KenY Loc: Glenside, Pa

I went out this morning to try and get pics of the crescent moon 1 day before new moon. But I couldn't even see it. I'm guessing that it got lost in the blooming sunrise.

There were a few wispy clouds high in the sky, but no clouds on the eastern horizon where the moon (and the sun) rises. Today, the moon rose at 6:09 and the sun at 7:40. I guess that the moon rises too close to the time of sunrise and therefore will be invisible.

I'm hoping to try again in the days immediately after the new moon, when it will set later than the sun. I am hoping for some better results, but I would love to hear from those who have more experience.

I am using a Panasonic Lumix superzoom set at 12x optical zoom (no digital zoom). I intend to use a variety of exposures so I can eventually get some frames where the "dark" part is underexposed and the thin crescent is optimally exposed, and then shoot the "dark" part optimally and the crescent would therefore be overexposed. Then I can use Photomatix Essentials to get an HDR composite.

Thanks.
Ken

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Keep trying, and then post some shots. Be sure you're looking in the right place.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=how%20to%20find%20the%20moon

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

That sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing the results.
UHH has an Astronomy Photo section that you may be interested in joining. http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-109-1.html

Shoeless_Photographer Loc: Lexington

I had the same problem not too long ago. I missed an opportunity to capture it two days before new moon, so I went out one day before and gave up. I'm sure it was just too covered in light from the sun because it was getting too close to sunrise by the time it would rise.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

google "The Photographer's Ephemeris" and it will show you exactly where the sun and moon will rise and set on a satellite image of where you will want to stand. The time of day slider at the bottom of the page will fine adjust the points. Very helpful. It starts in Burkino Fasso and you move the point to your location. There likely is a faster way in the instructions.

johnmowry Loc: Northern Indiana, USA

When trying to shoot the supermoon, I learned that with my mirrorless, I need to have the exposure correct or the overexposure will prevent focusing. (Basically a white blob that never comes into focus.) When I switched to spot metering, it worked perfectly. I don't know what metering options you have, so you might need to use manual exposure settings to prevent overexposure blowout. Good luck. Ephemeris and a good compass will help locate your target.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

There is an app called Planets in the Apple App Store that can help with locating things in the sky and the times that they are visible. I'm sure that similar apps are available for other phones or tablets too. Good stuff for free...

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Yes, the moon was too close to the sun to be visible. I use the free program Stellarium on my PC to show a realistic view of the sky from my exact location at any time and date. Looking at the moon this morning from 6AM on, it was totally invisible.