Why do my night sky pics look like crap?

[Starskream666]

I really wana get a cool shot of the stars/moon but they never come out god, i set the shutter to like 15 seconds and this was the best one...


DSC_4961 by Skateboard C 91, on Flickr


Lens, i used a 35-80 zoomed to 80, and aperture ike 5.6 the lowest it will go. I know you're probably only going to get really good shots with big mm lenses but ive seen fish eye pictures of starry skies and you can see them easy.

 

[MrSleepin]

the moon is reflecting sunlight. so you gotta think of it like you are taking a shot of a rock in the sun, during the day.

 

[cgipson1]

15 seconds? lol! Try googling how to "shoot the moon"... or use the Sunny 16 rule to get close, and then fine tune. Try something like F8 or F11 at 1/250 to start..ISO 100

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-moonscape-400mm-c-c-welcome.html#post2393722

15 seconds might work for just night sky... stars with no moon, but it would depend on a number of things....

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

15 seconds? lol! Try googling how to "shoot the moon"... or use the Sunny 16 rule to get close, and then fine tune. Try something like F8 or F11 at 1/250 to start..ISO 100

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-moonscape-400mm-c-c-welcome.html#post2393722

+1

 

[Starskream666]

Yeah i didn't know what settings to use and didn't have time to read up about it because i only get to see the moon for like 10 minutes haha and then the clouds come over. I just thought, really long exposure would bring out the star and stuff. Was actually more interested in the stars. 1/250 sounds too fast though! i think i would just get a picture of darkness.

 

[cgipson1]

Yeah i didn't know what settings to use and didn't have time to read up about it because i only get to see the moon for like 10 minutes haha and then the clouds come over. I just thought, really long exposure would bring out the star and stuff. Was actually more interested in the stars. 1/250 sounds too fast though! i think i would just get a picture of darkness.

Funny.. did that moon shot look dark?

 

[SCraig]

The moon and the stars are totally different subjects. If you want stars then, yes, you are going to need very long exposures. Some that I've seen that were fantastic were in excess of 60 MINUTES.

The moon is totally different. It's only about 225,000 miles whereas the stars are millions of light years away. 1/250 at f-8 and ISO 400 has worked well for me when shooting the moon.

 

[Starskream666]

Yeah i didn't know what settings to use and didn't have time to read up about it because i only get to see the moon for like 10 minutes haha and then the clouds come over. I just thought, really long exposure would bring out the star and stuff. Was actually more interested in the stars. 1/250 sounds too fast though! i think i would just get a picture of darkness.

Funny.. did that moon shot look dark?

Umm no but thats more because it was with a 400 lens so he will of actually been able to see what hes focusing on. I can only get lots of sky in the shot so thats why i thought i'd need a long exposure

 

[cgipson1]

Yeah i didn't know what settings to use and didn't have time to read up about it because i only get to see the moon for like 10 minutes haha and then the clouds come over. I just thought, really long exposure would bring out the star and stuff. Was actually more interested in the stars. 1/250 sounds too fast though! i think i would just get a picture of darkness.

Funny.. did that moon shot look dark?

Umm no but thats more because it was with a 400 lens so he will of actually been able to see what hes focusing on. I can only get lots of sky in the shot so thats why i thought i'd need a long exposure

That was ME... not somebody else! And even with a 400mm... there was still LOTS of sky around, I just cropped it to the max. In any photo, you still need to expose for the area that you want exposed properly.... if you want the moon exposed properly, then that is what you need to do. Focus is immaterial at this distance... you just set it to what is typically thought to be the sharpest F-stop on your lens... usually around f8 to F11... and then focus and shoot. Your DOF will be so huge, that focusing doesn't have to be as accurate as it would be on a close subject. You can even focus on the hyperfocal distance for you lens and aperture.. rather than on the moon itself... since that will allow sharpness to infinity. If you don't know what hyperfocal distance is.. then google it.

When you go to shoot.. you should be prepared... if you had googled " how to shoot the moon" before attempting it.. you would know all this, and would not have be shooting it again.

here is another moon shot (at 300mm this time) http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/just-fun/256285-300mm-just-not-enough.html#post2340889 focal length is not as important as knowledge!

 

[480sparky43 43]

The moon is a sunlit object. Expose it for that.

The stars, however, are incredibly dim compared to the moon. If you expose for the moon, the stars will never register. If you expose for the stars, the moon will be nothing but a white blur.

Interestingly, photos taken by astronauts on the moon do not show stars is because the Hassies they used were preset for a simple daylight exposure shot on earth. They could only adjust the aperture 2-3 stops (f/5.6, 8 and 11, if memory serves) so they could capture shadow details when shooting toward the sun. The 'fact' that the stars never registered on the film is touted as evidence by conspiracy theorists that Apollo never landed anyone on the moon.

Another interesting lunar factoid: All the cameras used by the 12 astronauts on the surface of the moon are still up there. Only the film backs were returned (due to weight/fuel restrictions for take-off from the lunar surface). So if you're in the market for a custom-built, vintage Hasselblad or two (or more!), all you need to do is get to the moon before anyone else.

 

[MissCream]

I have always used a shutter speed of around 1/60 and set the rest of the setting according to that. Are you using a tripod?

 

[Edsport]

Try using manual mode. Take a shot and see if it's over or underexposed and change the shutter speed accordingly. After a few changes you should get a properly exposed moon...

 

[Starskream666]

There I took it with faster shutter, cant remember how fast. Turned out better obviously but if I crop anymore it looks too out of focus :/ i was focusing on it with auto
Yeah was using a tripod

 

[480sparky43 43]

There I took it with faster shutter, cant remember how fast....

1/320th.

Check your Exposure Compensation, though..... it's set for -1.0 EV.

 

[Starskream666]

There I took it with faster shutter, cant remember how fast....

1/320th.

Check your Exposure Compensation, though..... it's set for -1.0 EV.

How did you know that??? Tbh i don't know what the EV means or changes