Email:  N6RE@mminternet.com
Name:  Raymond Clancy
Topic:  Frozen Moments
Copyright:  I submit to the standard raytracing competition copyright.
Title:  Sundogs10
Country:  USA
Web Page:  None
Renderer Used: Pov-Ray for windows 3.5
Tools used:  Windows Paint, MGI Video Wave Studio, Irfanview
Render time:  One second (640x480bmp output)
Hardware used:  Athlon 1900+ Win98SE moboA7V333

Image Description:  The image is a "Frozen Moment" generated by ice crystals at 3 to 6          miles in the atmosphere.  It is colloquially called a display of "sundogs",                 possibly a term derived from hunters use of dogs (well-trained dogs hunt at defined          distance and even with the hunter).  Hunting dogs date back to 3000BC.
            With the gracious permission of the copyright holder, Philip Appleton, I make            use of his "Sundogs at Winter Solstice"image.  I have added two "frosty sundogs" to          this background image.  (Perhaps they are wearing sundog sunglasses!).
            The technical name for the celestial phenomenon is "Parhelia".  The presence of          sundogs is usually accompanied by high cirrus clouds of ice crystals.
            I had the pleasure of observing sundogs from my home last month (Nov) at mid-day          hours.  One instance included a second "halo" around the normal 22 degree halo at            about 45 degrees.  Colored sundogs appeared variably over the time span of                  four hours generating "frozen moments".  A tangential curve appeared at the                 zenith of the halo at times.
            Antarctica has unique displays of sundogs due to the low sun position above the          horizon. A sundog search on the internet reveals many facts and images of                   "Parhelia". A halo simulator program is available therein.
            Photographing this phenomenon by Mr. Appleton shows skillful use of photographic          paraphernalia.  I used his original image of 2472x1571x24bmp as the background.                File halodog1.bmp is 11.1mb.  
     
Description of how this image was created:

            The .jpg image presented herewith was generated by editing the background image,          removing the copyright statement to prevent erosion during the processes required.
         The copyright statement was typed in during evolution of the combined images. The           dog image was edited in Paint for color and size.  Foreground places the dogs.
            The background image was entered into MGI Video Wave Studio wherein the                  copyright statement was entered via the video mixer feature and a single frame              output passed through Irfanview to generate a .bmp.  Installed this .bmp into               Pov-Ray as a sky_sphere image_map, adjusted parameters for the image and the camera          to position the image.  Returned the .bmp to Video Studio wherein the dog images            were integrated into the scene using the single frame technique as before.  The             final.bmp was converted in Irfanview.
            This integrated image .bmp was then rendered in POV-RAY in one second and the            .jpg conversion made in Irfanview.
            As you can probably tell, I am not expert at this, but I am having a ball!  If           nothing else, the render speed will be an eye popper!!
            It was made with simple tools....K.I.S.S.  Happy New Year to all!