Moon Phase Calculator

Based on all the interest in my Moon (Earth's natural satellite) pic post, I thought I would share with you some tools I use to get Moon and night sky shots.

A Moon phase calculator.

Sky & Telescope's interactive sky chart. (registration required)

Astronomy viewing conditions from Accuweather

Pics from tonight's storm

Shoot the moon!

Taken tonight from outside my backdoor.

Many photographers have an aversion to astrophotography because they think it's hard. Some of it is. I have minutes long exposures of star fields taken with a tracking set up piggy backed on my telescope. Lots of work goes into that. Before, during, and after the exposure.

But some subjects are surprisingly easy to image. Take the Moon, Earth's satellite. Long exposures with sophisticated tracking mounts are not needed. Just a good telephoto lens. 300mm will do nicely. 500mm does very well. If you have a shorter lens (like the 200mm this pic was done with), you can crop in the finishing program (ACDSee, Photoshop, etc...). 

Shoot in RAW, to maximize the image file. The exposure is the really easy part. Set your camera for full manual. For a full Moon, use the Sunny 16 Rule. The Moon is, after all, a subject lit by direct sunlight (think about that). So at an ISO of 400, the starting exposure would be 1/400th at f/16. Bracket up and down a couple of stops. For not quite full Moons, adjust your exposure for more light. This photo was 1/200th at f/8. I used a monopod to help steady.

Don't take my word for it, go try it yourself!

Summer Fun

Summer is a time for outdoors stuff.

It's also a time for heat. Treat your camera equipment like a pet or small child and don't leave it baking in a hot car.

More later...

Take the Red Eye

Take it out, that is. 

You've seen it. That scary looking, annoying effect in many of our flash pics. It's caused by light reflecting from the back of the eye. It shows up when the source of the flash is almost in line with the center of the optics. 

Different things can reduce it. Preflash to close down the iris and limit how big a red reflection you get. Many photo manipulation programs allow you to remove it, either by filling in the eye with a color automatically or by you changing it pixel by pixel.

Better than reducing it or removing is to not get it in the first place. How? Removing the flash from the center line of the optics. Instead of using the built in flash, use an accessory flash. Sometimes just that few inches of extra height in the flash will make the difference. Use an extension synch cord if available for your camera and flash combo, extending the flash out to the side or over the top. Bounce flash works, too, but remember you can't bounce off of nothing. A low, light colored ceiling works best. Also remember the angles when bouncing. (A future post will go into detail about bounce flash.)

So, have fun on that red eye flight to Aruba. But don't take red eye portrait pics!

What camera should I buy?

As a photographer, I get asked this question quite frequently. They have a digital point & shoot or used to shoot with a Canon AE-1 or an old Pentax 35mm and they're thinking of making the upgrade to a digital SLR. Often, the asker is wanting me to narrow down their options and make their actual choice. Canon Rebel XT? Nikon D5100? Sony A55? My answer usually surprises them. I tell them I can't recommend a camera.

Why? Simple: what works for me may not work for you. The reason(s)? Features. Price. System. Personal preferences.

What type of photography do you enjoy? Do you normally use your camera for vacation pics? Are people more interesting than things or places? Will you be shooting your kid's events? Are you an artsy person? All these things make for different set of features.

A person who feels an artistic drive will likely need the highest resolution they can afford. And perhaps a lens with more than the slightly wide to slightly tele range. Someone interested in people pics should probably get a good flash right away, instead of relying on the built in flash. Sports & kid's events shooters should think about longer lenses and dust removal. Scenic lovers might benefit from wider angle lenses or a camera having panoramic capabilities. Vacation photogs would do well with a great all in one lens and a full featured but easy and compact camera.

Knowing what type of photographer you are or want to be, you can then start looking at cameras. A good place to start is online. DP Review is a great site. Has most of what's out there already tested. Reviews from real users. And an archive of older reviews. Nothing wrong with a year old camera if it's the best choice for you.

Where should you buy? Well, that's your dollar. eBay has many good deals, as do online camera stores. Even Sams Club and Best Buy are fine. You might want to see how the camera feels before swiping the card or inputting your PayPal info. Please be kind to any salespeople. And if you're at a brick and mortar full service camera store, realise that they don't work for free. Their slightly higher prices reflect their higher level of service, before, during, and after the sale.

So, you're wanting a digital SLR ... What did you get?

Fun Tricks

One photo trick I get asked about all the time is the rushing water flowing as a smooth blur trick.

Here's how you can do it with a digital SLR:

Get a tripod, set the camera up and frame the shot.

Select a mode other than the green full auto mode. Even P will work, but the cameras usually will not allow the changes we need to make while in full auto.

On your camera's menu, set the ASA/ISO to the lowest setting.

Select an exposure that gives you the longest shutter speed possible. An easy way to that and still have auto exposure is to set the camera to A (aperture priority) and choose the smallest f-stop. This gives a longer shutter speed.

It will depend on how fast the water is moving and how bright the scene is to record the blur. A neutral density filter can cut down on scene brightness if it's still too bright for a long enough shutter speed.

This example has some pretty fast moving water, plus I used a 2 stop neutral density filter. This gave me about a 4 second shutter speed. Even 1/4 second might give enough blur for some scenes, but the longer the better.

Try it out at a local park or trail, then you'll be familiar with the technique for your next vacation trip.