Ross Finlayson's online photo gallery

These photographs are copyright © Ross Finlayson. All rights reserved. Questions/comments about these photos can be emailed to photography(at)live555.com

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Transit of Venus

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My single favorite photo from 2012 was an accident. While in Istanbul, Turkey on vacation, I woke up early on June 6th to try to photograph the Transit of Venus - the last for more than a century. From this part of the world, the transit would be visible only at sunrise.

I had a thick filter (a piece of welding glass) that I used for several photos of the transit. Some of those photos came out OK. My best photo, however, was this one that I took for fun, without a filter, just as the sun began to emerge above the clouds. I wasn't expecting this photo to show the shadow of Venus, but - to my surprise - after reducing highlights and increasing contrast, it produced a remarkable image.

(Another fun fact about this photo was that I was standing in Europe, but watching the Sun rise over Asia!)

(June 6, 2012. Nikon D5000, 1/1600s @ f/9, 300mm, ISO 200.)