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Full Moon settings
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May 5, 2020 08:21:10   #
pila
 
Gene51 wrote:
I know you are looking for a shortcut - but composition is entirely your choice, and exposure settings are quite variable. My best suggestion is you use an empirical approach and see what works best for you.


This is a very cool answer.
I like “empirical approach”
Pila
I am gonna steal it for general use.

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May 5, 2020 08:21:43   #
Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC
 
larryepage wrote:
The moon is illuminated by the same sunlight that lights the earth. So when overhead, the Sunny 16 rule will provide a starting point...that is f16 at a shutter speed of 1/ISO. We usually like to photograph it lower in the sky, however. In that case, its light has to pass through more of the atmosphere, so one or two (or sometimes a little more) exposure will be needed.

Daylight white balance is appropriate. And...the moon is not white...it just looks that way in the dark sky. So bring the exposure down such that it is rendered in various shades of gray.

Night photography is all manual. A big challenge is achieving proper focus. If you can focus on the moon, that's great. If not, pick a light or an illuminated object a few hundred feet away and focus on that.

If you want details of the lunar surface, you will need your longest lens. Maximum aperture is not a problem. And you will probably want to shoot at f8 rather than f16, adjusting shutter speed accordingly. (Although I've used f16 just fine.)

Two or three days before or after actual full moon will provide more interesting results of the lunar surface, when the lighting from the sun is not directly overhead.

If you are wanting moonlit landscapes, the challenges are a little greater, especially if you want the moon in the image. Dynamic range will be very high, and you will probably need to do quite a bit of post processing. I am not the best person to help you with those images.

Good luck.
The moon is illuminated by the same sunlight that ... (show quote)

Sunny 16 to start with works great as a starting point. I drop a stop or so since the light getting to the moon sees no air except its way back back to you, and it reduces the chance of any overexposed bright areas. The full moon really is like taking the old fashioned outdoor family portrait on a clear afternoon with the sun peering over your shoulder.

Moon question for anyone: With all the excitement over super-moons, has anyone noticed that the closer distance does very little that even a marginally better lens can't easily outdo, and that the features of the circular horizon may differ just slightly because we actually see less of the surface than when the moon is at its greatest distance from earth?

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May 5, 2020 08:24:26   #
CaptainPhoto
 
Notorious T.O.D. wrote:
Spend $10 on the PhotoPills app as it has tons of tools and tutorials on shooting the moon, stars and Milky Way...


Ah Yes, good old PhotoPills. Great app, and it's just out of this world. Worth every penny. And all the tutorials are part of the app.

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May 5, 2020 09:02:17   #
mflowe Loc: Port Deposit, MD
 
thrash50 wrote:
The full moon is coming up. I could use some suggestions for settings, and composition. I'll be setting up in an orchard, and hope to frame my images with some trees.
Canon 6D mk2
Tamron 100-400mm
Canon A1 film camera
Canon FD 100-300mm
BW and color film 200iso
Various other shorter lenses
Both setups will be on tripods

Thanks
Steve


Shooting the moon itself is quite easy. Sunny f/16 and you can bracket which is always wise when shooting film. The problem is including trees in your shot. You're probably going to have to do a composite image. The exposure times are going be too short to even be able to see the trees.

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May 5, 2020 09:12:51   #
alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ
 
Linda From Maine wrote:
Shooting in other phases, when the sun is from the side, gives you more definition with craters. This is a composite, but the moon is real and was shot about half an hour after sunrise. I call this the "awkward" phase of the moon when it looks only slightly squished


You nailed it.

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May 5, 2020 10:27:42   #
Red Sky At Night
 
steve33 wrote:
Last month I tried to shoot the full moon. It was a last minute decision. No planning. I kept getting shots with the moon blown out. No matter how much I adjusted settings. I realized after that I left the camera on auto ISO. Every time I adjusted, the camera boosted the ISO. Lesson learned. Don't forget to set the ISO. I hope this helps someone avoid my mistake.


Totally helped me. I had the same issue but didn’t realize why until I read your comment. Thanks.

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May 5, 2020 11:07:24   #
BurghByrd Loc: Pittsburgh
 
I'm sure you'll get a number of good suggestions for exposure settings to suit as a starting point. Be sure to chimp the result and make adjustments as appropriate. It's one of the biggest advantages of digital; the result is immediate. Were it I, I'd take a shot to ensure correct or desired exposure of the mood and I'd also take a shot of the surroundings to ephasize exposure of the moon lit landscape. You can use your post processing software to put the two together since the exposure values for those two parts of the shot will likely be different. There is a very good discussion of exposure, exposure values, exposure zones etc. on wikipedia that includes exposure for the moon in it's various phases and height above the horizon you might find useful. I have it bookmarked as a reference and also saved as a PDF file that can be retrieved on my cell phone if needed.

Good luck on your shoot.

Wikipedia article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_value

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May 5, 2020 16:59:05   #
RonnieP Loc: Texas
 
There is a suggested setting rule for full moons called the Lunar (or Loonie) 11 rule. It's similar to the Sunny 16 but shoot at f/11 with shutter speed 1/ISO rating. If shooting at ISO 1000, set F/11 and shutter to 1/1000 sec. From experience, I bracket both side a couple of stops. Usually, I wind up -1 or -2 to get the detail.

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May 5, 2020 18:33:47   #
EastWest
 
hpucker99 wrote:
Try to set up a day or two earlier to experiment with the settings. Start with the Loony 11 rule, F11 with the shutter speed 1/ISO.


That's awesome!
Never heard of it before and now I'll experiment to come up with my own variant for my equipment.

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May 5, 2020 18:39:17   #
EastWest
 
steve33 wrote:
Last month I tried to shoot the full moon. It was a last minute decision. No planning. I kept getting shots with the moon blown out. No matter how much I adjusted settings. I realized after that I left the camera on auto ISO. Every time I adjusted, the camera boosted the ISO. Lesson learned. Don't forget to set the ISO. I hope this helps someone avoid my mistake.


Been there - done that... too many times!
Great advice.

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May 5, 2020 18:40:57   #
togajim
 
Photographing the moon seems like such a simple task, but the options are almost too numerous. I've taken many over the past few years which is why my wife thinks I'm a lunatic. I shoot with a Sony RX10-III, 24-600mm zoom. Great camera. Most of my stuff is handheld. Here are some thoughts.
1. All settings should be Manual, including focus (use Live View to get precise focusing).
2. The moon will be most photogenic when the moon is NOT full (waxing crescent to half, half to waning crescent), photo under exposed. This will bring out the features like craters,etc. thanks to shadows.
3. Photos lower in the sky are interesting due to color changes.
4. Look for an almost new moon (moonrise just before sunrise) and you'll see "earthshine", when the dark side of the moon is illuminated by the earth.
MY favorites were a pic of a super moon just rising over a lake. The moon was orange, the reflection of the moon in the ripples on the lake and the "devil horns" on the moon caused by atmospheric distortion all contributed to a great pic. My second favorite was taken on a crystal clear winter night after an ice storm; although the moon itself was no big deal it certainly contributed to the overall effect.











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May 5, 2020 19:19:08   #
hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska
 
SuperflyTNT wrote:
The problem with that approach is that the moonrise time is different everyday so the conditions will be different.


True, but it will give the photographer an idea where to shoot from and how to move around to frame the shot with the desired background.

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May 5, 2020 19:38:03   #
hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska
 
togajim wrote:
Photographing the moon seems like such a simple task, but the options are almost too numerous. I've taken many over the past few years which is why my wife thinks I'm a lunatic. I shoot with a Sony RX10-III, 24-600mm zoom. Great camera. Most of my stuff is handheld. Here are some thoughts.
1. All settings should be Manual, including focus (use Live View to get precise focusing).
2. The moon will be most photogenic when the moon is NOT full (waxing crescent to half, half to waning crescent), photo under exposed. This will bring out the features like craters,etc. thanks to shadows.
3. Photos lower in the sky are interesting due to color changes.
4. Look for an almost new moon (moonrise just before sunrise) and you'll see "earthshine", when the dark side of the moon is illuminated by the earth.
MY favorites were a pic of a super moon just rising over a lake. The moon was orange, the reflection of the moon in the ripples on the lake and the "devil horns" on the moon caused by atmospheric distortion all contributed to a great pic. My second favorite was taken on a crystal clear winter night after an ice storm; although the moon itself was no big deal it certainly contributed to the overall effect.
Photographing the moon seems like such a simple ta... (show quote)


Your 4th shot of the moon and its reflection on the lake is great. I usually have to make a composite photo in Photoshop from a shot of the moon and then one of the reflection.

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May 5, 2020 19:43:43   #
steve33 Loc: Yarmouth MA
 
I use an app called moon calc. With that and my compass app, i know where moonrise will be.

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May 5, 2020 21:10:16   #
ychow8
 
rmalarz wrote:
Gene has some great advice. For some step by step stuff, there is a plethora of videos on youtube discussing how to photograph the moon. Good for a start.
--Bob


Absolutely.
Photography is an art......Imagination, composition, trial n error with some basic ideas of focus n exposure.
I am starting to apply this principle now.

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