The Total Solar Eclipse was quite the adventure for Maggie and I: nearly twelve hours and 900-odd miles of driving in one day, with the middle half of the trip hope spent under a thunderstorm that was pacing the same route we were driving. It was worth every mile, and we escaped missing the eclipse beneath thick clouds.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 booster carrying 23 more Starlink V2 Mini satellites to orbit tonight from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. Launch was at 11:09 PM EDT, and was successful. The launch was late in the launch window after two pushbacks on the planned L-0 time due to shifting weather here on the Space Coast.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station earlier this evening. Liftoff was at 7:05 PM EDT, with the rocket taking a southeasterly direction into late afternoon skies. Around eight and one-half minutes after liftoff, B1077, the booster used for the mission, touched down safely on ASDS Just Read The Instructions. At the same time, the second stage continued to orbit, where it delivered another 23 satellites for the Starlink network.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 today from Pad SLC-40 and sent another twenty-four Starlink satellites to orbit. Liftoff occurred at 5:06 PM EST on what might best be described as a “travel brochure day” — crystal clear skies, with a light breeze and temperatures in the high 60s. In other words, the sort of winter day in Florida draws many tourists because the weather is darn near perfect.
After two delays due to high winds, SpaceX launched the PACE Earth-observing satellite to orbit from Cape Canaveral this morning. Seven and one half minutes later, Booster 1081 announced its return to the Space Coast with a sonic boom moments after safely touching down, completing its fourth flight.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the Northrup Grumman NG-20 mission towards ISS this afternoon. The launch was at 12:07 PM EST from the company’s launch pad at SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and once it had completed its part of the mission, Booster 1077 completed its tenth flight when it safely touched down at Landing Zone 1, about 5.6 miles to the south of where it launched a little more than eight minutes earlier.
If you are visiting Florida and want to create a great launch photograph but the launch is at night, take a look at this relatively simple technique that will yield some awesome results: a launch streak shot.
Launch streaks are not difficult for nearly any photographer to create, and it doesn’t take any specialized equipment other than a wide-angle lens and a relatively inexpensive shutter release cable used to keep the shutter of your camera open for several minutes during the flight of the rocket. You’ll also need a tripod that can support the camera as well.
Below is a basic procedure and you too can create a memorable photo that will be one that you keep for years.
United Launch Alliance launched a slimmed down (no solid boosters) Atlas V shortly after 2pm ET from launch pad SLC-41 at Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA, announced after 4pm ET that the launch was successful. This marks ULA’s 158th successful launch in a row.
Photo by Ben Gallagher via Flickr
I was recent asked an interesting question by a young photographer aspiring to turn professional: “what’s the difference between a pro and an advanced amateur?”
It’s an interesting question because I have done both: been a pro shooting on assignments for clients, and also someone who takes photos for fun. There’s no succinct, simple answer, instead, a lot of factors come into play.
Consistency
First of all, and possibly the most important difference between an amateur and a professional photographer is that a professional is consistent: they produce quality output almost every single time they get behind the viewfinder of their camera.
A professional photographer get the shots the client is looking for 99% of the time. Often times, those requirements are a bit nebulous, incomplete or even mostly impossible. It doesn’t matter, they still need to produce high-quality work. Communication and an open mind is key to understanding client needs and a smart pro leaves as little to guesswork as possible.
Bad work means unhappy clients, unhappy clients often don’t pay, and they certainly don’t recommend the photographer to friends or colleagues. That photographer probably won’t be in business for a long time. In other words, they won’t be a professional photographer.
Craft
Pro photographers are made, not born. They might have the greatest eye in the world, but they also have to have “craft” to execute what they envision. Craft is a good working knowledge of the technical aspects of photography. In a way, it’s almost like learning vocabulary, grammar and spelling if you aspire to be a professional writer. To get that craft, pros master exposure, depth-of-field, focus, lighting, color theory and so on and they are usually experts on the subject.
Professional photographers also know how to set up their cameras and other gear to get exactly the shot that they are looking for — they either have experience shooting the scenario they are currently working on, and know what lens, shutter speed and aperture works best, or they can make an educated guess that will get them in the ballpark.
These days, “craft” incorporates more than skills behind a camera. It also means having skills in post-processing shots taken in the field or in the studio
SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit on a southeasterly trajectory late in the evening on September 15, 2023. This view was captured on US-1 in Titusville.
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