# Blue Moon Tonight



## Olympus E300 (Dec 31, 2009)

Get your cameras ready folks!!  Who's gonna try and capture the blue moon tonight?  It only happens once every 19 years!!

I hope the wife doesn't have anything (anywhere) planned for me tonight...I wouldn't mind giving this a go!

Cheers!
- Dan

BLUE MOON


----------



## TokZik (Dec 31, 2009)

we must have ad the same thought 

Link

Great minds eh


----------



## JAFO28 (Dec 31, 2009)

Overcast here in NJ probably no chance. Guess i'll be waiting a while. Good luck, and post some results.


----------



## Olympus E300 (Dec 31, 2009)

TokZik said:


> we must have ad the same thought
> 
> Link
> 
> Great minds eh


 
Darn! Sorry I missed your post TokZik. Had I seen it before posting, I wouldn't have bothered. No sense in being redundant...LoL. Truth is, I didn't do a search for it before posting. But like ya said, "great minds"!!

I sure hope I don't have anywhere to be. Its supposed to clear up here (southeastern Manitoba Canada) later tonight. They're forecasting a chilling -29C but if I'm around the house, I'm gonna get that camera outside and try my hand at this.

Can any of the pros offer some advice when shooting the moon? I would assume that SHUTTER PRIORITY would be the best bet. Slow the shutter right down...What else, turn the ISO up a tad? I think I'll try the 70-300mm for this. Might even add the 2x teleconverter...I guess it all depends on how big (close) the moon is...Do I sound excited? LoL...I sure hope I'm around for this!!  I have a feeling that this is can be a very difficult task - moon shooting I mean.

Cheers & good luck all! Lets hope that those with more experience than myself chime in and offer a little "heads up" for this shoot. The "do's and don'ts" so to speak.

- Dan


----------



## icassell (Dec 31, 2009)

Olympus E300 said:


> Get your cameras ready folks!!  Who's gonna try and capture the blue moon tonight?  It only happens once every 19 years!!
> 
> I hope the wife doesn't have anything (anywhere) planned for me tonight...I wouldn't mind giving this a go!
> 
> ...



Actually it's a New Year's Eve Blue Moon that happens every 19 years.  A blue moon happens every 2.5 years or so (the next will be August 2012).


----------



## CCarsonPhoto (Dec 31, 2009)

And its not actually going to be blue....but have fun braving the cold, lol!


----------



## TokZik (Dec 31, 2009)

...my picture sux, but i will have another go once the moon moves to a little more comfortable shot.


----------



## Josh66 (Dec 31, 2009)

It's raining here.

Not too worried about it though...  All it is is the second full moon in a month - the moon won't actually be blue.


astrostu has an excellent tutorial on lunar photography somewhere one here.


Remember - the moon is lit by direct sunlight, so you will need a faster shutter speed than you might think.


----------



## TokZik (Dec 31, 2009)

my problem is that i dont wanna go out side and leaning out the window creates me shaking and thus the camera shakes too haha

but it should be in a slightly better place in the next half hour


----------



## KmH (Dec 31, 2009)

CCarsonPhoto said:


> And its not actually going to be blue....but have fun braving the cold, lol!


Yep. That's just what they call the second full Moon in the same month.

And as icassell mentioned, it doesn't happen often and is the source of the saying, "Once in a blue moon."


----------



## Olympus E300 (Dec 31, 2009)

KmH said:


> CCarsonPhoto said:
> 
> 
> > And its not actually going to be blue....but have fun braving the cold, lol!
> ...


 

That's a handy piece of information to have right there!  Cheers!!

On an even brighter note, my E3 JUST arrived!!  I'm stoked!!

- Dan


----------



## Rekd (Dec 31, 2009)

Olympus E300 said:


> some advice when shooting the moon?



LoL, I don't think I'd be "shooting the moon" in -29C, you'd be literally freezing your butt off. :lmao:


----------



## Olympus E300 (Dec 31, 2009)

Rekd said:


> Olympus E300 said:
> 
> 
> > some advice when shooting the moon?
> ...


 
Well...Us Canadians are a hearty bunch! Nothing a little rum can't fix. Don't forget, we invented ICE hockey and out favorite past times are ICE fishing and SNOWmobiling...LoL. -29C is a walk in the park (since there is no wind tonight).

Cheers!
- Dan


----------



## Olympus E300 (Dec 31, 2009)

TokZik said:


> ...my picture sux, but i will have another go once the moon moves to a little more comfortable shot.


 

I rather like this picture...Mine are not turning out real well!!  What did you shoot this with?


----------



## HikinMike (Dec 31, 2009)

FWIW, here's a ballpark settings for shooting the moon:

Full Moon - f/11@ 1/ISO So, if you use ISO 100, then f/11, 1/100, ISO 100
 Half Moon -f/8 @ 1/ISO
Quarter Moon - f/5.6 @ 1/ISO


----------



## JAFO28 (Dec 31, 2009)

Good info Mike, thanks. I'll be trying this when we get another clear night around here.


----------



## Live_free (Dec 31, 2009)

It is only 40 degrees here so I will give it a go. Not too cold lol


----------



## TokZik (Dec 31, 2009)

i shot it with a pentax x70
its got an amazing zoom

...we have now clouded over, my shooting session has come to an end. lol


----------



## jbylake (Dec 31, 2009)

Olympus E300 said:


> Get your cameras ready folks!! Who's gonna try and capture the blue moon tonight? It only happens once every 19 years!!
> 
> I hope the wife doesn't have anything (anywhere) planned for me tonight...I wouldn't mind giving this a go!
> 
> ...


Once every 19 years? I thought it only happen once in a blue moon...sheesh..what do I know. P.S. I haven't seen the sky here for at least a week or more. Actually I was going to call B.S. on the every 19 years, it's about every 2.5, as the article stated, but I didn't realize that it only occured on New Years Eve every 19 years.  I'll probably be ashes on the bottom of the sea, before it happens again.  Guess I'm screwed either way.

J.


----------



## 1limited92 (Dec 31, 2009)

Snapped a few pics with not alot of luck. At least not like I could see through the viewfinder haha.

The first 2 have a clear moon but nothing else(Almost same picture). The third one has clearer branches like I was wanting in all the pics BUT it ruined the moon but Ill include the picture so you can get an idea what I was lookin at. It also didnt help alot that the wind is blowing and there are alot of clouds passing.  Either way here you go


----------



## Rekd (Dec 31, 2009)

Here are a couple of my attempts. I shot it with two different lenses. Both shots are 100% crops with zero post processing. Tripod and 2 second timer used. (I don't have a remote.) Exif intact. 

1: Shot with Canon 28-135 EF f/3.5-5.6 IS Kit Lens that came with the 7D.






2: Shot with Canon 70-210 EF f/4 Lens






My first successful moon shoot. Thanks Mike, I couldn't have done it without you! 

C&C welcome. :mrgreen:


----------



## Olympus E300 (Dec 31, 2009)

I'm unhappy with my attempt...But regardless, here it is. Its so cold here that there is a slight "hazing" in the sky. I'd imagine that its frost or ice crystals in the air. The picture isn't real sharp and I'm rather let down by it. I may get back out there yet. The moon is moving over the neighbourhood now (no longer over the empty field). I'll have to wait a few hours...LoL.  I might lose the teleconverter as well...Initially, I thought it was a good idea.  Perhaps not...I dunno. 






Camera : Olympus E3
Lens : Zuiko 70-300mm with 2x teleconverter
Focal Length : 600mm
f/stop : f/11.2
Exposure : 1/125 sec.
ISO : 100


----------



## HikinMike (Dec 31, 2009)

Looks like we've got clouds and a bit of fog creeping in. Thought I'd share some past photos...

*Moon and Clouds* 8-2-07





*Lunar Eclipse* 8-31-07





*Moon at San Luis NWR* 12-1-09


----------



## Olympus E300 (Dec 31, 2009)

HikinMike said:


> Looks like we've got clouds and a bit of fog creeping in. Thought I'd share some past photos...
> 
> *Moon and Clouds* 8-2-07
> 
> ...


 

Mike...Seriously man, thats EPIC!  Well done!!  I bow down to thee...


----------



## HikinMike (Dec 31, 2009)

Olympus E300 said:


> Mike...Seriously man, thats EPIC!  Well done!!  I bow down to thee...



Thanks! :blushing:

Here's what I did on Moon and Clouds.

Here's what I did on the Lunar Eclipse shot. Then just put the different photos that night into one Photoshop file.


----------



## boogschd (Dec 31, 2009)

hikinmike your a big showoff and i hate you :lmao:

no srsly... awesome shots 

havent got my zoom yet but as this blue moon doesnt come again for another 19 years i figured what the hell...






*55mm 1/8" F/16* :meh:

clouds made it worse ...
happy new year everyone eacemrgreen:


----------



## HikinMike (Dec 31, 2009)

boogschd said:


> hikinmike your a big showoff and i hate you :lmao:
> 
> no srsly... awesome shots



:lmao: I'm bored! :lmao:


----------



## Dao (Dec 31, 2009)

My Version of Blue moon
F/8 1/400 ISO160 at 300mm


----------



## keith foster (Dec 31, 2009)

Thanks so much for letting us know this was happening. Here is my shot,

Canon 50D, tripod, 55-250mm IS turned off, 1/100, f13, ISO 100, remote release used.  

btw, Awesome pics Mike!  Inspiring in so many ways.  Thank you for sharing.


----------



## icassell (Dec 31, 2009)

Here's one from me


----------



## rallysman (Dec 31, 2009)

Just shot this tonight. Got lucky and clouds cleared for 15 minutes...... I didn't do as well as I wanted but here's what my $100 lens could do (D50 with 200-400 promaster + ND filter)


----------



## KmH (Jan 1, 2010)

Pretty good. The big rayed crater Tycho isn't blown out.


----------



## epp_b (Jan 1, 2010)

Not to poop on your party, but how is a blue moon different from any other full moon?


----------



## SushiWarrior (Jan 1, 2010)

It is blue, but I guess you could just make it look that way anyways. :meh:


----------



## Rekd (Jan 1, 2010)

One more before I turn in for the night. Took this one first, as the moon was still rising and before I knew what settings to use. Might try again tomorrow night.






Happy New Year kids! :thumbup:


----------



## Craig G (Jan 1, 2010)

HikinMike said:


> Looks like we've got clouds and a bit of fog creeping in. Thought I'd share some past photos...
> 
> 
> 
> *Lunar Eclipse* 8-31-07


This one is great.:thumbup: During those hours I'm typically fishing. Now if I could only learn to put the rod down and pick up the camera.:er:


----------



## boogschd (Jan 1, 2010)

epp_b said:


> Not to poop on your party, but how is a blue moon different from any other full moon?



i read that its called a "blue moon" when a 2nd full moon occurs in a month?

dec 2 '09 and dec 31 '09 in this case


----------



## TokZik (Jan 1, 2010)

a blue moon is no different to a normal full moon... i just thought it wouid be good to see what shots people can get of it .


----------



## robbie_vlad (Jan 1, 2010)

A blue moon is merely the second full moon in one month. It happens about ever 28 months. The New Year's blue moon is what is more rare, but still just the moon. I suppose it would have been cool to get a shot of fireworks in Time Square or Vegas with the moon in the background.


----------



## matt62485 (Jan 1, 2010)

im sure a lot of people were paying more attn to this last night that the one we're talking about  :lmao:


----------



## TokZik (Jan 1, 2010)

> im sure a lot of people were paying more attn to this last night that the one we're talking about


LMAO... BEST ONE YET !!
very clear with excellent detail.


----------



## Josh66 (Jan 1, 2010)

TokZik said:


> > im sure a lot of people were paying more attn to this last night that the one we're talking about
> 
> 
> LMAO... BEST ONE YET !!
> very clear with excellent detail.



BAH...  The moon is completely blown out...  Just a bluish blob.

Then again, it is pretty good beer...I'll let this one slide, lol.


----------



## Olympus E300 (Jan 1, 2010)

Well...It may not be the "Blue Moon" but I made another attempt tonight.  This is the result :






Camera : Olympus E3
Lens : Zuiko 70-300mm
Focal Length : 300mm
F-Stop : f/11
ISO : 100
Exposure Time : 1/5 sec.


----------



## matt62485 (Jan 1, 2010)

failed miserably.

missed the PEFECT shot by about an hour. was out after dinner and my fiance says "wowww check out the moon!", it was HUGE and bright orange. i will from now on have my camera with me wherever i go.

anyways
tried with my 55-200vr on my d40. very noisy and not enough zoom. a 300 prolly wouldve sufficed though.

why so noisy?


how bad are they? lol


----------



## Hooker771 (Jan 1, 2010)

Tonight was my first attempt at this stuff. I think I may of over processed it in Lightroom. Im going to try more later. THis is a tough shot!






How come I cant get my Moon as large as the others?  I shot the moon and cropped it as tight as I could in LR but this photos is as big as it gets.  Its actually posted in the "original" size from flickr.  If I do that on other photos they are enormous.

Here were my settings on this shot.  Is it due to the size of my MP's with the Canon XS?
*Camera:**Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS**Exposure:**0.01 sec (1/100)**Aperture:**f/8.0**Focal Length:**250 mm**ISO Speed:*100*Exposure Bias:*0 EV


----------



## HikinMike (Jan 1, 2010)

matt62485 said:


> ...
> 
> why so noisy?
> 
> ...



I would guess you cropped it too much, especially the first one becasue you shot it at ISO 800. Did you use a tripod? Some of those were at 1/10....way too slow!



Hooker771 said:


> Tonight was my first attempt at this stuff. I think I may of over processed it in Lightroom. Im going to try more later. THis is a tough shot!



I agree, over-processed!


----------



## matt62485 (Jan 1, 2010)

HikinMike said:


> matt62485 said:
> 
> 
> > ...
> ...


 
probably true considering with the 200 the moon still looked pretty small.

i did shoot it at 800, it was the first set i took and decided i should drop it down.

yea, instead of 1/10 what do you think it shouldve been?  i was having a hard time with these.  i wasnt sure to use a larger aperture and faster shutter or what

learning!


----------



## HikinMike (Jan 1, 2010)

matt62485 said:


> ...
> yea, instead of 1/10 what do you think it shouldve been?  i was having a hard time with these.  i wasnt sure to use a larger aperture and faster shutter or what
> 
> learning!



Did you read the first page, last entry? 

I'll copy it here:

_FWIW, here's a ballpark settings for shooting the moon:

Full Moon - f/11@ 1/ISO So, if you use ISO 100, then f/11, 1/100, ISO 100
 Half Moon -f/8 @ 1/ISO
Quarter Moon - f/5.6 @ 1/ISO_


----------



## matt62485 (Jan 1, 2010)

HikinMike said:


> matt62485 said:
> 
> 
> > ...
> ...


 
faillll. d0h.  i read it last night, and forgot completly about it when i took the pix tonight.  i just kept going to the most recent posts.    thanks!


----------



## matt62485 (Jan 1, 2010)

took that advice HikinMike

d40 only goes down to iso200 

handheld bc i was lazy and its cold

so f11, iso100, 1/200


----------



## jacqg (Jan 2, 2010)

lol these are all random but w/e


----------



## astrostu (Jan 2, 2010)

For what it's worth at this point:  Lunar (Moon) Photography Guide, by Astrostu


----------



## Psycho (Jan 2, 2010)

Here's my shots of the moon, unfortunately I didn't have tripod at the time 






And here's one with more exposure (because I light the clouds). I edited it slightly to bring out the clouds too.





PS: Jacqg: I love those pics!


----------



## jacqg (Jan 2, 2010)

^ Thanks! I used a tripod for those cuz I really wanted it with 100 iso :]. Get a tripod man =D


----------



## Hooker771 (Jan 2, 2010)

Here is my second attempt.  Not so much processing this time.











Im still not sure how you all are getting the moon so large in your photos and are able to crop and still get a large photo.  If I wanted to blow this up it would look aweful.  Is it simply the difference in MP's?


----------



## Olympus E300 (Jan 2, 2010)

astrostu said:


> For what it's worth at this point: Lunar (Moon) Photography Guide, by Astrostu


 

That's killer!  A great read!!  Thank you!!  Thank you!!  Thank you!!


----------

