Photography At Home

[aligreto]

Pentax K3, 150-450.  I just got the lens last week.  Telephotography at that length (ie, 675 equivalent with DX cropping) is new for me, so it will take a while to get used to it.  Took this one last night.  Changed focus point.  Did some different things in Photoshop after the fact.

Thank you for the information. It looked like a long focal length lens. When enlarged, the quality is excellent, particularly where the light meets the dark on the left side.
I am sure that you will be very pleased with that lens once you put it through its paces.

[JBS]

People will probably remember the retired USN officer from Portland who stood up to a Federal LEO who was trying to beat him up.

He's been on Twitter since June, but now is taking a break from protests and politics to turn to amateur photography.

This weekend he's been retweeting cell phone photos people have been posting as replies. The various photos are of variable quality, and mostly (but not all) scenic.
They can be found here
https://mobile.twitter.com/Tazerface16

[Todd]

Not strictly taken at home, as I was in Moses Lake and properly socially distanced when I shot these.  The effect wildfire smoke can have on the appearance of the sun and the moon is striking. 

[Todd]

Sun.

[aligreto]

Sun.

I particularly like that shot. Nice!

[steve ridgway]

Great photos. The Moon is awkward at that level of zoom due to the most contrast and detail being near the terminator, which doesn't take up much of the image. I'd go for colour, cloud and sky effects over a telescope nowadays as that adds a whole other level of complications.

[Todd]

Not really at home, but way too close to home.  Western Oregon (ie, west of the Cascades) is experiencing unprecedented wildfires. These two shots were taken last night in the exurbs, about twenty minutes from home.  The suburbs are about five minutes away.  They were taken at about 5:30 at night.  The last time the sky darkened this much (more, actually) during the day was after some of the smaller Mt St Helens eruptions in 1980.

[Todd]

Camera turned the other way.

[aligreto]

Not really at home, but way too close to home.  Western Oregon (ie, west of the Cascades) is experiencing unprecedented wildfires. These two shots were taken last night in the exurbs, about twenty minutes from home.  The suburbs are about five minutes away.  They were taken at about 5:30 at night.  The last time the sky darkened this much (more, actually) during the day was after some of the smaller Mt St Helens eruptions in 1980.

Considering the potential consequences the light is wonderfully eerie and dramatic.

[steve ridgway]

Not really at home, but way too close to home.  Western Oregon (ie, west of the Cascades) is experiencing unprecedented wildfires. These two shots were taken last night in the exurbs, about twenty minutes from home.  The suburbs are about five minutes away.  They were taken at about 5:30 at night.  The last time the sky darkened this much (more, actually) during the day was after some of the smaller Mt St Helens eruptions in 1980.

Nice photos but a very worrying situation. The BBC news website is saying over 500,000 people in Oregon are fleeing the flames.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Nice photos but a very worrying situation. The BBC news website is saying over 500,000 people in Oregon are fleeing the flames.

Yes, I've been hearing about those fires too....that and the fires that destroyed the Moria refugee camp.  Horrible situations to be in the midst of and with Covid too?! 

PD

[Todd]

The BBC news website is saying over 500,000 people in Oregon are fleeing the flames.

The BBC is wrong.  500K residents are under stage 1, 2, and 3 evacuation orders.  Only stage 3 is mandatory.  Most are under stage 1, which is a be prepared to evacuate order.

Several small towns have been destroyed.  Detroit, Oregon is mostly gone.  Mill City is gone.  Locals who take the quick drive to Central Oregon know what that means.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Thank you for the clarification.

[steve ridgway]

The BBC is wrong.  500K residents are under stage 1, 2, and 3 evacuation orders.  Only stage 3 is mandatory.  Most are under stage 1, which is a be prepared to evacuate order.

Several small towns have been destroyed.  Detroit, Oregon is mostly gone.  Mill City is gone.  Locals who take the quick drive to Central Oregon know what that means.

Thanks Todd, another bit of misinformation revealed. We're watching the TV news nowadays like outsiders from another planet, commenting on the propaganda, trying to identify the hidden agendas and noting the effects it produces in the minds of the consumers .

[Todd]

Thanks Todd, another bit of misinformation revealed. We're watching the TV news nowadays like outsiders from another planet, commenting on the propaganda, trying to identify the hidden agendas and noting the effects it produces in the minds of the consumers .

I suspect journalistic laziness as the culprit.  Journalists outside Oregon would have to either contact multiple counties/look at multiple county websites, or contact local news outlets (eg, The Oregonian, KATU) for more exact information.  Either one of the those activities could take twenty, thirty, maybe sixty minutes.  That's hard work. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I suspect journalistic laziness as the culprit.  Journalists outside Oregon would have to either contact multiple counties/look at multiple county websites, or contact local news outlets (eg, The Oregonian, KATU) for more exact information.  Either one of the those activities could take twenty, thirty, maybe sixty minutes.  That's hard work.

Even for a Level 1 notice though, that's a lot of preparing (including having your gas turned off by a professional).  https://katu.com/news/local/issued-a-level-1-evacuation-notice-heres-what-to-do 

Todd, how far away are any of the fires from you?

PD

[Todd]

Todd, how far away are any of the fires from you?

I'm roughly 40 miles from the east metro fires that are prompting the majority of the evacuation orders.  (All of Clackamas County is under some level of evacuation order, an historical first.)  I'm around 15 miles from small western fires that have been contained.  While wildfire is obviously a possibility where I live, it is a low probability event given the vegetation where my house is located.  Of much more concern is the worst air quality since 1980.  I'm not concerned for myself as I suffer no respiratory conditions and will remain indoors for the most part, and use a mask when outdoors, but quite a few other people are not so fortunate.

The Level 1 steps listed in the linked article are typically not followed to the letter.  The number of people included in the current orders requires NW Natural to shut off gas service to entire areas; the firm does not have the manpower to visit all impacted locations.  Similarly, PGE has had to shut off electricity to entire areas. 

Oregon endures wildfires every year, and often the fires burn more acreage than this year.  The difference this year is that the fires moved into portions of the Willamette Valley where most people in the state live.  This was directly caused by an exceedingly rare summer wind "event" (not storm, apparently) that blew in warm air and embers from fires burning in the east.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I'm roughly 40 miles from the east metro fires that are prompting the majority of the evacuation orders.  (All of Clackamas County is under some level of evacuation order, an historical first.)  I'm around 15 miles from small western fires that have been contained.  While wildfire is obviously a possibility where I live, it is a low probability event given the vegetation where my house is located.  Of much more concern is the worst air quality since 1980.  I'm not concerned for myself as I suffer no respiratory conditions and will remain indoors for the most part, and use a mask when outdoors, but quite a few other people are not so fortunate.

The Level 1 steps listed in the linked article are typically not followed to the letter.  The number of people included in the current orders requires NW Natural to shut off gas service to entire areas; the firm does not have the manpower to visit all impacted locations.  Similarly, PGE has had to shut off electricity to entire areas. 

Oregon endures wildfires every year, and often the fires burn more acreage than this year.  The difference this year is that the fires moved into portions of the Willamette Valley where most people in the state live.  This was directly caused by an exceedingly rare summer wind "event" (not storm, apparently) that blew in warm air and embers from fires burning in the east.

Thank you for the information.  Good to hear that you seem to be in pretty good shape due to where you live, etc.  I imagine that the air quality (and soot) must be big problems in many areas.  I have an older friend who sadly has both bad respiratory issues and diabetes who has had to be extra-careful of late due to Covid-19.  It's hard to fathom how people who have had to flee the fires are dealing with it due to the pandemic.  I'd imagine that the eerie colors of the sky and the news have helped to create a rather surrealistic feeling/vibe?  Despite wildfires being common, have you seen an uptick over the past few decades Todd?  Quite interesting to hear about the winds.  I wonder what caused them?

And, yes, I can't see a power company being able to send out manpower house-by-house in instances like these.

Trying to remember where I read or heard about one homeowner talking about how quickly things in their area turned from a level 1 to a level 3; it was quite fast--which was what had made me stand up and take notice.   

In any event, take care.

PD

[Todd]

Despite wildfires being common, have you seen an uptick over the past few decades Todd

I've witnessed what the data shows: the same or fewer fires per year, but the ones that occur can be larger.  There have been two mammoth fires (ie, >500,000 acres) in Oregon this century.  But Oregon has had some mammoth fires in the past.  The first fire in the Tillamook Burn (>350,000 acres in 1933) left damage visible into the 1990s. 

After the first day of the smoke rolling in, the sky now just looks like a burlap sack when the sun is out.  Evacuation levels are being scaled back in most areas, and so far, as of last night at about 10:00 PM, about 40,000 residents had to actually evacuate.  Terrible, absolutely, but not the catastrophic figure reported by some news outlets.

We get strong easterly winds every November and December - they're basically cold, wimpy Santa Ana winds that blow down the Columbia Gorge - but every once in a while a weather pattern emerges that replicates them in the summer. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I've witnessed what the data shows: the same or fewer fires per year, but the ones that occur can be larger.  There have been two mammoth fires (ie, >500,000 acres) in Oregon this century.  But Oregon has had some mammoth fires in the past.  The first fire in the Tillamook Burn (>350,000 acres in 1933) left damage visible into the 1990s. 

After the first day of the smoke rolling in, the sky now just looks like a burlap sack when the sun is out.  Evacuation levels are being scaled back in most areas, and so far, as of last night at about 10:00 PM, about 40,000 residents had to actually evacuate.  Terrible, absolutely, but not the catastrophic figure reported by some news outlets.

We get strong easterly winds every November and December - they're basically cold, wimpy Santa Ana winds that blow down the Columbia Gorge - but every once in a while a weather pattern emerges that replicates them in the summer.

So, thinking about it for a while and looking into the facts, do you think that there are more major fires these days overall?  Where also (and I'm meaning this politely) are you gathering your data from?  Do you believe that climate change is a factor at all too?  Wondering how much too possible changes in controlled fire burns vs. how things are handled these days are effecting things?  Trying to learn more about fire prevention here.....certainly not an expert.    Just trying to learn.

Best wishes,

PD