blood moon lunar eclipse

yesterday morning [Taiwan time] the internet was flooded with talk of the upcoming "blood moon" lunar eclipse. the last eclipse was not visible at all from Taiwan, so I really wanted to try seeing this one and shooting some photos. [the next one visible here isn't until 2018!]

according to the internet, the eclipse would be happening between 6:30 and 7:30pm. normally, we would be at the gym during that time on wednesdays. but a series of events led us to cancel our gym plans and re-create In-N-Out Burger's animal style fries for dinner instead. #sorrynotsorry

I went up to our rooftop just before the peak of the eclipse. to the bare eye, the moon didn't look all that red. but I was dealing with a lot of light pollution [and some regular Taiwan haze.] if I had more notice, I probably would have tried to scoot out into the hills somewhere to shoot away from the light. the situation was a bit of a challenge. BUT it was something really interesting to see, and I would probably have been happy even if all my photos didn't turn out.

this shot above was an 8 second exposure, while the rest in this post are 2 seconds. I shot everything at ISO100 and f/2 with my 50mm lens. ideally, you would want more of a zoom lens [200mm or maybe more] to shoot the moon. I wasn't able to get a lot of detail, but when I crop the heck out of the photo you can kind of see some craters.

it was also really windy. I set up my tripod and started shooting, while keeping a hand close in case it decided to tip over. I definitely had some issues with camera shake and focusing. the tripod was definitely a must! I used the 2 second self timer to help keep my hand from adding to the problem.

I really love that while I was watching the eclipse wednesday night from Taiwan, others [maybe you?] were watching wednesday morning from elsewhere in the world. don't laugh, I think about those kinds of things a lot. were you able to see the eclipse where you were? did you get some good photos?

Taroko Gorge // swallow grotto

the area of Taroko Gorge known as the swallow grotto is a popular stop with tourists. they arrive by the busload and are given the requisite hard hats, then walk along the side of the road for a short distance. the buses drive down the road to meet them at the end, where they return their helmets and pile in for the next stop.

we decided to add the swallow grotto to our itinerary despite the crowds. partially because - when in Taroko, right? - but mostly because our driver just stopped there anyway.

the swallow grotto is miles downstream from the baying waterfall trail - the waters weren't nearly so beautiful here. but walking along this narrow part of the gorge [and partially through tunnels cut into the mountain] is popular for another reason: the swallows. we were able to spot a few of these birds sweeping in and out of the holes in the rock that they call home. by hanging back from the crowds, we were able to get a little breathing room space to take pictures.

parts of the "trail" have been wiped out by landslides and haven't yet been repaired, so hanging back from the crowds seemed a bit safer as well. this also helped us to have a clear view when we got to the part of the trail where a face in profile can bee seen in the natural rock formations of the gorge. it's hidden in the last photo above - can you spot him?

the swallow grotto is probably the least exciting part of the gorge [for me] but if you're diving though, I still recommend stopping for the unique scenery and the chance for a helmet-head selfie.