contrails

As the sun sets on the last day of 2020, I’d like to think this jet is dragging the old year away with it into the pale blue yonder. The worst year ever in so many ways. We’ll never forget you, 2020, but we never want to see your like again.

Canon 90D with Sigma 150-600mm f5-f6.3 DG OS HSM zoom lens at 600mm. ISO 800 1/640 at f6.3 Full frame and processed in Lightroom.

Moon at first quarter

Shot taken on 20 December while waiting for the sky to darken for shots of the Jupiter Saturn conjunction.

Canon 90D with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM C lens at 600mm, all mounted of a Benro GH2 gimbal. Back-button focus and two-second delay. ISO 1000 1/1250 at f6.3. Processed and cropped in Lightroom.

Sunset over the Val di Chiana

These two shots of the sunset over the Val di Chiana – Val di Chio in the foreground – we taken while I was waiting for the sky to get dark enough for the Jupiter Saturn conjunction on 20 December. Another demonstration of the magic of the Sigma 150-600mm zoom. Love that lens!

Canon 90D with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM C zoom lens at 150mm for the upper shot, 267mm for the lower one. Upper shot ISO800 1/1600 at f6.3; lower shot ISO1600 1.3200 at f6.3. Both shots full frame, processed in Lightroom.

Jupiter Saturn Conjunction

Given this conjunction only occurs every twenty years, and when it does, the planets often aren’t visible or they don’t get to this level of apparent closeness, this was a rare opportunity. The shot was taken on 20 December, one day earlier than the closest position, but my hopes for that one were dashed by cloudy weather. In fact, here in Tuscany, this was the best shot to be had.

What I particularly like about the shot is the array of the four Galilean moons that added a three-dimensional effect to the image.

Canon 90D with Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG OS HSM C lens at 600mm mounted on a Benro GH2 gimbal, back-button focus, mirror up with 2 sec delay. ISO 8000 1/100 ad f6.3. Tweaked and cropped in Lightroom

Sunrise

A couple of mornings ago I was hoping to catch the final sliver of the old moon before it became new again. But it was cloudy and instead I was greeted by this wonderful sunrise over hills across the valley. Shot on my iPhone.

Sky On Fire!

The advantage of a very long lens is that you can almost climb inside a sunset. This shot, taken from our balcony on an evening with a particularly dramatic sunset, was one of my first with my new Sigma telephoto zoom. It’s one fabulous lens.

Canon 90D with Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM C lens at 600mm. ISO1000 1/640 at f8. Handheld.