# Full moon tonight and a 200-500 lens.....



## NancyMoranG (Sep 16, 2016)

I want to take a shot of the full moon and a foreground rock wall jetty with the intention of trying to have the moon look 'unusually' huge. Not sure how to describe it.
I think it is done with a long lens. 
But, how do you expose for that with such a lens as mine? It is the f 5.6 so maybe it is not possible. I have a tripod, Nikon D7000 
Thanks as always...


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## dxqcanada (Sep 16, 2016)

The moon can get pretty bright.
I just took a handheld photo yesterday ... ISO400 | 1/250s | f16 | 400mm


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## ronlane (Sep 16, 2016)

I'm sure there are multiple ways to accomplish this. How would I do it? I would most likely do it in two exposures. One for the foreground would be a long exposure and the one for the moon, would be a much shorter exposure. I would take a few foreground shots and maybe a couple of the moon as it rises and then merge the two images in PS using layer masks.

I would for sure use the tripod and lock it into location and use the mirror lock-up.


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## NancyMoranG (Sep 16, 2016)

I have had the camera 4 yrs and I have never used the mirror lock up, but don't tell anyone :}
Thanks for info. 
Am trying to get the moon to look SOOO huge, it looks fake. I believe it's done with a foreground image and using a big zoom, it throws the moon out of proportion.


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## ronlane (Sep 16, 2016)

The mirror lock up just helps keep things sharp.

dxqcanada is right, the moon is just reflected sun light so it is bright and why I would do it with two images composited in PS.

The moon and sun will look bigger on the horizon than at mid-day or night. (I don't know the technical reason or name.) But I would venture that a lot of the images you see like this are composite and they used a free transform layer to make the moon look bigger.

I've done this myself with the super moon last year.


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## astroNikon (Sep 16, 2016)

Last night I showed my 10yr old daughter how to take a photo of the moon.
Handheld with a d600 & tamron 150-600.  This lens is sharpest at f/8, thus I always use f/8 on it.
The moon was 30degrees above the eastern horizon, so a lot of atmosphere abberations.
but I think ISO 800, f/8 and a higher shutter speed.
Not bad for the first time with 2 ppl holding the camera lens.




 

I used shutter speed instead of a tripod to remove shakiness.
in other words, first make sure your lens is at it's sharpest.  Then a Tripod,  
Mirror Lockup for d7000 (I had one, just like the d600 and d750)
Your Release mode dial (the Single Frame, Continuous Low, Continuous High, Quiet, Self Timer, Remote, and MUP --> Mirror Lock Up)  -- the lower dial on the top left.
then when you press the shutter you'll get focus (assuming auto focus is turned on) and the mirror will lock up out of the way
press the release again and the shutter will take the image.  Thus you want a remote to do this to prevent the finger press from shaking the camera for the smoothest shot.

I normally take pics of the moon when it is straight up in the sky.  Then that is the thinnest layer of atmosphere between you and the moon and you'll get the sharpest image.


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## dxqcanada (Sep 16, 2016)

my handheld shot


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## SquarePeg (Sep 16, 2016)

Nancy - I believe what you want is to have the foreground subject (the jetty?) far from you and use your 500 at close to full zoom.  When the moon is at the horizon or just above it will appear huge in the frame.  I don't think you need a very long exposure for the moon itself so if  you don't want the jetty in silhouette you'll need to take a second longer exposure for the foreground.  Was thinking of doing something similar tonight so did some research but now not sure if I'll be able to get out there since I have another commitment that came up.


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## NancyMoranG (Sep 16, 2016)

Ok, thank you all for the help and guidance. Am going to try it as experiment. Then I will keep my eyes open for a better foreground for next months moon.
SquarePeg, you are correct in what I am trying for. Good luck if you get out tonight.


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## NancyMoranG (Sep 16, 2016)

AstroNikon, I do have a remote, so I will hook that up. I usually forget I have it. 
 I will actually be standing in wet sand to get this angle. Low tide is 6 ish and let's me get out far enough on the beach for the moon rising.


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## SquarePeg (Sep 16, 2016)

NancyMoranG said:


> AstroNikon, I do have a remote, so I will hook that up. I usually forget I have it.
> I will actually be standing in wet sand to get this angle. Low tide is 6 ish and let's me get out far enough on the beach for the moon rising.



Sound like the stars are aligned for you tonight.


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## KmH (Sep 16, 2016)

ronlane said:


> The moon and sun will look bigger on the horizon than at mid-day or night. (I don't know the technical reason or name.)


Optical Illusion, is the technical name.
The moon is the same size at the horizon or high in the sky.
High in the sky we compare the moon's size to the big expanse of sky, instead of to terrestrial objects when it's near the horizon.


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## PersistentNomad (Sep 16, 2016)

So.... how'd it go?


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## Peeb (Sep 17, 2016)

PersistentNomad said:


> So.... how'd it go?


Yeah, wondered the same thing!

Didn't capture any images, but it was beautiful here in Oklahoma


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## SquarePeg (Sep 17, 2016)

Hopefully @NancyMoranG  got something.  I missed it due to circumstances beyond my control.


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## photo1x1.com (Sep 17, 2016)

I know I'm late but one thing you should consider is focus.
Only if both - foreground and moon - are far enough away so that the focus will be at infinity (well, the moon will definitely be ), both will be in focus. Otherwise only one of them will be in focus and you need to photoshop two images into one.


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## NancyMoranG (Sep 17, 2016)

I am trying to get to a laptop to post photo. (On my iPad now, but says the photo is too big to post from here)
I didn't get there with a lot of set up time, but it went ok and I learned...
It won't be a POTM , but it showed me the illusion I was looking for. Going again tonight if I can.
Will post photo when I can.


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## NancyMoranG (Sep 30, 2016)

PersistentNomad said:


> So.... how'd it go?





Peeb said:


> PersistentNomad said:
> 
> 
> > So.... how'd it go?
> ...





SquarePeg said:


> Hopefully @NancyMoranG  got something.  I missed it due to circumstances beyond my control.



Sorry for delay. Our son came up from Fl and we had a blast..
As far as the full moon photo...here ya go...





SOOC, I had it in jpeg mode, ugh..and horizon is off but this is somewhat the effect I was looking for with the moon looking very large in photo. Am trying to think of other places that I can try next year. We leave here in 2 weeks!!


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## dxqcanada (Sep 30, 2016)

The two people really make the shot more interesting, interesting atmospheric effects.


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## NancyMoranG (Sep 30, 2016)

In a couple of photos the moon looks like jello, really odd.


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## Peeb (Sep 30, 2016)

Edges of the moon seem oddly 'jaggy' for some reason.  Still, a really cool image.


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## Gary A. (Sep 30, 2016)

astroNikon said:


> Last night I showed my 10yr old daughter how to take a photo of the moon.
> Handheld with a d600 & tamron 150-600.  This lens is sharpest at f/8, thus I always use f/8 on it.
> The moon was 30degrees above the eastern horizon, so a lot of atmosphere abberations.
> but I think ISO 800, f/8 and a higher shutter speed.
> ...


What he said. ^^^^


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## KmH (Sep 30, 2016)

NancyMoranG said:


> In a couple of photos the moon looks like jello, really odd.





Peeb said:


> Edges of the moon seem oddly 'jaggy' for some reason.  Still, a really cool image.


Temperature inversions in the atmosphere caused the 'jaggy', jello like edges of the moon. A temperature inversion forms a distinct boundary where there is a marked temperature difference. Air at differing temperatures has different density.

Shooting straight up we shoot through a 40 mile or so thick layer layer of atmosphere that has any temperature inversions stacked on top of one another directly above us.
Shooting close to the horizon the atmosphere is now several hundred miles thick, and we see stacked temperature inversions from the side.


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## Peeb (Sep 30, 2016)

I likes da peeps in the foreground!


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## jcdeboever (Sep 30, 2016)

That is a very cool shot. I love it. That is POTM material but of course you did it on the last day and I have no votes left.


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## NancyMoranG (Oct 1, 2016)

jcdeboever said:


> That is a very cool shot. I love it. That is POTM material but of course you did it on the last day and I have no votes left.



Wait, wait, POTM!! I have to savor that for a minute, thanks 
Can you kick someone else off and change your vote? 
Kidding of course, thanks for thinking it!


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