BajaNomad

Moon Setting behind Pt. Chivato ~ Thursday 11/13

Russ - 11-13-2008 at 07:19 AM

Had to come back and get the camera when I took the dog out this morning:




bajajudy - 11-13-2008 at 07:39 AM

Beautiful, Russ
The moon was so bright last night.
And so cold this morning. 57 on my porch when I woke up.

Russ - 11-13-2008 at 08:08 AM

That's a great shot. I just had a long lens on.

DianaT - 11-13-2008 at 08:38 AM

Dang Russ,

You had to remind of just one of the many reasons we hated leaving Baja this week---the moon was so beautiful.

Can't wait to get back!!

Seriously, I really like those shots.

Curious about one thing. You have such nice detail in the moon --- did you expose and focus for the moon directly?

Thanks
Diane

Russ - 11-13-2008 at 12:13 PM

Diane, This morning was really crisp and clear. I zoomed in close and metered the moon and then panned back out where I liked how it was framed. Full auto because I wasn't interested in working with the depth of field. Nikon D60 w/55-200 lens. I also would like a longer lens but you could almost buy a house for a Nikon long lens. Thanks all, ~ Russ ~

Ken Bondy - 11-13-2008 at 12:15 PM

Breathtaking Russ!!!!

DianaT - 11-13-2008 at 12:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Russ
Diane, This morning was really crisp and clear. I zoomed in close and metered the moon and then panned back out where I liked how it was framed. Full auto because I wasn't interested in working with the depth of field. Nikon D60 w/55-200 lens. I also would like a longer lens but you could almost buy a house for a Nikon long lens. Thanks all, ~ Russ ~


Thanks for sharing the information---always interested in learning. Now if while we are in the states, if I can win the lotto, I can buy all the photo equip on my wish list. :yes::yes:

I will say that I laughed when you said you had to go back for your camera---too many times I am without camera and something appears. Glad you got the camera in time.

Diane

motoged - 11-16-2008 at 01:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jdtrotter
......
Curious about one thing. You have such nice detail in the moon --- did you expose and focus for the moon directly?

Thanks
Diane


Diane,

Moon shots: As the moon is reflecting sunlight, one must shoot at no slower than 1/60....otherwise too much light is captured and the "details" are washed out and the moon is just a circle of light with no contrast.

Use 1/60 or 1/125...tripos helps as does a telephoto lens.

Ged

DianaT - 11-16-2008 at 01:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by motoged
Quote:
Originally posted by jdtrotter
......
Curious about one thing. You have such nice detail in the moon --- did you expose and focus for the moon directly?

Thanks
Diane


Diane,

Moon shots: As the moon is reflecting sunlight, one must shoot at no slower than 1/60....otherwise too much light is captured and the "details" are washed out and the moon is just a circle of light with no contrast.

Use 1/60 or 1/125...tripos helps as does a telephoto lens.

Ged


Thanks Ged,

I really appreciate the information. I will remember this because I have shot many a pictures with the moon looking like a spotlight.

Two questions

At that speed will the rest of the area be really dark with no detail?

Is there a way to do both---expose for both?

I am learning to use a neutral density filter for some sunsets so that both the ground and sky have detail----still learning and practicing. But the moon is different.



Now, if I could have only photograghed that UFO we saw. :tumble:

Diane

stimbo - 11-16-2008 at 05:20 PM

Quote:
Quote:

Two questions

At that speed will the rest of the area be really dark with no detail?

Is there a way to do both---expose for both?

Diane


Diane -- The answer to your question depends on the actual timing of the full moon which is when the moon rises on the eastern horizon just as the sun sets on the western horizon. If you go out a day or two before the calendar full moon, you will notice the sky is still bright and distant mountains, the ocean, etc are still in the sunlight, a balanced lighting situation. The more you wait after the calendar date of the full moon, the darker the sky will be as well as the distant landscape. By exposing for the moon in this scenario, the best you can hope for are dark silhouettes in the background. If you want to expose for both and "see" highlight and shadow detail, then plan your moon imagery for the actual full moon rise, or better yet, the day before. Jim

Iflyfish - 11-16-2008 at 05:31 PM

Howl!

Beautiful, just beatiful!

Iflyfish

DianaT - 11-16-2008 at 06:02 PM

Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by stimbo

Two questions

At that speed will the rest of the area be really dark with no detail?

Is there a way to do both---expose for both?

Diane


Diane -- The answer to your question depends on the actual timing of the full moon which is when the moon rises on the eastern horizon just as the sun sets on the western horizon. If you go out a day or two before the calendar full moon, you will notice the sky is still bright and distant mountains, the ocean, etc are still in the sunlight, a balanced lighting situation. The more you wait after the calendar date of the full moon, the darker the sky will be as well as the distant landscape. By exposing for the moon in this scenario, the best you can hope for are dark silhouettes in the background. If you want to expose for both and "see" highlight and shadow detail, then plan your moon imagery for the actual full moon rise, or better yet, the day before. Jim


Russ, you know I love those pix, but I feel a little like this is now a hijack---I am sorry for that. Actually, I can blame you for taking such a good picture of the moon with so much detail. :lol::lol:

On the other hand, it seems that when a question about taking photos is asked, we sure get more detailed and practical advice than I get from a photo forum to which I belong. It is nice that the experienced photographers around here are so willing to share. :yes::yes:


Diane

Russ - 11-16-2008 at 06:11 PM

Diane, Thanks again. I'm learning again. This digital stuff is great! You can click away and play with speed and aperture settings and not pay thru the nose for film and processing.
Click on!

motoged - 11-16-2008 at 07:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jdtrotter
....Two questions

At that speed will the rest of the area be really dark with no detail?

Is there a way to do both---expose for both?

Diane


Diane,
At 1/60 you could use a flash to fill in some foreground and still get contrast on moon....play around with aperture as it will also control light....and, as you pointed out, digital helps with expense of multi-bracketing experiments.

To get a good moon shot I think you really need a telephoto of sorts....and this usually excludes foreground images.

Back in the day, I would take a ton of moon shots w/ telephoto lens and locate the moon in different quadrants of frame....and then overlay them onto a different image....that way you could have a "dusk" shot with a huge moon overhead....but the guys in the darkroom hated me...(slides back then).

Ged