Archive For The “mountains” Category
A small lake in a bowl at the peak of Trapline Mountain on a sunny August morning. (Robin Rowland)
GPS route to Trapline Mountain (Google Earth)
On Monday August 5, friends invited me along for a trip to Trapline Mountain to photograph the alpine. Trapline Mountain is about 30 kilometres east of Terrace, BC. You get to the mountain first by driving along the road that follows the Copper River and then taking a rough access road to the peak. At the peak is a BC Hydro microwave communications tower. The area is popular with photographers, ATV enthusiasts and the occasional campers in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter.
Black and white images
I have converted most of the images to black and white. Depending on the image I either used Photoshop or SilverEfx.
Another view from the peak of Trapline Mountain. (Robin Rowland)
Another of the mini-lakes at the peak of Trapline Mountain. (Robin Rowland)
The peak of Trapline Mountain. (Robin Rowland)
The tree line just below the peak. (Robin Rowland)
A vertical view of the lake. (Robin Rowland)
A sharp distant peak. (Robin Rowland)
Another view of the mountains. (Robin Rowland)
Flowers and reeds at the shore of a lake a little lower on the mountain. If you look carefully you will see a swarm of flies. (Possibly mayflies?) (Robin Rowland)
Bright plants track a small stream through the alpine. (Robin Rowland)
Ferns and flowers among the broken rocks of the peak. (Robin Rowland)
Colour images
The peak of Trapline Mountain is absolutely beautiful. So I have included some colour images.
A view from the peak. (Robin Rowland)
A closer view. (Robin Rowland)
Another view. (Robin Rowland)
GPS track to the peak of Trapline Mountain (Google Earth)
Haaland Ave. Waterfall
Haaland Ave. Waterfall tumbles off a cliff into the Copper River.
The Haaland Avenue falls on the Copper River, (Robin Rowland)
A pole among the rocks below the falls. (Robin Rowland)
The 93% waning gibbous moon sets over the mountains of Kitimat early Sunday March 24, 2019 as the sun rises. (Robin Rowland)
A closer view of the waning moon over the mountains of Kitimat (Robin Rowland)
The rising sun begins to illuminate the mountain slopes as the moon sets. (Robin Rowland)
Smoke from the Rio Tinto plant over Kitimat harbour as the sun rises on a frosty Sunday morning March 24, 2019. (Robin Rowland)
The moon and Mars rise over Minette Bay, Kitimat, BC, as a meteor streaks over head. You can see Saturn on the far right (Robin Rowland)
This week is a stargazer’s delight. Mars is at its closest approach to Earth, and that means the Red Planet is the brightest it will be from July 27 to July 31 (the latter date is when Mars is actually the closest). Although North America missed the solar eclipse earlier this week, the moon is actually at its smallest, sometimes called a Buck Moon. The giant planets Saturn and Jupiter are high in the southern sky this week. Earlier in the month, Venus was visible as the Evening Star and for those with the proper gear it was possible to get a glance of Mercury.
Kitimat is in the midst of the summer heat wave that is gripping most of North America. Nights are mostly clear although there is some high haze from smoke in the atmosphere stemming from the forest fires in both Siberia and North America.
With all that I drove out to the Kitimat Viewpoint late Saturday July 28, to capture it all.
Gear
Apps (for Android)
The Photographer’s Emphemeris
– told me when the moon will rise and the angle of location. Note: TPE gives moonrise at sea level. That means moonrise in Kitimat is usually between 50 and 70 minutes later depending on where it comes up over the mountains.
A compass app. To check the compass direction of the moonrise as predicted by TPE.
Sky Map. Android app originally developed by Google. Hold up you phone and see location of stars, planets, nebulae, satellite etc.
Camera
Heavy duty Manfrotto tripod
with
Sony Alpha 77, Minolta 17 to 35mm wide angle lens
Mounted with Cokin P121L Neutral density filter (to reduce the glare from the moon)
Handheld
Sony RX10iii
Jupiter and Saturn over Douglas Channel
Jupiter over the Rio Tinto aluminum plant (right) and Saturn (left) over the mountains above Kitamaat Village, about an hour after sunset (Robin Rowland)
The late summer dusk lingers for more than hour after sunset, so even the distant mountains of Douglas Channel can be seen. Jupiter is bright over the Rio Tinto plant at 10:50:33
Sony Alpha 77 ISO 4000 F2.8 1/2.5 of a second
Moonrise
Moonrise over Minette Bay. (Robin Rowland)
The moon is about to rise above the mountain (Robin Rowland)
The first arc of the moon peeked over the mountaintop at about 10:57:40.
The first image in the photoblog was taken at 11:00:23 and the second at 11::02:27
Sony RX10iii, handheld, ISO 4000 f4 1/1000 of a second
The RX1oiii is a high-end carry everywhere point and shoot. Moon was shot at 600mm on manual focus.
The moon reaches for the zenith. (Robin Rowland)
Same settings on the RX10iii at 11:06:50.
Mars rises
Mars rose to the west of the moon at 11:17:08 This image showing the moon, Mars and Minette Bay Lodge was taken 11:18:35.
Sony Alpha 77, manual focus, ISO 2500, f5 at 2.5 seconds
At 11:23:31 same settings
I was bracketing shots, working with different shutter speeds and other settings, still on manual focus. The meteor streak is in just two frames. This was taken at 11:37:05. (The other at 11:36:58 by 11:37:00 the next frame it was gone. I did not notice the meteor streak until I got home.
Alpha 77 ISO 1600, f3.2 at 2.5 seconds
A last look at Jupiter
Jupiter over the Kitimat mountains and the Rio Tinto plant. (Robin Rowland)
At 11:34:02 Jupiter is setting over the mountains behind the Rio Tinto aluminum plant.
Sony Alpha 77 ISO 1600 f2.8 2.5 seconds
A waxing gibbous moon (91 per cent) rises over Kitimat’s iconic Mt. Elizabeth on a frigid afternoon, Febuary 8, 2017.
The nearly full moon peaks above Mt. Elizabeth , Feb 8. 2017 (Robin Rowland)
The moon begins its climb into the sky near the peak of Mt. Elizabeth. (RobinRowland)
And reaches above the twin peaks. (Robin Rowland)
A wider view of the moon over the twin peaks of Mt. Elizabeth (Robin Rowland)
The moon at 83.4 per cent gibbous on February 7. 2017 (Robin Rowland)
On both days, the moon was rising as the sun was setting over the mountains to the southwest.
The moon is setting over Twin Falls, a provincial park, northwest of Smithers, British Columbia on the morning of August 25, 2016. Sony Alpha 7II, with Sony G 70-300. (Robin Rowland)
Converted with Silver FX Pro.
A rare Christmas Eve waxing gibbous (almost full at 98.4 per cent) moonrise over Mt. Elizabeth in Kitimat. (Robin Rowland)
Sony Alpha 55 at 200mm.
The moon rise over Mt. Elizabeth, 500mm Minolta mirror lens with Sony Alpha 77. (Robin Rowland)
About 20 minutes before moonrise. Mt. Elizabeth at dusk. (Robin Rowland)
The moonrise in November (about 20 minutes later so the sky was darker)
A winter full moon rises over Kitimat BC’s iconic Mt. Elizabeth, November 25, 2015.
The moon rises over Mt. Elizabeth, shot for the sky. Sony A7II, using old Vivitar manual Minolta mount 85 to 205 zoom, 1/100 sec, f3,5, ISO 5000, Shutter priority (Robin Rowland)
The moon over Mt. Elizabeth, shot for the moon, a bit noisy, better in black and white. Sony A7II, Vivitar 85 to 205mm, ISO 5000, 1/250 f3.5, Shuter priority (Robin Rowland)
The moonrise begins. Sony A77, Sigma 170-500 at 180mm, 1/30 f5.0, ISO 4000, Shutter priority (Robin Rowland)
Mt. Elizabeth at dusk as I was setting up. Taken at 1649. Alpha 55, Tamron 70 to 300mm at 135, ISO 6400 1/125 at f4.5, Shutter priority (Robin Rowland)
The Photographers’ Ephemeris called for Moon rise at 1654 hrs (at sea level, of course). The first hint of moonrise (on a very cold night) came at 1728.
Another view of the hint of moonrise to come. The sky is dark enough at this point that you can see stars in the sky, before the bright moon floods them out. Sony A77 with Sigma 170-500mm (on tripod) at 180mm, 0.4 sec at f5, ISO 4000 program mode.
The cold November moon, over Kitimat, shot for moon exposure at 1749. Alpha 77, 170 to 500 at 200mm, shutter priority 1/2000, f5.6, ISO 4000. (Robin Rowland)