Eye In The Sky

[jupiterlush]

The moon is one subject that's hard to capture.

[Donald]

Al

I love these moon shots when you get light thrown onto clouds around where the moon is in the sky.

As you say, the really big challenge is to capture the moon without blowing it at the same time as not then letting the sky go completely black and losing detail on those clouds.

Others with more knowledge and skill than me will hopefuly come ion here and tell us how to do it.

[Ollokot]

Hi Al,
Maybe you could try using settings somthing like f/8 at 1/60sec to expose the moon and take another shot to expose for the clouds then blend them together. Hope this helps,
Pat

[jupiterlush]

Al

I love these moon shots when you get light thrown onto clouds around where the moon is in the sky.

As you say, the really big challenge is to capture the moon without blowing it at the same time as not then letting the sky go completely black and losing detail on those clouds.

Others with more knowledge and skill than me will hopefuly come ion here and tell us how to do it.

Sir Donald, thank for your comment. That is what I want to achieve, capturing the moon without the burst of light around it and at the same time a moon which doesn't look like just a hole in the sky. I wanted it to look round not just a circle in the sky. I think more patience and practice should be done and time will come I can post moon pictures the way I want it.

[jupiterlush]

Hi Al,
Maybe you could try using settings somthing like f/8 at 1/60sec to expose the moon and take another shot to expose for the clouds then blend them together. Hope this helps,
Pat

Pat thanks, I'll take note on that. I'll try when full moon comes again.

[Jim B.]

If you are using a tripod.Try f/11 ,ISO 100,spot metered and daylight WB.

[jupiterlush]

If you are using a tripod.Try f/11 ,ISO 100,spot metered and daylight WB.

Thanks Jim! I can't wait for the next full moon. I'll try it.

[Geoff F]

There are two slightly different methods for moon photography, much like fireworks in fact.

The traditional way, for a clear sky shot with some details on the moon surface needs the approach which Jim recommended.

But the potential downside is a rather long exposure which really needs mirror lock up and a cable release, or use the self timer, obviously with a good tripod.

If attempting to capture a partial cloudy scene, with the moon peeping through a hole in the cloud and a nice 'ring' around the moon you will also need to consider the speed of any passing clouds.

This means that you have to select a shutter speed to suit the clouds and still be suitable for the moon. So you may need a speed as fast as 1/40 although the slower the better.

Then play around with the aperture and ISO until something works. Possibly F8 or a little wider may be needed. Try to avoid using excessively high ISO.

But this style does rely on having just the right cloud structure so it is really a case of waiting for the right night time weather.

Whatever method, keep varying the options, and use a bit of exposure compensation if it helps; although, after basic metering, I prefer to set everything manually.

Expect a lot of failures, but eventually you will get everything correct and achieve some stunning results.

[ktuli]

Keep in mind that the moon is a moving subject. I have read that anything slower than 1/10th of a second shutter speed will blur the moon and lose all detail.

Also - the big key here is spot metering. If you use any of the other modes, the camera is trying to expose for lots of dark area and some bright area, which means you will get that over-exposed moon every time. But on the flip side, if you expose for the moon, you will get that pitch black sky. The simple fact is the dynamic range of the scene (dark sky with comparatively bright moon) is far too great for your camera to record in a single exposure - which is why several suggestions have pointed in the two exposure method.

Keep at it... and don't wait for the full moon. Shoot partial moons too, they're sometimes more interesting as subjects than the full moon. Plus, you're missing out on many days of practice waiting for another full moon.

- Bill

[jupiterlush]

There are two slightly different methods for moon photography, much like fireworks in fact.

The traditional way, for a clear sky shot with some details on the moon surface needs the approach which Jim recommended.

But the potential downside is a rather long exposure which really needs mirror lock up and a cable release, or use the self timer, obviously with a good tripod.

If attempting to capture a partial cloudy scene, with the moon peeping through a hole in the cloud and a nice 'ring' around the moon you will also need to consider the speed of any passing clouds.

This means that you have to select a shutter speed to suit the clouds and still be suitable for the moon. So you may need a speed as fast as 1/40 although the slower the better.

Then play around with the aperture and ISO until something works. Possibly F8 or a little wider may be needed. Try to avoid using excessively high ISO.

But this style does rely on having just the right cloud structure so it is really a case of waiting for the right night time weather.

Whatever method, keep varying the options, and use a bit of exposure compensation if it helps; although, after basic metering, I prefer to set everything manually.

Expect a lot of failures, but eventually you will get everything correct and achieve some stunning results.

Geoff thank you so much, your suggestion is something to remember, like what you said I'm patiently waiting for something nice the next full moon.

[jupiterlush]

Keep in mind that the moon is a moving subject. I have read that anything slower than 1/10th of a second shutter speed will blur the moon and lose all detail.

Also - the big key here is spot metering. If you use any of the other modes, the camera is trying to expose for lots of dark area and some bright area, which means you will get that over-exposed moon every time. But on the flip side, if you expose for the moon, you will get that pitch black sky. The simple fact is the dynamic range of the scene (dark sky with comparatively bright moon) is far too great for your camera to record in a single exposure - which is why several suggestions have pointed in the two exposure method.

Keep at it... and don't wait for the full moon. Shoot partial moons too, they're sometimes more interesting as subjects than the full moon. Plus, you're missing out on many days of practice waiting for another full moon.

- Bill

Okay Bill, I'll wait for the moon as soon as the weather gets better, it's raining for a couple of days and I have to wait for a clearer sky. Thank you for you advise and for viewing.