Single Photo v 3 Shot HDR

As the setting Sun was about to disappear behind a roof top yesterday I could clearly see the Sun without being dazzled. At first I used the Canon G5X normal CR3 single shot of the scene: (processed to jpg in Affinity Photo without any adjustments)



The shape of the Sun can just be seen but the strong Sunlight closed down the lens aperture leaving most of the scene dark and dull. Next I switched to the HDR (High Dynamic Range) setting where three pictures are taken in rapid succession and parts of each are used to make a composite photo. One photo is exposed as the above one. Another is slightly over exposed to bring out the darker areas. The final one being slightly under exposed to reduce the glare from the brightest sections of the scene. All this is done in the camera taking about five seconds. The final result being: (exactly as produced by the camera)



A much more realistic lighting effect. Normally I wouldn't point a camera at the Sun without a solar filter but this time the light from it was much weaker as it was low in the sky and shining through thin cloud.

Small 'Beauty'

The Clematis 'Winter Beauty' I ordered arrived this afternoon in a box about 4 inches square by about 2 ft long. Oh, great, a decent amount of growth I thought. Wrong. Pot and plant measure about 7 inches high.



That said it does look to be very healthy with three growing stems and a good root system. Anyway it is now planted next to the old Leylandi stump alongside one of the Virginia Creeper plants. As it is a vigorous climber it should soon help to fill the bareness during next Winter.



It needs a fibrous well drained soil so the bed of decomposing pine needles which fell over the past fifty years should be just the place for it. Apparently it is a native of Africa and grows in sandy areas.

Snow or Rain?

On impulse tonight I decided to try to capture a night pass from the NOAA 18 weather satellite. Haven't tried a night pass for years so I had almost forgotten how to set up the software. Anyway this is the result showing the mass of cloud about to sweep across the UK bringing snow or rain according to the weather forecasters:



Obviously the land outlines and land colouring were added by the software as there is no visible light picture transmitted at night. The horizontal grey speckles are caused by my receiver picking up some local interference. I have the same problem with amateur radio. One day I will find out what is causing it.

Winter Beauty?

Just down the lane there is a wall topped with fancy blocks. Always trying to escape though the holes is one particular plant which flowers at this time of year. Photos a tad grainy as I took them as the Sun was setting.





As far as I can ascertain this is a Clematis 'Winter Beauty'. A vigorous perennial evergreen variety. Why does it keep trying to grow on the outside of the wall? The outside faces South so catches the Sunlight throughout the day.

I've just ordered one as it will make a useful addition to the Virginia Creepers growing up the old tree stump. Add a bit of colour while the creeper is leafless during the Winter.

Spring Not Too Far Away

Most of the 100+ spring bulbs I planted last year are poking through but have a way to go before I see any colour. One dwarf iris in an old planter decided it was time to put on a show:





Lovely the way one flower can cheer up an otherwise dull Friday.

Blood Pressure and Frosty Ice Crystals

Bit of a rush first thing. This morning Penny had her blood pressure checked. We were booked in for 9.10 a.m. so I left here about 8.30 and took the main roads for a change. Mainly as they were more likely to be ice free and they were. It took a while for the vet to get a reliable BP result while I sat in the car outside twiddling my thumbs. Result - all back to normal levels so we continue with the four tablets every day. Fortunately they are all taken in one session. As they are very small they are easily hidden in her favourite food. Next BP check will be in three months time.

When we returned I could see there was plenty of frost in the areas where the Sun doesn't reach this time of year so I put some under the microscope. A couple of shots:





This time I not only remembered to choose the finest resolution but also chose a 2 second delay between pressing the button and the photo being taken. That gives any vibration time to settle down.

Ice Bubbles

I noticed a plantpot saucer I had left outside had what appeared to be interesting thin ice crystals in the frozen water,



Just the subject for another session with the LCD microscope







This time I remembered that the pixel size for photographs needs setting every time the microscope is switched on.

On further thought these appear to be air bubbles frozen in the ice. The bubbles form as air which is dissolved in the water is released as the temperature drops and gets surrounded by frozen water.