HOME | DD

pynipple In reply to dale427 [2008-01-26 09:46:07 +0000 UTC]

make that 1 1/2 years ... doh

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

dale427 In reply to pynipple [2008-01-26 19:07:44 +0000 UTC]

Time flies!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

pynipple In reply to dale427 [2008-01-26 09:45:07 +0000 UTC]

thanks, the focus really is the hardest part when it comes to lunar photography - this was the result of several dozen photos taken at around the same time and then I sort through them to find the ones with the best photo quality, focus, lighting and composition - it's a lot of trial and error

I've also noticed that the majority of moon shots are way out of focus and I think I know why ... it is incredibly difficult to get the moon in focus because when you are looking through the viewfinder it never looks like the final print and there are only a few references like Tycho to focus on - it does take more than point-and-shoot to get a good and focused shot, but it's not something that the average person can't do, it just takes some patience to get it absolutely steady before the shutter opens ... I always tell people that they can take great moon shots with just about any camera but the trick is to get it into focus and I still stand by that

as far as the weather, this was taken almost a 1/2 years ago (Oct 27, 2006 at 8:18:58 PM) so I can't really remember what it was like outside ... but I will say that I don't set up my gear to dp lunar photos unless it's nice enough for me to be out there shooting for at least 2 hours and I almost always spend 3-6 hours out there once I'm set up ... but you were right about it being a cold clear night!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

dale427 In reply to pynipple [2008-01-26 19:07:28 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for all the good info. I live near the ocean and I'm sure the moisture in the air affects the shot. I suppose I should look for a low humidity night. Or maybe go to the mountains. At 10,000 feet and away from the city. I'm sure the particles in the atmosphere absorb the city lights and that may affect the shot as well. I just need to get out there and try it. Full moon in a couple of days....

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

pynipple In reply to dale427 [2008-01-27 15:15:59 +0000 UTC]

Get out there and try it ... that's EXACTLY what I would suggest - you will be amazed at what you will see if you are patient with the focus and get the camera nice and steady

one big suggestion though ... the full moon is the worst time to get high resolution photos of the moon ... because all of the light is directly hitting the surface and not at an angle to make shadows, you won't pick up many of the deep looking craters that are on some of my moon shots that make it look so 3D … the best time to shoot the moon is when it’s at ½ or less … then you will get all kinds of shadows from the craters and that’s what makes them stand out and look deep on the photo

Don’t let this stop you from going out this coming full moon, just remember that your photos will only get better when it starts to wane - get out there and shoot that full moon anyways!

I live less than 20 miles from Minneapolis/St.Paul so I've got all kinds of light pollution, and yes, it does affect the atmosphere a LOT - the people out in the middle of nowhere on farms or whatever are the ones with crystal clear beautiful skies at night - but do the best you can with where you are, you can't do anything about the light pollution unless you want to take your gear on a road trip in the middle of the night out to the middle of nowhere (which I admit to doing more than once )

What camera/lens are you thinking about using for your first try? ... I don’t remember what you shoot with but I've seen the Canon XTi used for some of the photos in your gallery and that would be an excellent camera for this kind of photography - the XTi is an incredible piece of work and I've seen some world class photos come out of it

You don't need a super high tech expensive camera, but if you have a DSLR with a fairly long lens you will be able to get the focus adjusted easier and you will also be able to make the photo look larger than it really is by cropping it

When I go out, I get my gear all set up on the tripod and then I hang a gear bag with a few heavy lenses in it from the middle of the tripod to make it as heavy as I can ... the heavier the tripod, the steadier it will be - again, you don't need a fancy $400 tripod for this either - this exact photo was taken with my backup tripod which I got from Target for $29.99 and it does the job perfectly

The biggest mistake people make about lunar photography is thinking that they can't do it because they lack the talent or the expensive gear for it ... you really don't need either - you will get better with every night you go out to shoot the moon and as far as equipment, you can get a Sigma 400mm f/5.6 prime lens on ebay for less than $200 and they work perfect - then get a 2x teleconverter for around $30 and you are all set as long as you have a DSLR body to put them on

You’ll use that 400mm lens and the teleconverter for a lot more things than just the moon so it's a really good investment - and if all else fails and you decide you don’t want the lens, you can always sell it back on ebay for the same price as you paid for it ... and don't for get the remote shutter release - that's a real life saver and makes these photos a lot easier

Don't expect to get amazing national-geographic quality photos the first time (although it is possible) - remember, I've taken around 4000 photos of the moon over the past 3 years and have only ended up with about 40-50 that I would consider good ones - don't get discouraged if they aren't turning out like you want to, just get back out there and keep on trying

And if you get a chance, take a break and load the ones you've already taken onto a computer once in a while to see how you're doing and make fine tuning adjustments from there … I usually take my moon shots a little on the dark side as far as exposure because it makes the craters stand out more

For a starting point, go with a large aperture like F8 or even F11 and then adjust your shutter speed to suit - you don't need to take a long exposure ... I've tried it several times and a fast exposure like around 1/60 to 1/250 is where you will get the best results and it also makes the camera less vulnerable to camera shake

Take a few shots at slower and faster shutter speeds also just so you can get a feel for what difference it is making, and do the same thing with the aperture – the settings you end up with will be your own and they may not be the same as mine so don’t take this advice as the only way to do this, I'm not a pro at this by any means

I'm happy to hear that you're going to get out there and go for it - I hope you will post some of your results in your gallery ... if you do, please send me a link so I can check it out - have fun ...

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

dale427 In reply to pynipple [2008-01-27 16:24:40 +0000 UTC]

Wow! That's an amazing amount of information and encouragement. Stay tuned!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

pynipple In reply to Morgana88 [2007-11-13 09:02:23 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much Morgana, I'm really glad you like it - that means a lot coming from you - hope everything's going good on your part of the world

👍: 0 ⏩: 0