Posted by Editor: FDBobko
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The FOGHORN 
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
February 11, 2021
 
Greg Edwards 
Photographer - On Coastside Sunrises and Sunsets
 
 
Article by Susan Kealey
Photos by Dianne Bobko
 
Ginger introduced Greg Edwards as a photographer, teacher and parent of triplets plus one. He says the purpose of photography is to tell a story. Greg is an Administrator for the “We love Half Moon Bay” Facebook page which has 5,000 members. Greg organizes photo contests within the group, in addition to sharing his work and offering advice and encouragement. 

You can see the full presentation at https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/15JVRk-Xw2K7jkeW4jjXANF1d9fKiRq8a?usp=sharing.

Wow, this guy was hard to keep up with!  He was talking fast and skipping through the presentation in an effort to get finished on time. The beauty was, he finished a bit early which left plenty of time for questions, which we all appreciated. 

If one wants to be on Greg’s level and photograph sunrises, sunsets and weather or astronomical photos, you need to have patience, an understanding of weather and astronomy. You need to be familiar with the phases of the sun and moon. It would help to know your cloud formations and the other phenomena like us dogs, halos, sun pillars and rainbows. Extra points for cloud iridescent (failed rain), crepuscular rays and sun bursts.  

 

                                                                

 

  

On sunsets:  Get there early, there is sunset and weather prediction software available, get there at least five minutes before sunset and stay thirty minutes or so after. He told us of a “boring” sunset he was shooting, at twenty minutes after sunset it was amazing!  Yup, patience. 

To get that elusive green flash, at twenty minutes before sunset start taking pictures very fast. When taking pictures of the sun, it is important to have good filters to protect your camera—do also be careful of your eyes, you could burn out both. The green flash is caused by the green rim and mirages. Be aware that the camera light meter will make mistakes on sunsets. At high altitude, you can get a blue flash. 

The post sunset rays that we sometimes see are called Crespuseular Rays. There is a pink time and a red time. You can see yellow rays before dawn. There is also the aloe glow, the belt of ‘Venus and the earth’s shadow. 

Greg spoke a bit about the interesting effects caused by the wild fires, especially the evening sky. He also recommended looking east at sunset for some interesting effects. And, of course, it is good to get away from the city lights. 

Q and A

Warren asked about “earthquake” light. Some people say you can get some light and weather effects due to earthquakes. 

Warren also mentioned it is very hard to see the green light with the naked eyes. Greg recommends using a long lens to pick up the green light. 

Barb asked if one could anticipate the green flash. Greg indicated that you should be looking for a “hard” sunset and clouds...

EJ wanted to know when the light shows up. It’s the last sixteen seconds of the sun going down. You need five good snaps, figure seventy-five pictures in sixteen seconds. The flash comes when the sun is below the horizon. With clouds or altitude, you can get different colors. 

Mary wanted to know how long Greg has been studying. Sixty-four years for astronomy and he has a degree in physics. 

Mary also wanted to know if he ever touches up. It depends. For science, no saturation or color additions. He may crop and add contrast or sharpening. He does not use filters on sunset photos, he does use a filter to protect his camper from sand. 

Joe asked if the green flash lasts longer above the Arctic Circle. Yes, there is a lot more halo effect too. 

 
Club Meeting - February 11, 2021 
 

President Mary called the meeting to order. 

Pledge of Allegiance - Renee led us in the Pledge.

Inspiration Thought - Renee also provided our inspiration for the day. She spoke on compassion, supportiveness and gratitude. 

Guests - Our guests were Barb Masek and Jane Lewis who is with the Coastal Arts League. Mary had invited members of the Snappers, a photography club she and our guests belong to. 

Happy/Crappy News yescrying

Kevin announced that Robin Jeffs is in the hospital and asked that we keep him in our thoughts. He also asked that we not all call Frieda at once. Stacy suggested that we send cards and Mary volunteered to start a card from the club—with contactless signatures. She will follow up with an email. 

Announcements

Rose received a notice from Steve Wright regarding the blood drive. She attended a Relay for Life meeting and noted was a nice article in the HMB Review about the virtual event. Renee has been shopping for the Special Delivery Program, EJ is providing the muscle and they need one more shopper—Stacy volunteered. We also need personal items like samples or travel size.   Emails to follow on these topics.

EJ reported that he delivered sandwiches to Abundant Grace today. The fence is done and the deck is coming along. His band is playing online tonight

                                  

Ginger reports that the fundraising group met last night. We will have a wine tasting event Thursday, March 4. There will be a link on our club website and a link to Barterra Winery. 10% of the wine sales will go to our Foundation, the cost to attend will be $20. The wines featured are award-winning wines. The event will include a presentation on wines and growing regions. An email to forward to people we would like to invite is forthcoming. 

Mitone reminded us that this Sunday is Beach Cleanup Day, meet at 10 am, Dunes Beach. Expect to spend an hour and a half picking up trash at Dunes Beach or a beach of your choice—don’t forget to take plenty of pictures and send them to Mitone for inclusion on our FB page. Mitone needed buckets and I believe she now has them. Warren will host if people need a different day or time if better for you, just let Mitone know. We may have a group get together to give Montara Beach a little love, stay tuned. 

 

The District Assembly is 10 am on March 20. Mitone will lead the Membership session. The assembly is online. Support President Elect Joe virtually!  If 20% of our membership attends, it helps us to earn the Best Club award. 

Mary reminded us to submit our hours worked per her recent email.

Ginger reported that the parklet is in place in front of Barterra Winery. 

Next week we are meeting at 5:30-6:30 pm for a social and scavenger hunt. 

Happy Valentines Day from Stacy. 

                         

Marble Draw Rose won the marble draw and picked a green one.  sad surprise

 
 
 
 
 
 
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