Quoting Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com>:

...

Talk about being in the right place at the right time...

I was told it's "F8 and be there". That photo has generated lots of interest including a fellow down a Johnson Space Center, from what I gather it is the only non-governmental photo of the debris field and we were the only people to witness the impact (which I missed !!) Two of our group saw a fingernail sized flash but they were using binoculars and I had a 770mm William Optics 80mm scope (w/ 1.4X multiplier) on a D200. Once they spotted the dot, I picked it up and shot 4 frames not believing it was the satellite. I looked up to see if I could spot it as it was bright and lost it. We noticed that the 3.67M AEOS scope was tracking the dot to the north and to the horizon, this whole event might have been a minute long. Then we watched the eclipse ...................... aloha Rob

“F8 or be square.” You the man, Rob. My hero for the day. FWIW: I know that Patrick realizes there’s more to great photography than being in the right place, although that does help, doesn’t it Rob? Rob, Tyler and other U-A gallery greats are good because of preparation and learned skill, plus a lot of talent. I tip my hat to you all (can’t name everyone, but others have also posted some great pics over the years). Some of the very best photos that I’ve taken were with my first 35mm camera, strictly manual, and a 50mm lens, the only lens that I owned. One of my favorite places to shoot and where I learned a lot was at the oil refinery and RR tracks about a mile from my home back then. Some of those pics were pretty good by photographic standards, if I dare say so myself. BTW, 35mm slides that I’ve scanned at home or have had done “professionally” have never turned out satisfactorily. Anyone on this list have suggestions? Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Rob Ratkowski Photography Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 10:53 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] 15,000 views and counting Patrick just think, UTAH ASTRONOMY was where the image was 1st posted!! "F8 and be there" Rob _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com ______________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned by Cut.Net Managed Email Content Service, using Skeptic(tm) technology powered by MessageLabs. For more information on Cut.Nets Content Service, visit http://www.cut.net ______________________________________________________________________ Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1128 - Release Date: 11/13/2007 11:09 AM Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1128 - Release Date: 11/13/2007 11:09 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a 4x5 monorail but I'd like to find a cheap 4x5 field camera. The monorail is a must for my architectural work, but of course too heavy and bulky for a lot of outdoor stuff, at least for me. I'm also still looking at upgrading my D70. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Rob Ratkowski Photography Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 12:57 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] 15,000 views and counting Thanks Kim You are right "Be Prepared". AND what also helps is having the gear to just go , pick what seems to be the 'right' lens/scope and know where the target will be. I had one of the IfA astronomers along that got some up to the minute info as to where and when to look from contacts at the AEOS scope, otherwise we would have know that it would be 'over there' >>>>>>>. I think of this as just plain luck, I didn't think it was possible that the shot was 300 mi. away and there's no way we can see it. Three of us saw it so I know it wasn't a mass hallucination. Again just lucky (and being 10,000 ft up helped too!!) As for scanning slides, scan high and reduce the size after the scan. Remember the info is locked in the physical base and what you have is what you got. There is a slight amount of contrast, color correction and sharpness that can be applied but it shows when pushed too far. The only film I shoot on a regular basis is 4X5 and 8X10 Fujichrome, I might shoot a roll of slides every other month, a few years ago I'd shoot a minimum 20 rolls a week. Bottom line is "HAVE FUN". aloha Rob _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com ______________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned by Cut.Net Managed Email Content Service, using Skeptic(tm) technology powered by MessageLabs. For more information on Cut.Nets Content Service, visit http://www.cut.net ______________________________________________________________________ Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1128 - Release Date: 11/13/2007 11:09 AM Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1128 - Release Date: 11/13/2007 11:09 AM

I've always been grateful that the equipment needed in my line of work is relatively inexpensive. Used to be a pencil, paper, parallel bar (or T-square) and a table. Now, of course, I have to have a desktop computer, a laptop computer, two printers, two scanners, a plotter - and I still use the occasional pencil and parallel bar. Still, my total investment is probably under $10K. The Hasselblad is worth more than my last two automobiles combined. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Rob Ratkowski Photography Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 1:16 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] 15,000 views and counting My view camera is a Sinar P-DB and it's a monorail too, not too good for field work though I do have the 'F' front standard that helps lighten it some, but I don't have a true field camera. I like to travel light and easy, my pack mule days are over. If you upgrade, get the new D300, a spectacular machine. Or look for a clean used D200, also a great camera that allows one to do pretty much anything photographic. I'm trying to get a Hasselblad H3-39, but at $30K and the way digital gear improves every 18 months or less, it's too big of an expense for what I would be able generate here on Maui. Then there's the lenses OUCH!!!! aloha Rob Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1128 - Release Date: 11/13/2007 11:09 AM

Kim- I'm certainly no expert on scanning, but I've been doing an increasing amount of it recently, and have been fine tuning my methods with increasingly satisfactory results. But, since these things are subjective, I can't be sure that you aren't getting better results than I am already. Specifically, what aren't you happy with? What scanner, software, and resolutions are you using, and how are you using the final scans? Two suggestions: - Check out www.lynda.com<http://www.lynda.com/>, an online training library. I recently bought Photoshop CS3, which included a month's subscription to the website, which normally costs $25. To make the most of if, about all I did in between Dec. 25 and Jan. 25 was to watch their videos. I think the site used to give a 24 hour sample subscription, but I could locate that offer just now. A limited number of chapters of their videos are free, however, to give you a taste of what the full tutorials are like. On the homepage, click on "Free Sample Training", which offers a link to their "Online Training Library". About 10% of the way down this long list, look for "Photoshop (All Versions)". I recommend "Scanning Principles" by Taz Tally. - Following the suggestions in "Scanning Principles", I went to www.silverfast.com<http://www.silverfast.com/> and downloaded their sample Silverfast Ai scanning software. Even the default settings of this software gives MUCH better results on my Epson scanner than my Epson software does. It demonstrated to me just how much better results I could be getting with my existing scanner, and taught me some ways to get better results with the Epson software. Bob Grant ----- Original Message ----- From: Kim<mailto:kimharch@cut.net> To: 'Utah Astronomy'<mailto:utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 11:34 AM Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] 15,000 views and counting BTW, 35mm slides that I’ve scanned at home or have had done “professionally” have never turned out satisfactorily. Anyone on this list have suggestions? Kim