Tag Archive for 'Winter Solstice'

Well, that’s the coolest thing we’ve seen on a Solstice since 1638.

Published on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in Fun and Photos. 13 Comments Tags: , , .

Click the photo to see more detail.
I think it turned out great, if I do say so myself!
You can even make out some of the stars if you squint!

Earlier this morning (at 12:41 am, Mountain Time, to be exact), we witnessed a total Lunar Eclipse.  (Truth be told, we practiced taking photos with the full moon a couple hours before that.  I did set an alarm for 12:30, in the off chance I’d fall asleep and miss it.  I’m a Night Owl, but I also like to be prepared.  Luckily, we had the perfect vantage point from the deck in our back yard!)

Although eclipses are always really cool to see, the fact that it coincided with the Solstice made it just that much more special.

The night was perfect:  Crisp, clear, and we got to see stars we never see from our vantage point in the city, what with the bright glow from that pesky moon obscured by something large and lumbering, it’s shadow getting in the way.

The reddish glow was mesmerizing.  Watching the sliver of silver disappearing was breathtaking.

We took so many photos, played with tons of different settings, and I’m glad we had the tripod set up to capture this without the wiggle of human hands in the cold night air.


Here’s one we took while playing with the exposures &
fancy-schmancy camera settings.
Just like the one above, click to see more detail.

What a beautiful night for a Lunar Eclipse.  What a beautiful beginning to the Solstice.

Happy Solstice, everyone!

My Favorite Winter Picture

Published on Monday, December 21, 2009 in Claire and Photos. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Not only will the holidays be merry and light, so will the posting here at The Casual Perfectionist, while we spend it entertaining loved ones.  I’ll be using this time to showcase some photos I’ve entered in the Cute Kids Contest at The Denver Post.

…and today is the first day of Winter! Happy Solstice! In honor of the Solstice, I thought I’d share one of my favorite winter shots of Claire.

Click here to see it in the Cute Kids Contest at The Denver Post.

Click here to see it at The Denver Post.

This was taken on New Years Day in 2008. It hasn’t been doctored in any way (except to add the water-mark). I love it!

So, Happy Solstice, everyone!  May your Winter be filled with just the right amount of snow.  ;)

In Honor of the Winter Solstice

Published on Sunday, December 21, 2008 in Custom Image Header, Photos and Shadow Portraits. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Last December, the three of us traipsed outside with the camera and played around with the snow and shadows. The end result was this photo:

Click to enlarge: Snow Shadow Portrait

Click to enlarge: Snow Shadow Portrait

I love this picture! Even though it’s a year old, it is one of my favorite shadow portraits we’ve done to date, and you check out the Custom Image Header category to see the other shadow portraits we’ve done.

For this portrait, we are standing in Momma, Claire and Daddy order. You can see the skeleton of one of the apple trees, with a few vibrant red apples clinging on to the branch, refusing to admit that winter is here. (Yes, they’re apples! From this distance and angle, they look like berries.) You can see the green boughs of the junipers peeking out from under a blanket of fresh snow.

So, in honor of Winter Solstice, I’m giving this shadow portrait the prominence it deserves in the blog header, once again. (If you’re reading this in a FeedReader, feel free to click on over and check out the new header!)

From our family to you and yours, may this solstice be the beginning of positive changes in your life. May you be surrounded by those you love, and may the only shadows be those in a fun winter portrait. :)