After my trip to Japan in 2003 I decided I wanted a better camera, so I purchased a Canon Digital Rebel with two lenses. It’s been doing mostly nothing since I bought it (a side-effect of working too hard), so I was delighted to learn of the total lunar eclipse set to occur on October 27, 2004.
I used my telephoto lens, zoomed in as far as I could get it, and parked it on a tripod; I then sat outside on a beautiful Florida fall evening and every few minutes adjusted the tripod position and took pictures, while talking to the neighbors as they went about their business. Adjusting the focus manually was very tricky, as it was hyper-sensitive (auto-focus was useless). On top of that, I don’t have a remote shutter switch, so although I tried very hard not to jiggle the camera while taking a shot, when I slowed the shutter speed down to the multi-second range most of the shots turned out to be useless. (Note to self: get a remote shutter switch!) These aren’t the greatest photos, but they’re mine, and I learned a lot doing them, and I had fun.
