FULL MOON TONIGHT

Tree-Bone · Post by **Tree-Bone** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:56 am

This makes a good Photo Op.
Use your longest lens (200mm, etc) to take pictures of just the moon.
Take several shots with the moon in different corners of the frame.
Be SURE to set the exposure for the brightness of just the moon or all you get is a white spot with no detail. Example might be f 11 at 100 sec.
The exposure will be faster than you expect.

Now combine these shots of a large moon with any other subject for an interesting picture. The joy of digital and Photoshop.

Heywood · Post by **Heywood** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:36 pm

OK

Do I shoot in Manual mode? If so, what would be the settings?

Tree-Bone · Post by **Tree-Bone** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:10 pm

Set your camera to "spot meter" if possible. With the Nikon the meter setting button is on the rear, left side. Set it to the smallest area possible.
The idea is to fill the frame with the moon as large as your lens will allow. Then the meter will read the reflected light from the moon and that is the setting you use. Start with the lens set at f 8 . Look at he picture and if there is no detail in the moon, increase the shutter speed one "click". Keep doing this until you get detail.
The film speed should be no higher than 200.

The thing that is confusing is that the light from the moon is very bright. Almost like daylight. Therefore you need a fast exposure (shutter speed).
If the exposure is too slow you burn out the detail.

Use a tripod or steady rest.

Hope the clouds clear!

JoeS · Post by **JoeS** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:23 pm

Tree-Bone wrote:Set your camera to "spot meter" if possible. With the Nikon the meter setting button is on the rear, left side. Set it to the smallest area possible.
The idea is to fill the frame with the moon as large as your lens will allow. Then the meter will read the reflected light from the moon and that is the setting you use. Start with the lens set at f 8 . Look at he picture and if there is no detail in the moon, increase the shutter speed one "click". Keep doing this until you get detail.
The film speed should be no higher than 200.

The thing that is confusing is that the light from the moon is very bright. Almost like daylight. Therefore you need a fast exposure (shutter speed).
If the exposure is too slow you burn out the detail.

Use a tripod or steady rest.

Hope the clouds clear!

Man for a moment I thought I was reading a RosettaStone learning program......all foreign to me.......but very interesting....

Tree-Bone · Post by **Tree-Bone** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:00 pm

A little easier..... I looked up old notes and came up with exposures.
If you don't know about changing the meter patern on your camera do not try, just use these settings.

Set camera to Manual ("M")

Start with these : 100 ISO (film speed) = lens at f8 : shutter at 250
200 ISO (film speed) = lens at f8 : shutter at 500

Then look at pic and if no detail increase shutter speed one step at a time till you get detail in moon. In the event that the moon is too dark, decrease speed by one step.

Heywood · Post by **Heywood** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:14 pm

Thanks, I've already got the tripod out and I'm going to give it a try.

No clouds, clear and crisp tonight.

J.P. FROG · Post by **J.P. FROG** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:24 pm

Tree-Bone is right. Should be a good photo opportunity.

Sunset is at 5:38 PM and moon rise is at 5:39 PM. This should add another great photo opportunity by placing something of interest in the foreground with the rising moon in the background.

Heywood · Post by **Heywood** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 7:09 pm

Best I could come up with. There is a large street light outside my house, I think it threw the picture off.

Tree-Bone · Post by **Tree-Bone** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 7:25 pm

Good job Bill !

this at f10 @125 second

[img][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc15 ... 9-6964.jpg[/img][/img]

DouGR81 · Post by **DouGR81** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:32 pm

Hey thanks for the tip Tree-Bone..I've always wondered how to photograph the moon. Here's f/8 1/500sec @ 200mm

Todd · Post by **Todd** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:36 pm

Incredible pics guys.

SRQGator · Post by **SRQGator** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:40 pm

Full frame:

Cropped:

And a couple from yesterday:

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 8:41 pm

J.P. FROG · Post by **J.P. FROG** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 9:17 pm

Good photos, guys.

I'm impressed.

I went out to Ft. DeSoto hoping the moon would be rising behind the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, yet it rose quite away further to the north.

Here is a shot prior to the moon rising.

Moon rising over trees.

Notice that a plane traveling from right to left across bottom portion of the moon.

A "Blue Moon" taken last week while fishing at Tarpon Key.

Tree-Bone · Post by **Tree-Bone** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 9:28 pm

Frog, did you get any shots of the bridge? I wish I had a night shot that I could add the moon to. Guess I'll have to venture down to get one one of these nights.
For those who might wonder why the moon is different colors in the posted shots, the lower it is in the sky the more red/orange. I had to wait for quite a while for it to clear trees and that is why it is more white.

J.P. FROG · Post by **J.P. FROG** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 9:36 pm

Tree-Bone wrote:Frog, did you get any shots of the bridge?

Unfortunately, no. I tried, but I was having troubles with my camera. I was using my Olympus E3, which is fairly new to me and I haven't shot much with it recently and couldn't remember how to change some of the features to get a proper exposure. I need to start shooting more with the camera. Same advise I gave Jon, Prowler13angler, earlier today.