Black Forest Fire Sunset – June 2013

This past June saw a number of wildfires all over the West, and Colorado was no slouch, with a number of fires to the North of us, the West, South, and East of us. The closest was the deadly and destructive Black Forest Fire. I did a quick post of it HERE.

For a few days, the smoke from various fires combined along the Front Range and literally changed the sky.

The following photos are shown as shot from my deck. Not modified, not sharpened, not enhanced. The difference between photos is due to where I metered for each one (matrix, local, or spot), and also on the zoom.

We had never seen the sun look like this. For one thing, you could look at it directly, even with binoculars.

I could, and did meter directly on the sun’s disc for a few of the photos where I used my big zoom lens.

That is not something I would ever do in other circumstances; it would likely fry my sensor.

It is difficult to convey the eeriness of the sight. From some primitive part of one’s brain, the thought “Oh crap! We’re done for!” is pushed to the forefront as you look at the unfamiliar sight.

. . . and then the rational part takes over . . . “This is cool! How often do I get to see the sun’s disc in such detail with the naked eye?”

And then . . . .

I quickly grabbed the tripod, mounted the camera, and started filming.

Once I started filming, I did not touch the camera. The occasional tremors are from the wind rocking the deck and tripod.

Unfortunately, I had left the camera on automatic, so the exposure automatically adjusted on its own. That’s why you see the flashes at various points in the movie, the rapid succession of flashes just before the end of the movie, and the brightening once the sun set. It’s the camera adjusting the exposure to changing lighting conditions.

. . . hence why I’m an amateur and don’t make the big bucks.

The show, however, was not over . . .

Also as shot (and slightly out of focus), what the moon looked like later that evening.

At the time of these photos, we had our emergency evacuation plans in place, the cars packed with the important stuff, and were ready to book. It got close (five miles), but we stayed just outside the evacuation zone.

The movie embedded above is sized for the blog. The YouTube HD version is HERE, and the SmugMug album of the photos and video is HERE.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o o o o o o ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Astute persons might have noticed these doodles, and correctly surmised they hold some significance for me, and perhaps for humanity at large.  

If you click on the doodle, and nothing happens, this is the link it’s supposed to go to: https://disperser.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/palm-vx-and-i/.

<><><><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><><><>

Note: if you are not reading this blog post at Disperser.Wordpress.com, know that it has been copied without permission, and likely is being used by someone with nefarious intention, like attracting you to a malware-infested website.  Could be they also torture small mammals.

<><><><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><><><o><><><><><><><><><>

Please, if you are considering bestowing me some recognition beyond commenting below, refrain from doing so.  I will decline nominations whereby one blogger bestows an award onto another blogger, or group of bloggers.   I appreciate the intent behind it, but I would much prefer a comment thanking me for turning you away from a life of crime, religion, or making you a better person in some other way.  That would actually mean something to me.

Should you still nominate me, I will strongly suspect you pulled my name at random, and that you are not, in fact, a reader of my blog.  If you wish to know more, please read below.

About awards: Blogger Awards          About “likes”:   Of “Likes”, Subscriptions, and Stuff

Note: to those who may click on “like”, or rate the post; if you do not personally hear from me, know that I am sincerely appreciative, and I thank you for noticing what I do.

. . .  my FP ward  . . . chieken shit.