This is the ninety-eighth installment of West Wind, your weekly drop of thoughts, ideas, and info for this Season.
Photo by the author
That’s the moon, alright! Though the full moon was officially on Wednesday, it’s still 94% illuminated, which is a pretty good percentage. It’s been huge and orange every day here for the past few days, and because of our schedule I get to see it when taking the kids to school in the morning and when we’re out in the evening too.
Photo by the author, without the spooky tree in the way
My primary, best camera is a Canon Powershot SX720HS. It takes pretty good pictures of the moon, but only at its full 40x optical zoom and with a tripod. I have to be quick, too, since the darn thing moves so quickly. I’ll have it centered for the first shot and tighten down the tripod’s knobs, then by the third or fourth shot it’s moved out of center, like you see above. I think the alignment is aesthetically pleasing, though I can see how it might drive some people crazy.
I’m grateful that I have a camera that can handle the task, too, since my older secondary camera, a Powershot SX260, just can’t. This is what it looked like from the side of the road before I got home:
Photo by the author
Admittedly, that was without a tripod, just leaning up against the side of the car, but the SX260 only has 20x optical zoom, and let’s face it, the moon is just really really far away! The higher the zoom, the better the pictures. Unless of course you have the newest Samsung phone…
There was a controversy a few years ago where a photographer claimed that if you took a picture of the moon using a special photo setting on your Samsung phone, it would use AI to improve the image and make it sharper and neater. This logically makes sense, since while the moon may be far away, it doesn’t change a whole lot, so any picture taken of it anywhere in the world should be the same, right?
The problem was that people were expecting their phones to capture an accurate image of the celestial orb, and they just can’t do that very well. The claims were true, Samsung admitted to doing just that. Of course, you can turn off that setting or whatever, but most people don’t dig that deeply into the settings on their devices and just take their results at face value. Which leads to an unrealistic view of the world in general.
Florabeasts are pretty unrealistic, too, but at least you know that going into it. The fruit this week’s beast derives from isn’t very Autumnal, but it can be enjoyed year-round. Especially if you make it into a cider. The fruit, not the Florabeast.
Yesterday I officially announced Counterbalance, and wouldn’t you know it, I already thought of another FAQ to add to the list. I’ve updated the main article and I’ll put it here too.
Do I need to have read Paper & Feathers before this story?
No, but. Each Euphony story is self-contained, with separate characters and plotlines. This is why I keep saying that Counterbalance is the second book in the series, NOT Book 2. However, if you have read P&F, you’ll pick up on some interesting details that you might miss otherwise…
There are currently three posts available through the CSL supporter portal, over 4000 words of the monthly goal, and lots more on the way. It’s not too late to join, so check it out and be among the first to read the story!