My first Moon picture

thejosey · May 12, 2014

I know these threads are a dime a dozen, but I'm pretty proud of my first moon picture considering I'm learning on my own haha. I took this picture tonight, 05/12/2014 using my Nikon D5100 with my Nikkor 70-300mm lens (Non-VR and no autofocus). I'm shot at f/11 and 1/250, ISO was 1000 and auto white balance. Any constructive criticism is welcomed! I shot this using my monopod and there were a few clouds in the sky, so I was trying to get shots in between cloud cover.

Again, let me know what you think and how I can improve. Thanks!

ruifo · May 12, 2014

Not bad.
Try f/5.6-8, ISO 100, higher speed, and clear skies for better results.
In the moon, it's day time, where sun light us shinning, so shoot it as it was day light, not night.

thejosey · May 13, 2014

Thanks for the advice! If it doesn't rain tonight then I'll try that. I really do appreciate it

thejosey · May 17, 2014

So I took your advice, ruifo, and I tried it again. This time my settings were:

f/8
1/400
ISO 200
and still at 300mm with Manual focus

It's a little darker and I tried to adjust the exposure but I didn't want to lose all the detail. I think it came out well.

$2ndMoonShootPhotobucket_zps6de36645.jpg

pez · May 17, 2014

Vast improvement from 1st to 2nd try!

thejosey · May 17, 2014

Thanks! I appreciate it!

astroNikon · May 17, 2014

Yes, massive improvement from 1st to 2nd

now, get yourself a sturdy tripod, a remote release and try it again.

ruifo · May 17, 2014

Well done. Much better.
Look for the exif info of some of my moon shots, so that you can compare the settings. Making them B&W also helps, sometimes.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruimc/13138808374/in/set-72157643085305305
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruimc/12981189374/in/set-72157643085305305
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruimc/11330859963/in/set-72157643085305305

pgriz · May 17, 2014

The measured abledo of the moon is 0.12, very similar to worn asphalt. So your second image is more realistic than your first. Of course, we are used to seeing the moon as "bright", so that is how most of us tend to photograph it.

When shooting an astronomical object like the moon, the depth-of-field is not an issue, since the object is effectively at infinity as far as the lens focus is concerned. So the choice of aperture is usually more related to the aperture range over which your lens is sharpest. For many lenses that is at or near f/8. However, if you ARE shooting something in the foreground that needs to be in focus as well, then you do have to use a higher value aperture to get enough DOF, AND you need to place your focus so that the foreground object is within the acceptable DOF. This is effectively hyperfocal focusing.

Since the moon is, by definition, always in direct sunlight (except during eclipses), and is about the same distance from the sun as we are, the same exposures as for use during the noon-time day can be used. Of course, atmospheric extinction plays a role, so the previous sentence is true when the moon is high in the sky, and as the moon gets closer to the horizon, you need to adjust the exposure accordingly.

The moon is also a rather small object, and most of the time, you'd need to magnify the image to get a decent amount to fill the frame. You can do this magnification either by using a longer focal length, or by cropping and enlarging. Of course, any blur due to motion (either camera or moon) will be magnified as well. So the usual recommendation is to use at least a tripod, to minimize the issues with camera shake blur. If you shoot the moon with a very long lens, or through a telescope, then the apparent motion of the moon across the sky becomes significant enough to require either a fast shutter, or a tracking mount.

Due to the moon's brightness and small size, using the native ISO is usually be best way to ensure a smooth-enough image that can be enlarged (or cropped) without enlarging the noise as well. White balance can be pre-set for daylight, unless the moon is close to the horizon, in which case it will appear redder due to atmospheric scattering of blue.

pez · May 17, 2014

best moon shot tutorial ever ^^

mnmcote · Jun 4, 2014

My first attempt at shooting the moon...

pgriz · Jun 4, 2014

mnmcote said:
My first attempt at shooting the moon...
View attachment 75989

Excellent, for a first attempt! Have you done any postprocessing sharpening on the image? A little bit usually improves the look very nicely.

mnmcote · Jun 5, 2014

I did some tweaking of the contrast and saturation in post.. But after reading this thread I wish to try this again using my tripod. And I'll pay more attention to the histogram while I shoot to make adjustments before post production...