SKY PHENOMENA

I have always had a fascination with astronomical and related sky phenomena.  And this spring within the space of five weeks I was able to witness two rare and awe-inspiring events, a total solar eclipse and a dazzling display of aurora borealis.  Here are a few images of each that I captured with my cameras.

First, I traveled, along with friends, to Indianapolis to photograph the solar eclipse that occurred on April 8.  We were fortunate that the weather turned out to be favorable, with only a slight haze in the sky where we had positioned ourselves to witness the event.Here is series of photos showing the progression of the eclipse:

I shot all but the last two photos with the solar filter on my camera.  I took the filter off once totality was close and fortunately got the "diamond ring" shot, as well as the final corona image.

Then, less than five weeks later, a confluence of sunspots resulted in the most dramatic display of northern lights in 20 years.  In the middle of the night on May 11, I found myself awake and got up and drove to a local park to witness the event.  I only had my iPhone, which did a decent job of capturing the show.  Here re a couple of shots that I took looking almost directly overhead.

 

These two shots were taken of the same portion of the sky only seconds apart, indicating how rapidly the display was changing.

One interesting note is that with my eyes the display had little color, but my iPhone camera picked up dramatically the aurora's different colors.

JOHN

MOROCCO: CASABLANCA GRAND MOSQUE OF HASSAN II

The last venue we visited in Casablanca was the Grand Mosque of Hassan II.  It was completed in 1993 and is spectacular.  One of the world's largest mosques, it features a minaret nearly 700 feet tall and a prayer hall that can hold up to 25,000 worshipers, with an exterior pavilion that can hold another 75,000.  It doesn't have a dome, like many of the mosques in Istanbul, but its roof is retractable. 

It is difficult to convey the enormous size of the mosque.

An exterior shot that I wanted to keep symmetrical.

Another symmetrical exterior shot.

One of the "corridors," leading to a complicated back entrance backlit by the sunlight.

The main prayer hall.

I zeroed in on a similar entrance, reducing the exposure so that the windows still appeared white while the walls showed in black. Having a couple of visitors in silhouette helped to provide perspective for the scale of the scene.

Another view of the prayer hall.

Detail shot.

Ablution hall on lower level.

Another view of ablution hall.

JOHN

MOROCCO: CASABLANCA NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES

On the final day of the Morocco tour we drove from Marrakech to Casablanca in the morning and had time to visit two religious venues, one Christian and one Muslim.

We first visited Notre Dame de Lourdes.  It was  evident that the Catholic church was in need of cosmetic renovation, and I was not a fan of the church's modernist architecture.  However, its massive stained glass windows were spectacular for their contemporary feel. 

JOHN

 FACES OF MOROCCO

I find photographing strangers to be difficult.  Even so, here, in no particular order, are some photos I took of Moroccans that we encountered on the tour (some repeats).

Rissani pre-school teacher.

Rabat local guide.

Erfoud mandolin player.

Fez medina resident.

Fez resident.

Fez knife sharpener.

Morocco's finest.

Fez medina coppersmith.

Fez local guide.

Marrakech resident.

Marrakech argan seed grinder.

Marrakech metal fabricator.

Rabat sausage maker.

Ouarzazate locala guide.

Erfoud local guide.

Sahara castanetist.

Sahara camel handler.

JOHN

 MOROCCO: PALAIS BAHIA MARRAKECH

On our second full day in Marrakech, we toured Palais Bahia, a popular tourist attraction in the city which was quite crowded at the time of our visit. The palace is of late 19th century construction and is very ornate, particularly its ceilings.  

I have balance problems when I attempt to photograph anything directly overhead, so I found myself sitting (or sometimes lying) on the floor in attempts to photograph ceilings.  Here I am at the foot of our tour director, who may have been wondering what the hell I was doing sitting on the floor.  Even so, I was fairly happy with what I got.

(Beautiful octagonal ceiling.)

(Ceiling with skylight.)

(This last is actually a painted door panel.)

JOHN

MOROCCO: MARRAKECH MARJORELLE GARDENS

Fashion designer Yves St. Laurent and his partner were long time residents of Marrakech and had a significant influence on the city culture.  St. Laurent purchased a beautiful botanical garden in the heart of the city originally built by Jacques Majorelle and left it, along with two adjacent museums, as legacies to the city.  I especially enjoyed photographing the desert plants that the gardens had to offer. 

(Converted to B&W)

(Succulent nicely backlit by the sun.)

JOHN