Luna

I don't usually like photographing the full Moon as much as when it's gibbous or crescent, because you don't get the detail evident at the terminator in those other phases. However, this evening I lacked another blip, so out I went with my tripod - and I'm rather pleased with the detail I managed to pull out of tonight's shot. I've put a diptych on Flickr that shows the original (bottom, duh) and end result. Quite happy.

Largerer.

Focus was a sod at first. Not sure why; suddenly it came together, and this - with guesstimated manual settings - was the first shot I took once I got it. I played around for a while trying for better focus, and then set the timer so there wasn't any shake ... but this one was still the best.

Processing involved a crop, then adjusting the black point up a bit, and the mid (not sure what is the proper term) at a bit of a slant such that it enhanced the contrast without making the maria too black. Then I pushed up the contrast, and sharpened it. So not too much; I had an initial look at the effect of footling with layers, but it didn't really work.

Anyway...

Finished Dance With Dragons today. All I can say is "George R. R. Martin, you are a bloodthirsty sod!" Actually, I could also go with "... Wow ... O_õ ..." Unexpected. Shocking. I just do not have any idea how Mr Martin is going to pull this together in the next couple of books (the sod better not get hisself runned over by a truck, or I'll be not happy). I honestly cannot recommend these books highly enough - as long as you're not afraid of a lot of swears (I've never seen c**t in print so often), extremely gritty realism (no Disney-ish chivalry to be found therein), and can stand to have characters you love killed (brutally and often). I'm conscious that might not sound like a recommendation, but really it is. They're amazing books; I haven't been so gripped in ages. They even hooked my wife, who's never read a fantasy book before in her life.

Now, however...

... I have to figure out what the hell to read next. I have a few things in my kindle. Maybe I'll go a bit non-fiction, with "Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us", by Michael Moss. I have a few novels and many short stories stacked up. Some PG Wodehouse might be a good change of pace from ol' Bloodthirsty George. ;-)