lot like the thousands of others. I did get one of the just rising sun across the harbor, with a bit of the American Visionary Art Museum whirlygig and the Domino Sugar plant. The eclipse shot looks promising, with 15 tiny moons marching across the sky. Won't know about the pinClack efforts until Monday evening at the earliest but I have my fingers crossed that the trick worked.

It would have been nice to have had clear skies all night, and some warmer weather. No complaints here, though. Getting the energy sucked out of me by the cold last night makes for an excellent excuse for a Sunday afternoon nap.