The sky cleared. With a clear view of the moon, I set up the camera and 300mm lens on a tripod. Skipped the 1.7 teleconverter.

The handheld shot from a few nights ago really isn’t bad. However, in tonight’s photo, I can really see all the craters along the edge of the moon.

Nikon D800, AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm F/2.8G IF-ED II, ISO 100, 300mm, f/8, 1/200s

I experimented with different exposures. Seems that leaving it slightly underexposed preserved the most details.

The Nikon 300mm and 1.7 teleconverter test will have to wait. The full moon is obscured by clouds tonight.

Four months ago, I took a photo of the Waxing Gibbous Moon with the all-purpose 28-300mm lens.

Tonight, I photographed a 90% full Waxing Gibbous Moon.

Nikon D800, AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED II, ISO 100, 500mm, f/4.8, 1/250s

Handheld, but I really need to get this combo (300mm f/2.8 + TC-17EII) on a tripod. The 300mm lens is a beast. Even though I was bracing myself against the car, there were more misses than hits. For a change, I had to scale down the image of the moon to fit the page.

I’ve been to Shoreline Amphitheater for July 4th. While the concert was fun, getting out of the parking lot was an absolute mess. So, this year we got the cheap seats at Shoreline Lake. We arrived so early that we even found abundant street parking. However, the police had barricaded the closest streets and parking lots.

Nikon D800, AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 62mm, -0.7 EV, f/2.8, 3.0s

So, we sat around and looked at the birds and waited for sunset. The -0.7 EV was an accident. Forgot to switch back after shooting some sunset photos, but no harm, no foul.

I thought the fireworks would start around 9:30 p.m. From our location, we could hear and sometimes see the firework shows in nearby cities. However, 9:30 passed. 9:45 passed. The kids were getting restless. Finally, the show started at 9:51 PM. In the shadows, you can see a sailboat. You can rent a boat from the Aquatic Center and view the fireworks from the middle of the lake if you wish.

Nikon D800, AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 70mm, -0.7 EV, f/8, 3.1s

I really enjoyed this vantage point because the fireworks were reflected across the lake.

Nikon D800, AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 58mm, -0.7 EV, f/8, 4.3s

I was shooting in manual mode at f/8 and the shutter set to bulb. Click the remote to open and close the shutter.

This one looks like a dandelion. Surprisingly, the waterfowl were completely unfazed by the fireworks.

Getting closer and closer to a full moon. After taking a Waxing Gibbous Moon photo a few days ago, I decided to head back out again.

The colors are all off because I took this around 6:30 PM, about an hour before sunset, when the sky was anything but black.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 300mm, f/8, 1/320s

After shooting the Waxing Crescent Moon a couple of nights ago, I headed back out tonight to see what the night sky had to offer.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 300mm, f/20, 1/30s

When viewed at 100%, the craters appear soft. If I reduce the image to 50%, the lunar landscape is better defined.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, 300mm, f/18, 1/30s

Full moons are special. I am quite amazed at all the details I can see in a photo of a full moon, considering that the moon is 238,900 miles away from Earth.

For a change of pace, I decided to head out tonight to take a look at the waxing crescent moon in the night sky. I was testing the TC-17EII, which is a 1.7 teleconverter. 200mm x 1.7 should be 340mm, but iPhoto reported it as 330mm.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, TC-17 EII, ISO 100, 330mm, f/8, 1/30s

Took off the teleconverter for another series of photos.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, ISO 100, 200mm, f/8, 1/25s

Then, switched to the 28-300mm.

Nikon D800, AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5G-5.6 ED VR, ISO 100, 300mm, f/11, 1/30s

Nikon D7000, AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 G II ED, ISO 100, 75mm, -2 EV, f/5, 1/40s

After visiting the Desert View Watchtower in the late afternoon, we headed back to the Kachina Lodge. On the return trip, we pulled over as often as we could to see the Grand Canyon at sunset. As the sun dipped down, the bright sky transformed into a rich pink and purple palette. Absolutely gorgeous.

The Lawrence Hall of Science is a children’s science museum in Berkeley, California. Located in the Berkeley Hills, it offers a beautiful panoramic view of the San Francisco bay. Used an ND filter to smooth out the spray of the fountain.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 48mm, f/22, 13.0s

At 4:22 PM, the view was nothing spectacular, especially with the atmospheric haze.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 35mm, f/22, 1/400s, -2 EV

By 5:38 PM, the sun dropped right behind the Golden Gate bridge and rendered the cityscape into a sepia-toned monochrome.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 66mm, f/18, 1/500s, -2 EV

By 5:52 PM, the sun was going, going, gone…

Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 66mm, f/8, 1/100s

Then began the long wait for the city lights to flicker on. Since this was over President’s Day weekend, I wasn’t sure if the office buildings would be lit at night. However, by 6:35 PM, Bay Area was aglow. From my vantage point, it was hard to tell whether the lights in San Francisco were on or not because they were so faint.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 100, 40mm, f/2.8, 4.0s