Ray

****PLEASE READ****PLEASE READ**** *****RE-INTRODUCTION***** Been a while since I posted an introduction and new pic of me. Sorry internet. Old and ugly, as promised. First my name REALLY is Ray. Second ALL the images here are my own work and NEVER AI. Ok, A little about the guy in the picture. I JUST turned 60 on May 6th, 2026. I'm an honorably discharged, decorated veteran. I served 10 years in the US Air Force as an aircraft crew chief for 3 years and a combat arms instructor for the remaining 7. I'm an expert marksman and still hit the range several times a month to keep in practice. I'll post targets now and then. I served 7 years in the US Border Patrol then as a civilian combat arms instructor for the Air Force. My photography has always been a hobby. NOT INTERESTED IN NFTs. Terrestrial photography is ALWAYS of nature. I TRY not to get ANY humanity in my pictures. No, I'm not a fan of humanity. I'm the guy that roots for the asteroid! I'll be there with a baseball mitt on to try to catch it. LOL Wildlife, landscapes and weather are primarily what I focus on. The instruments I use are a Canon EOS t7 with basic kit lenses, DJI Mini 2 & 3 Drones, and a GoPro Hero 13. My Astrophotography is my true passion. Since childhood I have been fascinated by Astronomy. I ALWAYS wanted to take pictures like the ones I saw in Astronomy, Science News, and Sky & Telescope Magazines. Back in 2011, I was FINALLY able to get the gear I needed to do BASIC Astrophotography. Now, I am fulfilling that dream and sharing it here. My main scope is a Williams Optics Red Cat 51 Gen 3. (Scope in pic with ugly old man) Politics. Ugh! I have VERY strong opinions. THIS site is not about that for me. It is about photography. I don't care what side you are on, what you identify as or who you vote for. I will NOT engage in political debate here. Anyone that tries will be immediately blocked whether you are on my side or not. PLEASE, if any of you feel I am being political, let me know and I will correct that behavior. Thanks for sticking around to read the ramblings of a strange, ugly old man. This is who I am and I'm too damned old to care or change.

I added 30 X 10-minute subs to my LBN-325 Image last night. Didn't bring out the blues as much as I had hoped but still a cool image. Total of 9 hours worth of exposure time.

@aHeartSoFull Drat. No bridge pics.

Today's Photo Challenge: BRIDGES Quote it or Share it 👇 My image: The London Bridge Fun facts: 1) Sold in 1968 for $2.46M. Moved stone-by-stone to Lake Havasu City, AZ. Reopened in 1971. 2) 10,276 numbered granite blocks shipped via Panama Canal then trucked to the desert. 3) Only the outer stones came over — the bridge is hollow inside (and full of bats). #PhotoChallenge #Bridges #Photography

@AstroTanja @zwoastro LOL I'm lucky. Old and retired. Can shoot all night and process all day. LOL I LOVE my AM5!

How the hell can I focus on work today when I have 2 images waiting to edit. And just reviewed 9hrs of data in an SHO project that I didn’t last 2 nights ! 🫶✨ In other news: I love the @zwoastro AM5N.

@JohnGetchel Thank you. I made it as grunge as possible. LOL

@RayM5666 I am a bit shocked but it's an amazing photo Ray!

Photo Challenge: Cityscape 🏙️ Every city has a rhythm. Show us the city through your lens. San Diego, California.

@EricTheSpaceCat They are beautiful! Well done.

I had some visitors this morning.

@mandolinaes What beautiful art it is!

My art

@merakime Once again, you show how nature and art go hand in hand! Beautiful work.

The Blue Rim

@aHeartSoFull Thanks. LOL Yeah, it IS a good time of year. I really like taking the drone out during fall. A lot to shoot.

@RayM5666 Holy moly, this is fabulous!! It makes me want Fall to be here, NOW!

One more Photo challenge and we'll call this weekend a wrap! Tonights Photo Challenge: LEAVES Quote it or Share it 👇 My image: New growth on a Chinese Fringe Flower. Do you see the HEART? #PhotoChallenge #Nature

@SudiesBeauties @aHeartSoFull Yeah, it was in pretty bad shape. Went up there recently and the entire barn and outbuildings are all gone. Property owner must have bulldozed everything.

@RayM5666 @aHeartSoFull I guess the couch was left behind... Pretty cool!

Anyone up for another Photo Challenge on this Saturday night? Share any image so long as it's in Black & White #PhotoChallenge #Blackandwhite #monochrome #Photography #Nature

@Kristin_Mae Sounds like a great hike!

7 miles and 3 lakes with my fam today. Oh. My. Gosh. My body hurts. Lake Isabelle is gorgeous! Saw one moose driving in, should have stopped but I didn’t. It was in an open meadow with no trees or sticks in the way, would have been an amazing photo. Only saw 3 other moose, one lone female walking 30 feet away along the lake shoreline, totally imperfect view with too many trees in the way for a clean shot, but I’ll see what I got later. It was pretty cool walking along the trail with her for 5 minutes. Then, saw another female and her calf at Lake Isabelle but they were on the other side, about 700 meters away. Either way, it was a rewarding experience. Hope you all had an amazing Sunday.

@aHeartSoFull Awww, shucks. Thanks!!

@RayM5666 Yay!!! You did real good too!

Today's Photo Challenge: REPTILES Quote it or Share it 👇 My image: Western fence lizard also called "blue-belly". Some fun facts: 1) Their blood kills Lyme disease bacteria in ticks that bite them. 2) Males do push-ups to flash their bright blue bellies to claim territory. 3) They can drop their wriggling tail to escape predators (it regrows!). 4) They darken or lighten their scales to control body temperature.

@candiburke Thank you and back then, I DIDN'T know what I was doing. Just got lucky on this one. LOL

@RayM5666 Pretty cool for someone who says he doesn’t know what he’s doing

Going back to June 2013. Just the Celestron 8" Mounted on a C-Gem Mount. A Canon ESO 1000D. Celestron Nexguide as a guide and eyeball focusing. This is 30 X 5-minute subs. You can tell by the stars I had NO clue as to what I was doing. YET, the diamond in the rough is SUPRISINGLY interesting detail in the galaxy. This is NGC-7331 and the Deerlick group of galaxies.

@AstroErikATC @AstroTanja Amen brother!

@RayM5666 @AstroTanja old man here also, and I'm with you! lol...2 panel mosaic will be wonderful as a 1st project at some point though! I love the framing tools being able to help with this...I wish I had the fortitude to use a rotator to help with framing, but I just struggle taking flats. #effort

I’m so tempted to shoot this in one frame, but I know doing it’s as a mosaic will be best.

@FototakerTony LOL

@RayM5666 I don't see HOW it could even be implied to"look" like California; nothing of the map outline looks anything like my home State!! How dare they!! Can't even see Lake Tahoe or Yosemite, let alone the San Francisco peninsular. San Jose isn't even in the right spot!!

Another comparison. This is NGC-1499, California Nebula. Imaged last year. First image is the original processing. Second is today. The newer one is a "cleaner, less noisy version and if you do a full view, preserves and enhances the details much better.

@SudiesBeauties @aHeartSoFull No, an old, abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere.

@RayM5666 @aHeartSoFull Was that a place that homeless people were staying?

@BeatriceHeinze @freedomfeens Amen.

@RayM5666 @freedomfeens She can't replace Nova, like you said a while ago, but ... maybe she can soften the pain of the loss.

WooHoo, last night was clear, the puppy cooperated by sleeping MOST the night. Set up and started this. LBN-325 in Cygnus. This is ONLY 25 X 10 min subs. More on this when the rare next clear night comes. Imaged with my Red Cat 51, Gen 3, ZWO ASI 533 MC Cooled Color Camera Pro, AM5 Mount, Optolong L-Ultimate Filter.

@AstroTanja Good call. I'm to chicken to even attempt a mosaic! LOL Too complicated for an old man!

@RayM5666 Yes the Redcat61. It doesn’t do it justice to just ‘fit’ it in frame. A mosaic is best. But I opted for another target. I’m scared to commit to a mosaic now when I already struggle to get enough time on 1 target