Thought I Could Finally Take A Good iPhone Moon Picture...Nope

 Nope...still didn't work.

I did a little internet surfing yesterday and I came across a video on how to get a good photograph of the moon using your iPhone. I was so excited. It's something I've literally tried to do it for years.

Of course, I didn't try too hard. I don't think I ever researched how to improve my phone photography skills. Had I done so, I might have found a way to unlock the secret...that elusive secret years ago.

Still, no.

The video demonstrated how to get a good moon photograph. The trick is to not use the "Photo" mode. What you do is go to "Video" mode. Then zoom in and push the screen up. That's where you can adjust the exposure, the amount of light allowed in.

Never new about that.

I was so excited to put my newfound information to the test. Thankfully, we have a cloudless sky tonight. I waited until it was dark, then went outside to capture the beautiful moon almost directly above our house. I followed the instructions to the letter, and...

Still didn't work.

I think it didn't work because I do not have the most advanced iPhone. Mine's not the best camera out there. Perhaps, if I had the latest model, things would look different. It would be nice to have an updated phone, but I'm not going to fork out hundreds of dollars just to get a better moon photo.

However...

If I do one day upgrade, you can bet the first thing I'm going to do is see if I can get a good shot of the moon. I'll let you know how it all works out.

With These Shots, Kind Of Got Lucky...And Didn't

 Two shots, two chances where luck helped capture the images...

Luck was involved, but more with one than the other.

I try to find interesting pictures for my Pic Of The Day. I freely admit, some photos are better than others. Last week I caught two images I liked a lot, one a shot of a lightning bolt during a summer storm, and the other, a photo of a dragonfly taking flight. Both required some "adjusting," but both turned out great.

The first, the picture of the dragonfly, I caught while in the backyard with the dog. As I waited for him to do this business, I spotted two dragonflies landing on some bamboo poles we have set up. They would hop from pole to pole as if fighting. I got out my phone and tried to get as close as possible to snap a picture before they flew away. Because my phone has a short video feature, it caught the dragonfly as it took off. I picked a frame as it just left the pole and that was my Pic Of The Day. 

The second shot was far easier to get.

We live at the top of a huge valley and when summer storms roll in, my wife and I like to go out to the front porch and enjoy nature's fireworks. That storm was amazing. The thunder was almost constant. I got out my phone and hit "Video." Then, I would record for a minute or so, the phone pointing to the east. I took maybe five videos and captured numerous lightning strikes.

Because it was a video, I didn't know if I actually caught any lightning bolts with my camera. I downloaded the videos, then went frame-by-frame stopping whenever the sky lit up. The one I used for that Pic Of The Day was my favorite. I guess it's easy to conclude I snapped a picture right as the bolt appeared, but I'm not that talented.

Two shots, both required a bit of luck, only one needed less luck than the other.

Playing Around With My Phone's Panorama Camera Function...Shooting Up

It took a me a long time to figure out that the panorama camera function on my phone wasn't just for shooting a wide landscape shot.

It can also shoot up....

Or, I suppose, down, if needs be.

Of course, you have to turn your camera horizontal to take a vertical panorama shot, which, is weird because you have to turn your camera horizontal to take a horizontal shot in normal mode.

Tonight's sunset didn't have much color near the western horizon, but higher up, it was gorgeous. Taking a normal vertical shot would not have done it justice, so I utilized the panorama function and I think it turned out well.

Here's a few examples.

I use my phone everyday (like most of us...) and a majoritty of my Pics Of The Day are from my phone. It's an old phone, too--ancient in technological years--but I'll keep using it. It keeps taking pictures I'm glad to share.