March 9, 2011- I wanted to try something different with my moon shots. I was playing around with settings and to write up something for all that asked how I do this. This is very simple. I handhold but I bet if you use a tripod it would be better. I don’t have any special trick, I only played with the camera to get my shots, in the beginning last year I took a few hundred shots every time I tried this, until I got it right and found the settings I use now. I sometimes still play with the settings at different phases of the moon. I still don’t have it down to a science yet, but at least I am not taking several hundred shots each time. I take up to a dozen (big difference) and that is because I don’t trust what I see on my LCD screen, and I start to play around. I basically follow these settings:
full moon: ISO: 400 1/500 sec @f/16
half moon: ISO: 400 1/500 sec @f/11
Crescent moon: ISO: 400 1/125 sec @f/8
These are just guide lines I use. I do stray away from these from time to time. Such as today’s picture. I wrote the settings on the picture. I would have thought that the bottom moon would have shown more details in the craters but it looks like the top moon picture seems to have a tad more details. So after I get the settings right on the camera I aim and shoot. That’s it! Then I crop the photos to the size I want, very little tweaking if any. Hope this helped some.
(Day 68 #365Project @sharkbayte)
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dakotacowboy
on March 9, 2011these are wonderful - thanks for sharing the setting, I have not tried a moon shot yet, thought it would require higher ISO or slower speed
ACDavisphotography
on March 9, 2011Awesome shots and information, If I remember right you use a canon mark D II and maybe it was 400mm lens??? I can see why you get these amazing shots if I am right on your set up :)
639633dogdreamzzz
on March 9, 2011It's amazing what a difference the change in settings made...the detail is much greater in the top version. Your moon shots are always a marvelous wonder to look at, and I thank you for sharing that information...I've wanted to photograph the moon, and have made several attempts, but I've not stayed at it persistently like you. I was wondering also, what focal length you use. The longest I have at this point is 200mm, and it just never seemed to cut it. As always, awesome work.
webstersway
on March 9, 2011Outstanding moon shooting tutorial!!! Beautiful work here...awesome!!!
John Bennett
on March 9, 2011Great shots, thanks for sharing the info Carrie, and thankyou for spending so much time in my galleries lately when I've been unable to recirpocate :)