Earthquakes, Tornadoes, and Thanksgiving???

This fall has flown by, which makes me happy. That means spring will be here before we know it. Of course Ma Nature was a little bit confused as to when the spring storm season is. Of course most people know, there is a small two week time frame for severe weather in the fall. It seems to float around between October and November. I normally don't pay much attention to it, except for lightning opportunities. Maybe I should start though as tornadoes have occurred this season and last. November 2011 in Oklahoma has been one to remember. The two most notable days: Saturday November 5th the state was rocked with a 5.6 magnitude earthquake. Then November 7th, south west Oklahoma experienced a long track cyclic super cell that spawned 8-9 tornadoes (one being rated an EF-4) over roughly a track of 100 miles! Later that same evening a 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck. Earthquakes and Tornadoes on the same day...Only in Oklahoma! I'm sure the west coast inhabitants got a good laugh from us southerners. I do have to say in our defense that the ground is softer here. So a small quake can feel bigger. That's my story and I'm sticking to it lol. Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Oklahoma. They are never felt most of the time. Some are from the New Madrid Fault and others are from the Meers Fault. What I find confusing are the epicenters of the recent Oklahoma earthquakes. They are nowhere near either fault, as all have been centered just east of Oklahoma City. Some people say it could be from a technique called Fracking. Oil companies use the technique to make sure they are getting all oil and gas from a well. Fracking very well could be the cause, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea. I would think something like that would be more of a localized event. Not something that spreads over 100 miles. Either way earthquakes are crazy. I'd rather have tornadoes because I can see them. Below is a photo from a recent Light Painting session, it kind a fits the crazy Oklahoma November.

Don't Fight The Lines....Order Online

Below are a few items you might think about purchasing. Even if Irene is not going to impact you directly, you never know when a hurricane, snow storm, flood, or other natural disaster is going to effect you. Most of these items have a long shelf life. It's better to be prepared now.

















You could go all out and buy an EPIRB:

Wind & Rain

I'm slow to blog about hurricane Irene. It's been a hectic week and lot's of preparing to cover Irene. As of now we are still trying to decide where the best intercept will be. I know I know, you don't chase hurricanes. But you have to do a little home work if you're planning to be in the eye of one. You can't adjust your location once the game begins.

Looking at models and I wanted to note the GFS. It's not one of the main models used for hurricane guidance, but I wanted to show something of interest. It shows Irene not making landfall until Sunday evening around eastern parts of Long Island then Connecticut and Massachusetts head on.



With the all of the models not handling Irene very well, it's anyone's guess. I wouldn't be surprised if Irene slams into Miami FL. I mean forecasters anticipated Irene to be a Cat 3 hurricane right now. She is currently a Cat 1 as I type this. So I'll say it again, it's anyone's guess. That makes it really difficult to pin point land fall.

Don't get me wrong the whole eastern seaboard is going to be impacted by Irene, regardless of where Irene makes landfall. Below is a widget from the National Hurricane Center if you would like more detailed information. I encourage everyone living on the east coast to pay attention. You just never know what could happen.

Hurricane Tours

Now that Hurricane season has fired up, so have Hurricane Tours with Extreme Chase Tours. We still have room for TS Irene, so hurry up and book. This storm is showing potential to go down in the history books, and you only live once! Witness Mother Nature's raw power!!!

Test

I'm testing out a feature from SmuMug. Let me know if it works on your end.

Time For A Prime

Amazon has a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 DX lens marked down to $199. It has great reviews and the only questionable side to it is the Bokeh. While not fantastic, it's not bad either. Just remember Bokeh isn't everything. A lot folks get stuck on that. Don't be afraid to push the "rules" of photography or even break them (I'm kind of a rebel). You never what you will come up with.

Light Painting

Last night my wife and I went out to Paint With Light again. Some fun images were made, but the heat created problems for the camera and the lens. It was 98F at 11pm, that's ridiculous! So the focus is not the best. Finding that perfect infinity zone was impossible. Taking my gear from 72F to 98F was not a good move. So we through the worry about focus out the window, and just had fun.

On another note: I purchased an EL Light two weeks ago and finally had time to use it. My wife really had fun with it, and produced some interesting images. I really like this one. It looks like a tree.



EL Lights can be purchased at Amazon.com for really cheap and come in various colors/lengths. Make sure you buy the models with a portable power source. Here is the link to the brand I purchased