Well Worth Waiting For

I was driving home Thursday evening when I found this picture. Actually I have been waiting for it since last year.
This time of year, the sunset lines up perfectly with Georgia Highway 49 between Fort Valley and Byron. I missed it last year, and really wanted to shoot it. Here it is. The color one is really cool, but the black and white rocks.

I was shooting with the old Nikkor 500mm f8 and the last frames were a bit under exposed. I made it a black and white.





Shooting sunsets with long telephotos makes a great shot. The lens compresses the scene, and makes the sun huge. The shorter the focal length of the lens, the smaller the sun. The compression stacks up the hills, making them seem closer together. The 500 mirror lens gives pictures a distinct look. Nothing matches it for a cool sunset.

I have mentioned this lens before. Most folks think it is a dog, and compared to the new glass, it is. I have been shooting this one since the mid-70's. Shot loads of Falcons, Tech and Georgia football with it. Okay as long as the light was good. It is tricky to learn to focus, it is a dark lens.

It is compact, only about 4.3 inches long, weighs around 30 ounces. A regular 500f4 is over 15 inches long, and weighs over 8 pounds. Of course the f4 is sharp as a tack, and really bright. The mirror has its uses. I still love shooting features with it. Like me, it's old, but still has some life left in it.




This photo shows the 500 f8 on my camera body. The lens laying next to it is a Nikkor 17-55 zoom.