Bob Crum

I was ready! Knowing that the moon will be in constant motion, I installed my camera on a fluid video head on a tripod to facilitate tracking the moon easier than if on a conventional ball head. I was excited as I anticipated the big, bright full moon rising in the eastern sky. The excitement quickly dissipated as I realized that the sky hooks I put up to prevent clouds from obscuring the eclipse weren't working. At 6:30 pm, clouds filled the sky. Depressing but must persevere.

I patiently waited, optimistic that the clouds would disappear in time to reveal the grand event. At 7 pm, still cloudy! At 8 pm, still cloudy! Finally, intermittent clouds permitted brief glimpses of the moon.

For a while, clouds came and went, dancing in the sky, teasing us by showing glimpses of the lunar eclipse in progress. Alas, about 45 minutes before the full eclipse, the cloud cover cleared revealing the full glory of the moon. Except for seven readers of this column (you know who you are), 2,396,381 of my readers watched in awe.

Photographing the eclipse was not without some frustration. I was reminded again that often there are better tools for a given task than those on hand. My gear consisted of a Tamron 300mm lens coupled to a Tamron 1.4X teleconverter mounted on my Canon 7D Mark II camera. I installed the camera on a Manfrotto MHXPro-2W fluid video head mounted on a Manfrotto 290Extra tripod. I also used a cable shutter release. Furthermore, to minimize camera vibration, I enabled mirror lockup in the camera. All the while, I longed for a 6oomm lens. (sigh!)

As you might expect, I made a bunch of photos. Afterward, I remained perplexed. What was I thinking? The main feature of the eclipse was the moon going dark in the full shadow of the earth, right? So what's the point of photographing a dark moon in a black sky if you can't see the moon in the photo? Good grief. Furthermore, the darkness will drive ISO higher than the moon which causes maximum digital noise! Regardless, I have an exquisite photo of a dark moon traveling 2,288 miles per hour across a black sky.

Instead of the exquisite invisible moon photo, the photo of the week is a bright, colorful moon during the eclipse. Touted as a super blood wolf moon, a photo showing some color makes more sense. Not sure how the photo will appear in the newspaper in black & white, but look closely and hopefully you'll see little white dots: Stars! I love serendipity! How many stars do you count? Did you find eight? See the photo in color at fillmoregazette.com. But first, look again. In the moon's upper right quadrant see the never before photographed moonworkers making scrumptious lunar green cheese and, of course, astronomically smoooth moonshine! Both remain tariff-free so buy some soon!

Though I enjoyed the super blood wolf moon eclipse experience, I can't say that I was thrilled. In my opinion, it didn't seem to match the hyperbole. Sure, seeing the change from a bright, white moon to a reddish/orange orb and then go dark in the earth's shadow was interesting but not exciting. Thrilling would be watching the infamous cow chase a wolf over the blood moon. Maybe next year!

Please take a minute and email me your thoughts about your super blood wolf moon eclipse experience. Was it anticlimactic or were you thrilled?

BTW, there are many reports about hearing loud serendipitous howling. Well, ahem, did you really think that I could resist?

Send comments, questions or suggestions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is looking for California residents to assist in the disaster recovery effort in the aftermath of the Camp, Hill and Woolsey Wildfires in Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

California residents who wish to apply for a job with FEMA should create a profile at USAjobs.gov. Many jobs will be opening in the coming weeks and months. Jobs will be posted for seven days only. Search key words: “FEMA Local Hire” and location: “California.”

FEMA officials suggest visiting the USAJOBS site often to view the most jobs available at any given time.

Some of the jobs needed include: Engineer, Floodplain Management Specialist, Geospatial Information Systems Specialist, Administrative Support Assistant, Insurance Specialist, Emergency Management Specialist, Equal Rights Advisor, Customer Service Representative, Analysts, Voluntary Agency Liaison, Resource Manager, Media Relations Specialist, Digital Communications Specialist, Mass Care Specialist, Applicant Services Specialist, Housing Coordinator and Reports Writer.

It is FEMA’s policy to provide equal opportunity to all employees and applicants in every aspect of their employment and working conditions. FEMA supports the concept of affirmative employment to ensure that personnel policies and practices provides equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information or retaliation/reprisal.

Those hired will join a recovery team already in place, composed of local and federal workers, voluntary agencies, and community organizations. Through temporary local employees, FEMA gains valuable community insights, provides jobs, and allows Californians to be on the front lines working in assisting in the state’s recovery.

A bouquet by Judy Dunst thanking our first responders.
Enlarge Photo

Submitted by Jan Lee

Many of us have already made and broken our 2019 New Year’s resolutions. However, this is the year to keep a resolution to participate in the Fillmore Flower Show April 13 and 14 of this year. 2019 marks 100 years since the Flower Show became a tradition in Fillmore. The committee has special plans for the show this year. Our theme is “100 Years Celebrating Flowers.”

Originally, the flower show was a May Day celebration. To quote from an article in the Fillmore Herald from many years ago,” The idea for a flower show originated around 1913 when elementary schools offered a large framed print of George Washington (called the traveling award) to the school with the best display of wild flowers at the annual May Day Festival.” According to the article, San Cayetano Grammar School was awarded the print in 1913, Fillmore Grammar School in 1914 and Sespe Grammar School in 1915. The picture of GW then disappeared for a few years until Mountain View School was torn down and Carl Myers found the picture in the rubble. It was donated to the Fillmore Museum where is remains today.

Whether you are new in town or your family has been here for generations, don’t miss the Fillmore Flower Show this year. Nurture those plants, grow those flowers. Join your neighbors for a display of Fillmore’s beauty, both the flowers and the people.

Adopt Resolution No. 18-19-02 to Approve the Elimination of Classified Positions:
The Governing Board adopted Resolution No. 18-19-02 to approve the elimination of classified positions.

Accept 2017-2018 Fillmore Unified School District Financial Audit:
The Governing Board were presented with information and approved 2017-2018 Fillmore Unified School District Financial Audit.

Accept the June 30, 2018 Financial and Performance Audits of the Measure V General Obligation Bonds:
The Governing Board were presented with information and approved the June 30, 2018 Financial and Performance Audits of the Measure V General Obligation Bonds.

Governor’s Budget Proposal:
The Governing Board were presented with information regarding the Governor’s Budget Proposal. Information was presented by Assistant Superintendent, Andrea McNeill.

Personnel Recommendations:
The Board approved all personnel recommendations including new hires, promotions, resignations, and leaves.

(l-r) 2019 Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley Youth of the Year Juliana Linares and BGCSCV CEO Jan Marholin.

Submitted by Jenae Quintana

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley is excited to announce our 2019 Youth of the Year, Julieanna Linares. Linares, representing the Piru clubhouse, competed against four participants from the Fillmore and Santa Paula clubhouses in the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley’s inaugural Youth of the Year competition. The competition included an interview and speech in front of a panel of local judges comprised of local community members.

Linares, 15, has been a Boys & Girls Club member for seven years and is a sophomore at Fillmore High School. She is a member of her school’s cheerleading team, loves her family and friends and enjoys making others smile. Linares will now be moving onto the Boys & Girls Club regional Youth of the Year competition in the spring. Congratulations Julieanna!

Bob Crum

Mark your calendar! An exciting total lunar eclipse happens Sunday, January 20. More than just a lunar eclipse, it's a “Super Blood Wolf Moon” eclipse.

A blood moon because during the total eclipse, the moon will appear reddish, the result of the atmosphere acting like a colored photographic filter bending red sunlight into the Earth's shadow and filtering out blue light.

Also, a January full moon is traditionally called the wolf moon. Wolves howl to communicate saying 'I'm here' to the pack and to tell intruders to go away. Wolves are nocturnal animals. When the urge to howl overcomes wolves, they project their howl upward towards the light of the full moon for the sound to carry further. Hence the term 'howling at the moon.' Beware, it's futile to resist the urge to howl.

Casual photos of the eclipse can be captured with, ahem, a cellphone. However, if you want that 'special' epic photo, well, you know that a dedicated camera is essential.

Planning is important. If you intend to include something in the foreground, scout suitable shot locations beforehand. You'll see where the moon will rise and where you will need to be for your desired composition.

Because the 'light' will vary greatly, shooting a total lunar eclipse is an enormous challenge. Auto mode is useless. Here are some general guidelines from Canon: At full Moon: f/11, 1/100th sec, ISO 100 or at a higher ISO: f/11, ISO 200 and 1/200th sec.

At partial Eclipse: f/5.6, 1/125th sec, ISO 400 for the half moon. As it gets increasingly darker, open the lens aperture to the max and increase the ISO while decreasing the shutter speed as needed for proper exposure. Take the ISO as high as necessary to prevent the shutter speed from going too slow. Exposure is more important than subsequent image noise from the high ISO setting.

Lens selection is equally important. The longer the focal length, 300mm for example - which is still minimal - the more the moon will fill the composition frame. Remember, as the light becomes dim during the total eclipse, open the aperture wide and increase ISO to allow the fastest shutter speed possible. Even so, a somewhat slow shutter speed might be required for proper exposure. Thus, a tripod becomes essential. The longer the focal length of the lens the more important a tripod becomes.

Flexibility is important. Adjust ISO, aperture and shutter speed for appropriate exposure throughout the eclipse sequence as needed. If possible, use bracketing and consider spot metering. Keep the faith!

It'll grow dark as the heavenly bodies align so focus will be difficult. With the moon 238,900 miles from earth, infinity focus will work just fine. If you choose to have a foreground in the image, be aware that where you shoot from is important because depth of field will decrease as you open the aperture. Plan accordingly.

Relax and be patient. Unlike shooting a relatively shorter solar eclipse, the lunar eclipse is a much slower event. You'll have time to adjust camera settings for proper exposure. Use the 'envy' filter to photograph the moon's green cheese during the penumbra.
Here's the west coast time table according to space.com: Moon enters penumbra @6:36 p.m., moon enters umbra @8:34 p.m., total eclipse begins @8:41 p.m., middle of eclipse @9:13 p.m., total eclipse ends @9:43 p.m., moon leaves umbra @10:51 p.m., moon leaves penumbra @11:48 p.m. Enjoy the phenomenon.

Photo of the week reveals the sun setting and gently, sweetly, kissing the ocean goodnight.

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net