magnetic lobster's photostream  

I have decreed that the structure pictured here is now officially named "The Hoover Darn," in response to the gratuitous overuse of a certain word by my children during our visit here last week.

A completely different view of The Hoover Darn (from the bridge) in the first comment below.

That's the new Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge in the background and Lake Mead in the foreground.

Nikon D90, Tokina 11-16mm @15mm, f/14, a total of about 1 min of exposure from several shots.

A combination of a 1/3 sec exposure for the sky, and a 1.3 sec exposure for the ground (equivalently, a digital version of a 2 stop graduated neutral density filter). As with some of my other recent shots, I'm experimenting with HDR photography without the use of tonemapping software.

Nikon D90, Tokina 11-16mm @12mm, f/8, ISO 200.

Jumping spider on a Dahlia

Under the setting moon, breaking surf glows neon blue from bioluminescent organisms at Ponto State Beach in Carlsbad, California.

This year the San Diego area is experiencing a red tide with unusually strong bioluminescence. When the waves break over an active patch of the algal bloom, the churning water gives off a bright blue glow that is easily visible at night.

We went out to see these aquatic fireworks Saturday night. We stopped at four beaches along the coast, and this phenomenon was visible at each one. The moon grew remarkably red as it got lower on the horizon.

It's easy to see, but perhaps not as easy to photograph. I ended up using the widest aperture I had (f/1.8), nearly the highest available ISO (3200), and a long exposure (10 sec). This photograph is a single exposure. I've used an s-curve to increase contrast and applied noise reduction to clean up somewhat from the high ISO. Nikon D90, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens.

Orange light from the setting sun illuminates falling rain during this long exposure over Pasadena, California. This is the onset of the same storm a few weeks ago shown in my previous lightning photo.

In the first comment below is a wide-angle view from just a couple of minutes earlier to show you what's happening in the sky. For another view of this phenomenon, from a closer vantage point, see Karol's great photo.

En lieu of a graduated neutral density filter, here I've combined multiple exposures, separately "developing" the sky and the ground, then blending the results via luminosity masks.

Nikon D90, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 @ f/8, ISO 200, total of 43 sec of exposure.