Lunar Eclipse(s)

[PhotoByTrace]

Hi all,
I got up early this morning to go forth and catch the lunar eclipse. I've been very fortunate while living in Townsville to have had clear skies for a few lunar events. Back in January we had clear skies and I had a new long lens I wanted to play with, so took a series of up-close photos every 15 minutes from my verandah to map the eclipse for that event.

This time however I wanted to tie it more intimately with my location. I had grand plans of a fixed landscape series or even a time lapse (potentially of just the time in totality to make exposure more consistent). So I looked for a location that would be typically Townsville when looking towards the West. Since I almost always shoot over water to the East it was more challenging than I'd anticipated. I did my research using The Photographer's Ephemera, Google Earth and Time & Date to get a sense of the angles and where the moon would be within the sky and the foreground, then checked the location out in person to make sure it was suitable (luckily cause they'd built some new houses that would intrude on anything shot wider than 50mm).

But as it turned out, my plans/dreams outweighed my motivation/energy when the time arrived. In the end I kept it very simple and just tried to make the most of a low and setting blood moon with a more modest single exposure. The backdrop is known as Castle Hill and is a central landmark within the city. The vantage point was a newly reclaimed area out from the marina.
Nikon D850 + Nikon 70-200 f/4 at 100mm f/8 3s ISO 500.



And from January's eclipse:




All January images captured with D750 + Tamron 150-600 G2 @ 600mm
Above Left Moon: f/7.1 1/800s ISO400 ; Center Moon: f/7.1 1/500s ISO400 ; Right Moon: f/7.1 1s ISO 1250

[dje]

Excellent work Trace. Makes mine here look a bit ordinary!

Dave

[PhotoByTrace]

Excellent work Trace. Makes mine here look a bit ordinary!

Dave

Hi Dave,
So pleased you had clear skies in Brissy too! Not ordinary at all! I have a series of images from an eclipse a few years ago that look almost identical to yours when I used a 1.4 TC with my f/4 70-200. I learned that time how much trickier the exposures of the partially shadowed moon were over taking a full moon, also about having to decide between shadows and highlights, how misleading the rear LCD screen brightness and tiny blinkies can be, and to wear my glasses when reviewing lol. I swear I learn at least one "hard" lesson each time I attempt an eclipse, usually several. Lessons such as length of lens for purpose; needing a very stable tripod and head for long, heavy lenses; keeping shutter speed short enough not to trail/ blur the moon when shadowed; allowing enough "negative space" for the moon's trajectory.... and the list goes on and on. With so few opportunities it can be so very frustrating but the challenge can be rewarding too.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what people capture and fashion as there's always some wonderfully creative compositions, fusions and varying approaches to eclipses.

[billtils]

Trace, I like what you've done here. Having the scene in the frame adds interest (not that there's anything wrong with the close-up sets .

[dje]

Hi Dave,
So pleased you had clear skies in Brissy too! Not ordinary at all! I have a series of images from an eclipse a few years ago that look almost identical to yours when I used a 1.4 TC with my f/4 70-200. I learned that time how much trickier the exposures of the partially shadowed moon were over taking a full moon, also about having to decide between shadows and highlights, how misleading the rear LCD screen brightness and tiny blinkies can be, and to wear my glasses when reviewing lol. I swear I learn at least one "hard" lesson each time I attempt an eclipse, usually several. Lessons such as length of lens for purpose; needing a very stable tripod and head for long, heavy lenses; keeping shutter speed short enough not to trail/ blur the moon when shadowed; allowing enough "negative space" for the moon's trajectory.... and the list goes on and on. With so few opportunities it can be so very frustrating but the challenge can be rewarding too.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what people capture and fashion as there's always some wonderfully creative compositions, fusions and varying approaches to eclipses.

Trace I can relate to all of this!

Dave

[Stagecoach]

Well captured Trace and you picked the scene well.

I kept looking out for it here but got bored seeing clouds so often

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Hi all,
I got up early this morning to go forth and catch the lunar eclipse. I've been very fortunate while living in Townsville to have had clear skies for a few lunar events. Back in January we had clear skies and I had a new long lens I wanted to play with, so took a series of up-close photos every 15 minutes from my verandah to map the eclipse for that event.

This time however I wanted to tie it more intimately with my location. I had grand plans of a fixed landscape series or even a time lapse (potentially of just the time in totality to make exposure more consistent). So I looked for a location that would be typically Townsville when looking towards the West. Since I almost always shoot over water to the East it was more challenging than I'd anticipated. I did my research using The Photographer's Ephemera, Google Earth and Time & Date to get a sense of the angles and where the moon would be within the sky and the foreground, then checked the location out in person to make sure it was suitable (luckily cause they'd built some new houses that would intrude on anything shot wider than 50mm).

But as it turned out, my plans/dreams outweighed my motivation/energy when the time arrived. In the end I kept it very simple and just tried to make the most of a low and setting blood moon with a more modest single exposure. The backdrop is known as Castle Hill and is a central landmark within the city. The vantage point was a newly reclaimed area out from the marina.
Nikon D850 + Nikon 70-200 f/4 at 100mm f/8 3s ISO 500.



And from January's eclipse:




All January images captured with D750 + Tamron 150-600 G2 @ 600mm
Above Left Moon: f/7.1 1/800s ISO400 ; Center Moon: f/7.1 1/500s ISO400 ; Right Moon: f/7.1 1s ISO 1250

Wow!!
Your photos of the two eclipses are incredible! Congratulations!
I could not wonder that it was possible to register such beauty in a lunar eclipse.
Cheers,
Antonio.

[PhotoByTrace]

Trace, I like what you've done here. Having the scene in the frame adds interest (not that there's anything wrong with the close-up sets .

Thanks Bill, that is why I wanted to try it this way this time.
Today I'm sitting looking at the various photos I took as the moon was setting, and I could certainly stack the images to create a composite series too; though since the day was also dawning, the most simple method of blending the layers using "lighten" will not work as seemlessly as it would if it had been a uniform night sky. Contemplating over a cuppa tea whether it is worth the effort

Trace I can relate to all of this!
Dave

It's kinda sad that we learn best by making the mistakes ourselves eh?!

Well captured Trace and you picked the scene well.
I kept looking out for it here but got bored seeing clouds so often

Thanks Grahame! Bummer the clouds didn't clear for you. You'll have to have a heart-to-heart chat with Mother Nature

Very nice.

Thanks John.

[PhotoByTrace]

Wow!!
Your photos of the two eclipses are incredible! Congratulations!
I could not wonder that it was possible to register such beauty in a lunar eclipse.
Cheers,
Antonio.

Thanks Antonio, that is a very lovely comment and it is appreciated
I am simply inspired by others who are out there trying new techniques and capturing brilliant images. I think I need to practice taking series of images of the full moon rising / setting prior to the next penumbral lunar eclipse to hone my skills. Of course recognising my need to practice and actually motivating myself to do it is another thing all together

[FootLoose]

They're all good, Trace, but the first one is particularly impressive.

[PhotoByTrace]

Thanks Greg.