Normally I expect the month of August to be hot but obviously for those in the US, July had the mercury elevated around most of the country. Hoping everyone and their loved ones were able to deal with the temperatures best as possible in their situation. Ironically for myself, this past weekend was the coolest, temperature wise, I experienced over the past few weeks. The month was very busy, with three trips to the East coast and a few locations in the Midwest. August will be busy with long road trips planned and hopefully some great images to share next month. There is not one but two Supermoons this month, a rare astronomical feat when the moon is a full stage but also very near it's closest to us in orbit, the Supermoon tonight (August 1) is the second in a row but also one of four in a row! Contrary to what you might read on the internet, a supermoon exceeds the disk size of an average-sized Moon by up to 8% and the brightness of an average-sized full Moon by some 16%. You may not perceive the difference in size, but a supermoon will appear brighter in the sky.

Those who know me, you have most likely seen me support local charties as a volunteer in some way but most of the time providing my photography services - a trait passed on to me by a mentor named Kevin May. Normally my work is isolated to Central Illinois but occasionally I will help others and recently one group really caught my attention in the motorcycle dirt track world. While I have known this group for some time, named Evil Hours Racing; including the founder Erik Hartley for a few years - back when he first started the organization, to be honest I provided basic images for Erik but never really asked what all the organization fully did. Erik is a military veteran and his goal was to help other veterans deal with PTSD in some form of racing experience, this could be helping a team or even help them become a racer. Ever since I met Erik, he had one message that has stuck with me: PTSD is NOT a disorder - this was something that I never really thought of very much but makes complete sense, even more so when you know a war veteran of any age and hear stories about what they experience day to day and night to night. Recently, an individual who Erik had helped became a statistic that none of us want to see or hear about. For those who follow me on social media, you would have seen the post I made for this individual.

While I don't like to request individuals to donate to any organization, I would like to make a general plea for everyone who reads this newsletter (please forward this to anyone who might be or know a veteran). If you are able, please make a donation to an organization supporting your veterans of your country. If you want to learn what a small group is doing, please visit the website of Evil Hours Racing: https://www.evilhoursracing.com/post-traumatic-stress-support

Both of our images will have connections to my information about Evil Hours Racing in some manner. The first image is our Lady Liberty, which did you know actually is on New Jersey side of the Hudson River, is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy and was a gift from the people of France arriving in New York in June of 1885 packed in 214 crates. This image was one of those long time planned shots but not working out as planned, I was hoping for sun after the early morning alarm. This image was captured at 5:10am in early July, with cloudy skies but worse off, it was a two hour drive from my event the day before (not sure if I am crazy or dedicated) - maybe next time I visit there will be more sun and less clouds. Camera Data: 200mm 2 sec F8 ISO800

The second image this month is one personally love to capture at the Peoria Motorcycle Club's TT track but not for the faint of heart, shortly after capturing this view, the bikes are less than two feet to my right arm - I really put my trust into these professional flat track racers (again, not sure if I am crazy or dedicated). The part that I love is the reflection in the helmet face shield; the curvature of the shield makes the fender appear very thin. Camera Data: 400mm 1/1600 sec F5.6 ISO3200

Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, Right click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.

For Mobile devices, most mobile phones are straight forward to download images but Apple users might need a few tips.
Apple iOS Downloads - click the Mobile Phone link to open the image:
Without 3D Touch enabled - tap and hold on the image, select Save Image
With 3D Touch enabled - tap and hold but with no pressure on the screen, select Save Image

If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.

http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/august.html

Enjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any requests for future subjects, any questions and/or comments!

Tim Lester

TIM LESTER IMAGES
Email: tim@PROTECTED
Website: www.timlesterimages.com
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