Dog Days of Summer Are Here!What ARE the dog days of summer anyway? A little research in the Old Farmers Almanac says “this period of intense heat coincides with the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, part of the constellation Canis Major. Ancient civilizations noticed the star appeared in the eastern sky just before dawn during midsummer.” “The Dog Days span July 3 to August 11 — 40 days following the summer solstice. These are traditionally the hottest and most humid weeks of the year. However, if you’re eager to spot Sirius for yourself, it often doesn’t appear in the dawn sky until mid-August, depending on your location. Observers in Florida commonly spot it around August 13 (peak of the Perseids!). This first sighting is called the heliacal rising, a fun skywatching challenge for anyone who wants to observe the stars as the ancient Egyptians did." So what does that mean for us? Nothing really. Unless you stay out all night watching the Perseid meteor shower. But now you’re a little bit smarter. 😁 The third quarterly photo challenge 4 Types of Light began June 1st! This one will require a bit more effort than the last two. At the June meeting I mentioned some things that might help. Pick 2 to 3 places that you can get to quickly, or that you visit on a regular basis, to use as subjects in your images. If you’re up in Mickey Mouse land for vacation and see some interesting light, that won’t cut it (unless you see 3 other types of light to go with it). I recommend picking someplace close to your home, your work, or wherever you spend a lot of time, and focus on those spots. Each set should be of the same subject or scene. I don’t expect you to mark your tripod holes and have the EXACT composition, but go to the same place and get as close to the original as you can. If you start one series photographing downtown Miami, don’t finish it in the Everglades. Create another set, or just enjoy it for what it is. I plan on bringing my camera and a lens or two to my office so if I see some cool light while I’m working, I can quick get outside and photograph it. And I’ll probably try to make an effort to get out into one area of the Everglades, regularly, and try that. We’ll see. You do what you think is best! If you have a backyard, that’s a great place to start. Local parks, the beach, etc. So what can we look forward to in July? Wednesday the 8th is our meeting, “One Camera, One Lens” with Delfin Hernandez where he’ll talk about how ‘less is more’, less gear, more creativity. Our yearly field trip up to Dinner Island Ranch is Saturday the 11th. Always a favorite! So much to photograph up there. Its a long trip so prepare accordingly (bring refreshments). Then we have the Frame It on Wednesday the 15th, where, you guessed it, we’re showcasing “dog days of summer”. Who knows, if we’re feeling froggy, we might throw in another impromptu late-month field trip. Keep watch on your emails. I hope to see you all at our many events this month! Don’t be shy. And be sure to RSVP for the in-person events. It helps more than you know.
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