# Lunar Eclipse!



## SabrinaO (Dec 20, 2010)

So how will my 18-55mm kit lens on my d5000 do with the lunar eclipse tonight? Is it even worth staying up and trying??


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## EhJsNe (Dec 20, 2010)

It's always worth trying! You're going to want a tripod and you'll have to do some heavy cropping afterwards.


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## SabrinaO (Dec 20, 2010)

EhJsNe said:


> It's always worth trying! You're going to want a tripod and you'll have to do some heavy cropping afterwards.


 
Yes... thanks for the reminder about the tripod! I'm not really experienced with night photography. Here is what I think my settings should be:

5sec
f/22
ISO 100

What should I set the WB to? Anything else I need to know or change? Thanks for the response!


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## ziggo (Dec 20, 2010)

This link has some valuable information on the relation between exposure time, aperture and ISO. It really helped me out on with my film camera.
Ultimate Exposure Computer

On around 2/3 of the page you will find a table which might come in handy.


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## Jcampbelll (Dec 20, 2010)

SabrinaO said:


> EhJsNe said:
> 
> 
> > It's always worth trying! You're going to want a tripod and you'll have to do some heavy cropping afterwards.
> ...



F/22 won't do good. Lenses don't shoot good pictures at the aperture. Go to f/13. The lunar eclipse is at 10:30 pm (Pacific time), perfect time for me.


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## SabrinaO (Dec 20, 2010)

Jcampbelll said:


> SabrinaO said:
> 
> 
> > EhJsNe said:
> ...


 

Thanks! So how are the settings in everything else?
It will practically be light out when you get to see the lunar eclipse!


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## Jcampbelll (Dec 20, 2010)

From what I have seen from researching, 5 sec's would make the moon blurry. You want at least 1/125 or it won't be sharp. I haven't tried to shoot the moon before so I will try and experiment my self. Try searching for more info.


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## Edsport (Dec 20, 2010)

As for settings the best way is to set the camera to whatever aperture you want eg. F/13 or a little lower and select your ISO then set a speed for the shutter and take a shot, if it's overexposed speed up the shutter, if it's underexposed slow the shutter down. Change the shutter speed until you get the right exposure. You may have to slow the shutter a bit once the moon gets darker...


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## robb01 (Dec 20, 2010)

I'll be taking photos as well, I read to use spot metering


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## wcc963 (Dec 20, 2010)

well i was out a few days ago getting some picstures of the moon, all i have is the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my T2i... here are the results after some minor PS7 adjusments


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## KmH (Dec 20, 2010)

Use as wide an aperture as your lens can give you.

The moon is 250,000 miles away so you don't need the deep DOF a small aperture provides. Online Depth of Field Calculator

You do need as wide an aperture as possible, to get shutter speed.

The Moon, even at eclipse, is bright. Use your lowest, native ISO

You bigger issue will be metering with such a short focal length, and you will want to use spot metering and meter on the brightest part of the moon you can. Using a telephoto lens with good reach, people meter on the bright crater Tycho.


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## John Mc (Dec 20, 2010)

Im taking it'll be like shooting in snow? you'll want to over expose a stop or two? im going to use Iso 200 colour film,as my telephoto is for my pentax film system.
So develop and scan or get a cd would be logical!


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## PhotoFly (Dec 20, 2010)

wcc963 said:


> well i was out a few days ago getting some picstures of the moon, all i have is the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my T2i... here are the results after some minor PS7 adjusments



I am surprised it came out so well with that lens.


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 20, 2010)

1/125, ISO 100/200, F/13 ..... Good settings from what i gathered? I'm gonna take a go at this as well.


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 20, 2010)

Ok, ( call me retarded ) but... these things confuse me. I am trying to figure out an approximate time for this eclipse in my area so that I can view it.

TIME ZONES

ECLIPSE

A total lunar eclipse will take place on December 20/21, 2010.[2]* It will be visible after midnight Eastern Standard Time on December 21 in North and South America.*  The beginning of the total eclipse will be visible from northern Europe  just before sunrise. The end of the total eclipse will be visible  rising at sunset for Japan and northeastern Asia, it also appears very  visible to the Philippines just after sunset (as in a partial lunar eclipse).

So, if im in Arizona ( -2 hours Mountain Standard Time)... then that would be 10pm, tonight?  Or 11?

or Am i *WAY* off?! LOL Ahh!

EDIT:
The eclipse will actually begin when the moon enters the faint outer portion, or penumbra, of the Earth's shadow a little over an hour before it begins moving into the umbra. The penumbra, however, is all but invisible to the eye until the moon becomes deeply immersed in it. Sharp-eyed viewers may get their first glimpse of the penumbra as a faint smudge on the left part of the moon sat or around 6:15 UT (on Dec. 21) which corresponds to 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time or *10:15 p.m. Pacific Time* (on Dec. 20).
Copy/Pasted from Here.


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## Emilymarie (Dec 20, 2010)

PerfectlyFlawed said:


> Ok, ( call me retarded ) but... these things confuse me. I am trying to figure out an approximate time for this eclipse in my area so that I can view it.
> 
> TIME ZONES
> 
> ...



I'm in CA and I read around 10:15 is when to start looking


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## wcc963 (Dec 20, 2010)

PhotoFly said:


> wcc963 said:
> 
> 
> > well i was out a few days ago getting some picstures of the moon, all i have is the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my T2i... here are the results after some minor PS7 adjusments
> ...


 
i was surprised to at how clear the moon is. im new to photography in general so they might not be the ideal settings for moon shots but here are my settings, worked fine this time... i plan on getting some more shots tonight and i'll try some different settings.

shot with a Canon T2i with 18-55mm Kit lens

-Mode: Shutter-Priority AE
-Shutter: 1/320
-AV: 5.6
-Exposure comp: 0
-ISO: 100
-Auto ISO speed: OFF
-Focal length: 55mm
-White Balance: Daylight
-Style: Faithful


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## phiya (Dec 20, 2010)

Booo.... our forecast calls for rain all freaking night.  I'll be lucky if I can even see the moon.  =[


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 20, 2010)

Emilymarie said:


> PerfectlyFlawed said:
> 
> 
> > Ok, ( call me retarded ) but... these things confuse me. I am trying to figure out an approximate time for this eclipse in my area so that I can view it.
> ...



 So over this way would be 11:15..., Thank you!


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 20, 2010)

phiya said:


> Booo.... our forecast calls for rain all freaking night.  I'll be lucky if I can even see the moon.  =[


:thumbdown: Crappy


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## phiya (Dec 20, 2010)

Agreed. =[


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## OrionsByte (Dec 20, 2010)

Yeah it's gonna be wet and cold here as well, so I'm not even sure I'm going to try to stay awake for it.  It's neat to watch though, and this is probably one of the better ones for North Americans in recent memory (the ones I've waited for tend to be in-progress by the time the moon rises).

Others have mentioned this, but just to put it differently - the moon is a lot brighter than you would expect.  Use spot metering to get a reading, because if you use matrix metering it's going to assume all that black sky is underexposed, and you'll just get a big bright blown out blob instead of a nicely detailed moon.

Since the moon rises so long before the eclipse starts (at least, if you're in North America), you should take some test shots while you wait for the actual event to start.  Then during the eclipse itself you just need to make minor adjustments as the moon falls further and further in to shadow.


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## mwcfarms (Dec 20, 2010)

I'm going to try lol. Those shots with the 18 to 55mm give me hope.


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## robb01 (Dec 20, 2010)

Hoping my 18-200mm Tamron is up to the task


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## Jcampbelll (Dec 20, 2010)

Dang... Checked the weather report and there is supposed to be showers tonight.


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## Ryan Sitko (Dec 20, 2010)

robb01 said:


> Hoping my 18-200mm Tamron is up to the task


 
This was taken with a 55-200mm lens


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## rabman (Dec 20, 2010)

Off to a good start... now I just need a wake up call at 2 AM.  :waiting:


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## Ub3rdoRK (Dec 20, 2010)

I had a Questar telecscope equivalent to 1500mm with a camera adapter for tonight on my D700...but nope, raining. wtf







and one of my moon shots with it...no crop on my old D90


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## Dao (Dec 20, 2010)

Looks like in St. Louis, the moon is not going to be just behind the earth's shadow, it will be behind the clouds as well.


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## mwcfarms (Dec 20, 2010)

Ub3rdoRK said:


> I had a Questar telecscope equivalent to 1500mm with a camera adapter for tonight on my D700...but nope, raining. wtf
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thats a really great shot with the D90 and no crop.


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## Ub3rdoRK (Dec 20, 2010)

no sharpening or anything just a raw image to jpg. 

I was really looking forward to this tonight too


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## twoboysnmygirl (Dec 20, 2010)

clouds here too.  :er:


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## ajkramer87 (Dec 20, 2010)

Clear for me here in York PA


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## astrostu (Dec 20, 2010)

Annoying that people don't search for threads already started on this topic ... lunar eclipse photography guide.

Also unfortunate that a lot of the US is clouded over right now except folks in the southeast.


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## robb01 (Dec 20, 2010)

Cloudy here too: (


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## minpingurl1 (Dec 20, 2010)

I'll try, if I can get up.


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## GrantH (Dec 20, 2010)

Here is what I got with a 55-250 IS Canon lens and my T1i, at full zoom (255mm). I "tried" to PP it a little but I don't know a whole lot about it.


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 20, 2010)

Ah.... what the crap!... Its always clear and sunny here. The one day i want a clear sky... CLOUDS! Grrr.....  Damn you winter! 

Sounds like everyone's having crappy luck with weather...


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## minpingurl1 (Dec 20, 2010)

Is there some way on photoshop cs3 or another way to zoom in and crop the picture? so the moon is larger?


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## Erikah672 (Dec 20, 2010)

This sucks..... its still raining here in SoCal, so i guess that means no eclipse for me  Looking forward to all the pics!


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## HWesh (Dec 20, 2010)

This was from about an hour ago






Cropped:





I used my 55-250 is lens. My camera settings were 
ISO:320
Exposure: 1/200 sec at f/18

In LR added more contrast.


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## ajkramer87 (Dec 20, 2010)

Looks good. Only thing Id say is that you can drop your iso and get a bigger aperture. No need to shoot at f/18.


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## Jcampbelll (Dec 20, 2010)

I have to time it right, once in awhile there is a whole in the clouds allowing me to see the moon.


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## j-digg (Dec 20, 2010)

Cloudy here too, like it seems for many others, I wonder if well even get to see a photo of it here at TPF.. lol


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## pauliec (Dec 20, 2010)

ajkramer87 said:


> Looks good. Only thing Id say is that you can drop your iso and get a bigger aperture. No need to shoot at f/18.



What would you say, f/16, ISO 200? I'm planning on going out there in a little while once the eclipse starts.


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## pgriz (Dec 20, 2010)

If you are clouded out, try one of these web sites which are going to transmit the eclipse (assuming they don't have clouds either):

NASA - Total Lunar Eclipse: 'Up All Night' With NASA!

Coca-Cola Space Science Center Webcast

http://136.159.57.153/camera.html?1

Personally, I'm gonna have an eclipse of my consciousness (ie, go to bed).

Oh, and if you're trying to figure out if it will be clear at night, here's a site that forecasts astronomical viewing clarity:
http://cleardarksky.com/

More info on the eclipse:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/111597159.html


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## j-digg (Dec 20, 2010)

pauliec said:


> ajkramer87 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks good. Only thing Id say is that you can drop your iso and get a bigger aperture. No need to shoot at f/18.
> ...


 
F11 or F8 is usually good for shooting the moon.. those fstops tend to be sharp, no matter the lens.. you wont really need a smaller aperture to get the moon in focus because it is so far away. Then spot meter on the moon if possible, or just review it on viewfinder to check the moons exposure.


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## pgriz (Dec 20, 2010)

It's the same exposure for the full moon as you would use at mid-day - same sun, same distance.  However, once the eclipse starts, you're going into deep shadow...  and your exposure needs to follow.


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## Seekwence (Dec 20, 2010)

Overcast and snowing in Boston...


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## Dzire (Dec 20, 2010)

here's my picture from last night shot with a Canon 7D ISO125 255MM f5.6 1/500SEC  crop at 100%  too bad  it cloudy tonight  by the way love the site  this is my first post



IMG_0543.jpg by Dzire6996, on Flickr


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## iskoos (Dec 21, 2010)

I am currently out 1:35a EST shooting the moon at every 5 minutes.
f11 is working fine for me. I am using full manual mode as none of the auto or semiauto mode will correctly expose the moon.

So far I did f11 and 1/100 with ISO 100. I will reduce the shutter speed as the moon gets covered up.

Unfortunately my max focal length is only 85mm. So it won't be perfect...


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## Sbuxo (Dec 21, 2010)

i tried going out to look at it, but it's so cold outside.


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## Beladol (Dec 21, 2010)

I got clouds, I don't care about the cold. up here in the north, its well common haha, well was. common.


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## Kathryn4629 (Dec 21, 2010)

Clouds are moving in, dang!! Got a couple of nice shots of the first phase (I hope) and thank goodness its not that cold tonight, its only about 25 f here. Balmy if you ask me


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## rainking (Dec 21, 2010)

Cloudy here in Binghamton, NY


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## iskoos (Dec 21, 2010)

Past the half point already. Super clear and crisp night here in Orlando.

I moved up to ISO 200. Still doing f11 at 1/50.


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## mwcfarms (Dec 21, 2010)

Its minus twenty here and I am having a hard time getting crisp focus. Got a couple of shots of first phase will check them later after I go out and try and get a full and towards the end.


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## iskoos (Dec 21, 2010)

It is now crescent... Shots started coming out a bit under exposed. I will have to open up a bit (maybe f/8).

At least it is no minus here. Just low 40sF but still feels cold for us Floridians...


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## Emilymarie (Dec 21, 2010)

iskoos said:


> It is now crescent... Shots started coming out a bit under exposed. I will have to open up a bit (maybe f/8).
> 
> At least it is no minus here. Just low 40sF but still feels cold for us Floridians...



It's about 50 here so I suppose I can't complain. F8 is getting me a sharp shot


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## reznap (Dec 21, 2010)

I fought the clouds here in Ohioland  

Was at 1/125, f/8 w/ 70-300 * 1.4tc (420mm) and ISO 200 (highlight tone priority).
When the clouds moved in here and there I was doing 2 second exposures at times.
Mirror lockup, 10-second timer and manual focus with 10x live view is the ONLY way to go.

Every time I point my camera up to the sky I wish I lived in the desert.  I got some decent shots but it's bedtime - I'll update tomorrow night with some photos and maybe a big composite of the whole (1st part anyway) eclipse.


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## iskoos (Dec 21, 2010)

Okay I am kind of giving up. It is 3:00am already and gotta work tomorrow

My last settings were f/8 1" and ISO 400 and still wasn't giving me sharp images. Perhaps my 85mm lens is not up to this job and I didn't have enough heat in my body to stay up any longer to experiment different settings

I am cold and sleepy...


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## Vanya (Dec 21, 2010)

I shot this with a 300mm zoom on f11 ISO 200 for 2"


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## mwcfarms (Dec 21, 2010)

This was my first attempt at moon photography lol and frick its hard to get a crisp focus. Anyhoo it is minus 25 and I might try again on the crescent but this is a heavy crop shot with my 18 - 105mm kit.


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## SensePhoto (Dec 21, 2010)

135mm


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## pauliec (Dec 21, 2010)

Here's a quick and dirty crop & contrast adjustment done in iPhoto. Tomorrow I'll do some proper processing in Lightroom but I just wanted to share this before I went to bed. It was pretty difficult focusing on the moon, that's for sure, but I'm pretty happy. I even got a couple of stars in the shot too. 

2.5", f/8, ISO 200, 200mm


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## SensePhoto (Dec 21, 2010)

135mm after a crop, not bad for 135mm


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## Vanya (Dec 21, 2010)

300mm f5.6 ISO400 0.4


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## Vanya (Dec 21, 2010)

f8.0 ISO1600 1.3sec Just to see the stars


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## Nikon_Dude (Dec 21, 2010)

Nice I was getting blown out shots at 1.3sec.


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## HikinMike (Dec 21, 2010)

Thought I'd miss the show since it's been raining/cloudy all day. We had some clouds around 10pm and it started clearing up as the night progressed. Here's two about 30 minutes apart.





5D, 300mm f/4L, 1.4x II, ISO 800, f/5.6, 2.5 sec





5D, 300mm f/4L, 1.4x II, ISO 800, f/5.6, 2.5 sec


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## Cam_Assassin (Dec 21, 2010)

f/8, 1/400s, iso800 @55mm


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## Lunchbox (Dec 21, 2010)

Noise salad...lol


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## csgrafix (Dec 21, 2010)

Lunchbox said:


> Noise salad...lol



Like the phase/timing on this capture... looks like you had an Alien Bees camera right lol


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 21, 2010)

reznap said:


> I fought the clouds here in Ohioland
> 
> 
> 
> Every time I point my camera up to the sky I wish I lived in the desert.


 
It was cloudy in the desert too..lol Bah!


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 21, 2010)

Vanya said:


> f8.0 ISO1600 1.3sec Just to see the stars


Nice shot! love the stars!


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## Village Idiot (Dec 21, 2010)

I was cloudy and it was drunk outside, so I went to bed.


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## clbowie (Dec 21, 2010)

I'm in envy of your shots! I'm hoping for a new lens from Santa for my birthday. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Here is one of my attempts!


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Dec 21, 2010)

Village Idiot said:


> I was cloudy and it was drunk outside, so I went to bed.


 ... took me a second.


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