How To Photograph Water !

Photographing waterfalls presents the photographer with the opportunity to create some very creative <br /> shots. When photographed properly, you can make running water appear soft and almost ghost-like.<br /> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_21324" style="width: 320px;"> <div class="wp-caption-text"> <br /></div> </div> <a href="http://cdn.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/photograph-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cdn.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/photograph-water.jpg" width="212" /></a>This technique is not difficult to master, but it takes a fair amount of stamina and perseverance to achieve—not to mention some physical agility.<br /> <br /> This technique is best suited for cameras that have the ability to manually adjust the shutter speed and focus. Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras are best equipped for this type of setup, but quality point-and-shoot cameras may work just as well.<br /> <h4> Shutter Speed</h4> In order to create the soft, flowing appearance, the camera must be set to either manual or shutter priority mode. By using shutter priority, the photographer can adjust the shutter to a slow speed while the camera adjusts the aperture settings automatically. Since we will be working with slow shutter speeds, stabilization is critical for this type of shot, which presents a unique challenge in itself. Flowing streams and waterfalls are generally located along rugged terrain, and carrying additional equipment may be difficult, if not hazardous. As an alternative, a couple of bean bags placed on an available stable surface may be adequate and certainly much easier to carry.<br /> Once you locate a body of moving water you’d like to photograph, set your camera to shutter priority mode as described above (see the article on shutter priority for more detail). You will need to shoot at a slow shutter speed in order to create the illusion of motion in your photograph. Begin with a relatively slow shutter speed, perhaps about 1/8 of a second. You may need to experiment with the shutter speed to create the effect you need, depending upon the available light and the speed of the moving water.<br /> <br /> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 580px;"> <a href="http://www.picturesocial.com/photo/cat-bay-4" target="_blank"><img alt="flowing water photography" height="372" src="http://api.ning.com/files/Uf5Jdma8M32QnR7MN0CdqixqN6YUj004M4oHEwZcGQShfRUTNwmIgOr*xvIRMhG7qW4jKruLWpj4IdyAdwEBTXt5UGMdKKY4/IMG_1699_1200.jpg" width="570" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">“Cat Bay” captured by <a href="http://www.picturesocial.com/profile/JimWorrall" target="_blank">Jim Worrall</a></span></div> <div class="wp-caption-text"> <br /></div> </div> Whenever you shoot at slow shutter speeds, there is an increased risk of introducing camera shake. Even the slightest vibration, such as releasing the shutter, can create a shaky photograph. One way to overcome this risk is to use the camera’s self timer in lieu of manually depressing the shutter release button. Using the timer is just one way you can increase the chance of creating a great shot.<br /> <h4> Bracketing</h4> Many DSLRs and some point-and-shoot cameras are equipped with a bracketing feature. Bracketing allows your camera to capture sequential shots in burst mode at various shutter speeds. The advantage of using bracketing is speed. You will be able to capture more shots in a shorter period without having to adjust the shutter speed between shots.<br /> <br /> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_21328" style="width: 580px;"> <a href="http://www.picturesocial.com/photo/1483478:Photo:2723530" target="_blank"><img alt="photo of waterfall" class="wp-image-21328 size-full" height="381" src="http://cdn.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/photograph-water2.jpg" title="photograph-water2" width="570" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">“FAXI” captured by <a href="http://www.picturesocial.com/profile/AEvarGudmundsson" target="_blank">Ævar Guðmundsson</a></span></div> <div class="wp-caption-text"> <br /></div> </div> The disadvantage is that you will not be able to use the automatic timer, since bracketing requires you to switch to burst mode and maintain a depressed shutter during the shoot. An alternative is to use a remote shutter release if at all possible. This will not only allow you to avoid introducing camera shake, but you will be able to keep your feet dry as well.<br /> <h4> Focus</h4> This type of shot is best suited for manual focus for several reasons. Since you’ll be shooting a moving object, the camera may attempt to focus on the a floating stick or the water itself. This will also allow you to concentrate on water moving over rocks or areas where white caps are generated by the moving water.<br /> <em></em><br /> <em></em><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">source :<em> <a href="http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/how-to-photograph-water/">http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/how-to-photograph-water/</a></em></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">READ MORE :</span><br /> <ul> <li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: orange;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/10/your-cameras-megapixels.html">How Big Can You Print with Your Camera’s Megapixels?</a></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: orange;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/rule-of-thirds.html">Everything You Need To Know About Rule Of Thirds !!!</a></span><b><span style="color: orange;"> </span></b></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: orange;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/astrophotography.html">How To Astrophotography</a></span> </span></li> </ul>

How To Photograph Water !

Photographing waterfalls presents the photographer with the opportunity to create some very creative shots. When photographed properly, y...

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How To Astrophotography

<h4> Don't put that camera away when it gets dark, get outside and take pictures! A whole universe of wonderful images awaits you.</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/How-To-Astrophotography-101.jpg?itok=6lrCLWxa" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/How-To-Astrophotography-101.jpg?itok=6lrCLWxa" width="640" /></a></div> <h4>  </h4> <div data-adafter="true"> Our cameras get most of their workouts during the daytime, when there's plenty of light from the sun to illuminate our subjects. If we shoot at night, it's usually with a flash attached to brighten things up, or with long exposures using man-made light from our streets or houses. That big dark sky above us at night seems to offer little that we can see or photograph... but that's not the case. There's not just a whole other world of things to take pictures of in that dark sky -- there's a whole universe of opportunity. This how-to article will provide the basics to let you start taking dramatic photos of the sky at night.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Astrophotography is the name given to the process of taking pictures of anything not on the Earth, but out in space. Most of us probably think of images from the Hubble Space Telescope when the word is mentioned, but making good astrophotos doesn't require billions of dollars or a ride in the Space Shuttle. This article will show you how to start making photos with equipment almost every photographer has on hand, progress to the next level with some simple equipment you can buy inexpensively or make yourself, and finish with what you can do if you decide to invest in some specialized (and sometimes expensive) equipment.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> The first thing to remember when getting into astrophotography is that the earth rotates on its axis once per day. Obvious? Sure, but what it means for astrophotography is that you're never trying to capture a "still" object. The earth's rotation makes the stars, planets, and the moon appear to move across the sky all night long. The moon and planets also have their own motions, which complicate matters. And since most of the things we'd like to take photos of are awfully dim compared to a typical subject in the sunlight, we're going to have to use long exposure times to gather enough light to see them, and they'll be moving (or appearing to) the whole time. There are only two ways around this constant movement: ignore it, or compensate for it.</div> <h4 data-adafter="true"> Fixed-Position Astrophotography</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-The-California-Nebula-in-the.jpg?itok=rcbMOIjM" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-The-California-Nebula-in-the.jpg?itok=rcbMOIjM" width="640" /></a></div> <h4 data-adafter="true">  </h4> <div data-adafter="true"> Let's start with what we can do by ignoring the earth's rotation. Shooting these kinds of photos only requires a camera capable of long exposures (a "B" or Bulb setting, or exposure settings from 30 seconds to several hours). The obvious example is "star trail" images.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> The earth rotates on its axis at about 1/2-degree per minute -- so the stars will appear to rotate that same amount overhead. If we set a camera on a fixed tripod, open the shutter, and let the earth rotate us under the stars, we get an image that shows the stars as "streaks" or trails as they appear to move across the sky. The longer we leave the shutter open, the longer the trails will be in our final image. The image shown here was exposed for about 60 minutes, giving 15-degrees of arc to each star trail. Notice in the image that near the center there appears to be almost no star-trailing, and as you move further out the star trails appear to get longer. That's because the camera was pointed right at the center of the earth's rotational axis: Polaris, or the North Star. Since this is the center of rotation, there's the least amount of apparent movement near this axis. As you move further away from this point, stars will appear to move more and more in a straight line until you reach the "celestial equator" (90-degrees from the North Star in the sky), where the trails are perfectly straight and will appear longer.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Here's how to take star-trail photos:</b><br /> • Use a sturdy tripod, and secure it in place or weight it down if you can. Any movement of the tripod will show "squiggles" in your star trails.<br /> • Use a fairly wide-angle lens for best results, the 35mm equivalent of 20-50mm focal length is a good place to start.<br /> • Choose a medium-speed film or a digital-camera ISO of 400-800. That's high enough to record even fairly dim stars, but it shouldn't introduce too much grain or noise.<br /> • Set a medium aperture of f/5.6 to f/11. The stars won't change much in brightness no matter which aperture setting you use, but smaller apertures will reduce the brightness of "skyglow" from nearby towns or other light sources.<br /> • Select a dark location away from city lights if possible. Include something interesting in the foreground (such as the trees above) to give scale to the image and to help show the sky's apparent rotation against the earth.<br /> • Make sure you have new or freshly-charged batteries in your camera. Holding the shutter open for long periods drains batteries fast! If your camera has a DC car-power adapter, or a battery pack, use them.<br /> • Use a cable release or remote release, set manual focus, focus on infinity (put a small piece of masking tape on the lens' focus ring to hold it if you can), and open the camera's shutter. Leave it open as long as possible. Longer exposures mean longer star trails, but also pick up more "sky glow.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Star-trail images can be spectacular, but due to the motion of the stars, they can be somewhat "abstract." What if you want to take an image of the stars as we actually see them?</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-Stars-appear-to-circle-the-s.jpg?itok=96ADaSU0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-Stars-appear-to-circle-the-s.jpg?itok=96ADaSU0" width="640" /></a></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> As mentioned before, the stars appear to move at about 1/2-degree per minute across the sky. If we use a wide-angle lens (which has a wide field of view), you can leave the shutter open for a short while before that movement becomes visible in the image. The stars will still be "trails" in your picture, but the trails will be so small they're indistinguishable from single points. In the image above, I used a 14mm lens (with a field of view of 104-degrees horizontally and 81-degrees vertically), and exposed for 30 seconds. In that time, the stars moved less than 1/4-degree, taking up less than 1/400th of the horizontal field of view. In the full-sized image you can see that they're little trails, but just barely. This kind of image shows the sky as we appear to see it with our eyes. Only the brightest stars will show up clearly this way, but as you can see from the image above you can clearly make out the constellation Orion, the Pleiades star cluster, and other constellations and stars.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Here are some tips for shooting non-trailed fixed-position star images:</b><br /> • Use a very wide-angle lens -- the wider the better. At 28mm (35mm film equivalent) focal length, you can expose for about 20 seconds without significant trailing. At 50mm, you can only expose for about 10 seconds, which is only long enough to record the very brightest stars. At 14mm, you can shoot for 30 to 40 seconds, which should show more lower magnitude stars.<br /> • As with star-trail images, include something interesting in the foreground! The image above was shot on a night when the nearly-full moon was just rising in the east, and the camera was aimed west, away from the moon. The moon illuminated the foreground without washing out the sky.<br /> • The same setup rules apply as with star-trail images; use a sturdy tripod, a remote release, ISO 400-800, and f/5.6 to f/8.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> So far we've only looked at what we can do with a fixed tripod, with our camera still while the sky rotates above us. We're limited in what we can shoot that way. Most of the really interesting things in the sky are quite dim, so we need much longer exposure times in order to see them in our images... but longer exposure times mean the stars leave trails in our images.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> However, we can get longer exposure times without trails by mounting our camera to something that compensates for the Earth's rotation. If we could have some kind of rig that rotated around one axis (like the Earth does), align our rig's axis of rotation with the Earth's axis, and then rotate in the opposite direction the same speed as the earth rotates (about ½-degree per minute), then our camera would stay pointed at the same spot in the sky as the Earth rotated, and we could do longer exposures without having the stars trail.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Hmm, that sounds pretty complicated, though. How can we make such a rig? Actually it's very simple, and all you need are a couple of boards, a hinge, and a couple of bolts... it's called a "Barn Door" mount.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> A Barn Door is simply two pieces of wood mounted around a simple hinge. At the end of the boards opposite the hinge, you put a screw-bolt through the bottom board in a threaded nut, so that it pushes the top board when you turn it. Using a simple formula, you can calculate how many turns per minute you need to give the screw to match the earth's speed of rotation. Line the hinge (the Barn Door's axis of rotation) up with the North Star (the Earth's axis of rotation), and you can very closely counteract the movement of the stars across the sky for fairly long lengths of time. With a Barn Door mount, you can use longer focal lengths (up to around 135mm) and exposure times of up to about 15 minutes and not see any star trailing -- all for about $10-$20 in materials.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Designs for Barn Doors vary from the ridiculously simple and inexpensive to deluxe versions with battery-operated drive motors (to save you from having to turn the screw manually). A simple single-arm version will track accurately for 10-15 minutes, while only-slightly-more-complex double-arm versions can track accurately for an hour or more! The Internet is rife with design possibilities; here are a few of the many that are worth looking at (I built the second one in the list below, and used it for the Milky Way photo above):</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Anthony Galvan III's Simple Barn Door Mount<br /> Dave Trott's Motorized Double-Arm Drive</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> The next step up in "tracking" mounts from a Barn Door is a German Equatorial Mount. A GEM (sometimes acronyms are very fitting) in its simplest form is a tripod head that has two axes that rotate 90-degrees from each other. When you align the main axis with the Earth's celestial pole, it can be driven to counteract the Earth's rotation. The other rotational axis lets you position the camera or telescope anywhere in the sky while still maintaining the first axis' alignment with the Earth. Commercial equatorial mounts vary greatly in size, quality, and price; a decent-quality mount with a drive motor (to keep you from having to turn it by hand) that will support a camera and short lens can be purchased for under $200, while a higher-quality mount that will support long lenses or telescopes (and often includes a computerized control that will automatically point it to specified celestial objects) can cost between $1,000 and $10,000.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Equatorial mounts can allow you to use longer focal lengths (using either camera lenses or telescopes) to "zoom in" on galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae. The image at left shows two telescopes mounted together on a mid-range (in both price and capacity) GEM, with the camera mounted on a 540mm FL telescope. Why two telescopes? Because once you start using focal lengths longer than 250mm or so, you must track the sky VERY accurately. Even a tracking error as little as a tenth of a degree can ruin an image, making stars look like little oblong streaks rather than nice, sharp points of light. Since even rather expensive GEM mounts are driven by mechanical gears, imperfect machining causes those gears to be slightly inaccurate, and produce tracking errors. To get a good image, these tracking errors have to be corrected. This is called "guiding."</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-Imaging-and-guiding-telescop.jpg?itok=LoJG3lxb" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-Imaging-and-guiding-telescop.jpg?itok=LoJG3lxb" width="480" /></a></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Guiding an exposure involves looking through a separate telescope from the telescope or lens being used to take the picture. A telescope eyepiece with crosshairs embedded in it is used -- the photographer centers a star on the crosshairs, starts an exposure, and then carefully watches the star through the guidescope. When mechanical errors begin to move the star off the center of the crosshairs, the mount's drive controls can be used to put it back dead center. Keeping the guide star on the crosshairs during the exposure will ensure that tracking errors are minimized, and long exposures (up to several hours) can be made very accurately. Obviously, this can get quite tedious -- you must keep your eye glued to the guidescope for the entire exposure, and delaying too long in making corrections will ruin an image. Technology has offered a solution to manual guiding tedium -- a CCD guide camera. Commercial guide cameras are available, but even inexpensive digital Web cams can be easily modified to act as guide cameras. Attached to a computer, the camera takes an initial exposure, and notes the pixel position of a guide star (specified by the user). Then the shutter is opened on the imaging camera, and the guiding sequence started through the computer. It takes a new image every few seconds, and again notes the pixel position of the guide star. If it's moved from its original location, the computer sends signals to the equatorial mount to move it back to where it was, just as you would do manually. This "auto-guiding" can easily be more accurate than manual guiding, and doesn't require the photographer to sit at the guidescope for hours on end. The links section at the end of this article has resources for making your own auto-guider from an inexpensive Web cam.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> With a good-quality GEM mount, even fairly short focal lengths can provide stunning "close-ups" of many celestial objects. The image at right is of the Andromeda Galaxy, taken with a 540mm telescope. While Andromeda (also known as M31) is one of the brightest galaxies we can see from earth, it's still very dim by photography standards. To make this image, the total exposure time was 12 hours!</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-Quarter-Moon-shot-with-a-Can.jpg?itok=7Mhz_BmN" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/2008/files/_images/Astrophotography-101-Quarter-Moon-shot-with-a-Can.jpg?itok=7Mhz_BmN" width="640" /></a></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Once you start using longer focal lengths, a whole universe of celestial objects become potential targets. But those longer focal lengths, while magnifying those smaller celestial objects, also magnify tracking errors -- making it more and more difficult to get good images of them. Taking "deep-sky" multiple-hour exposures of tiny, dim objects at long focal lengths will require investment in a high-quality GEM mount (which is expensive!), sophisticated tracking methods and equipment, and lots of practice. The details of this kind of work are beyond the scope of this beginning article. If you start with star trails or perhaps build a Barn Door mount, you can make wonderful night-sky images without investing a lot of money in equipment. But beware -- astrophotography can be addictive! Once you start getting beautiful night-sky pictures, it's quite likely you'll want to move up to higher levels, which means a significant investment of time and money. The results are very satisfying and beautiful -- but when your spouse starts asking why you need to spend $5,000 on some fancy tripod, don't say I didn't warn you!</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> There's one night-sky target we haven't covered yet. I saved it until last because it's one of the easiest to take pictures of... our Moon. While the moon appears to move across the sky at nearly the same rate as the stars, it's very bright -- about the same brightness as a daylight scene on Earth (since the light we see from the Moon is just reflected sunlight, that makes sense!). Since it's so bright, it doesn't require the long exposure times that are needed for stars, galaxies, etc. But the Moon can be a great target to photograph.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> The issue with taking pictures of the Moon is really focal length of the lens you're going to use. On 35mm film or full-frame digital cameras, it takes a focal length of about 2000mm to fill the frame with the Moon. APS-C DSLRs need about 1200mm to do the same. While you can get satisfactory Moon pictures with shorter focal lengths, the closer you can come to those frame-filling ideals, the better.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Proper exposure values for the Moon are easy to figure out -- just use the "sunny 16" rule. At f/16, use a shutter speed that is the reciprocal of your film or sensor's ISO value; at ISO 200, you'd use 1/200th sec. at f/16. Adjust the shutter speed up or down according to how many f-stops above or below f/16 your lens is operating at. Use a sturdy tripod, use your camera's mirror lock-up function (if it has one), and use a remote or cable release. Focus at infinity, and shoot away. It's best NOT to use your camera's auto-exposure modes; most camera exposure meters see all that black surrounding the Moon, and add exposure time to compensate, which over-exposes the Moon itself.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> If your goal is to shoot frame-filling photos of the Moon showing lots of detail, the best time to shoot isn't when it's full: at full Moon, the Sun is lighting the Moon face-on. Just as with your on-camera flash, straight-on lighting is flat, boring, and doesn't provide any shadow details. Try taking Moon pictures at first or third quarter (when the Moon appears half-lit, as above). At these times, the Sun provides side-lighting, showing relief on lunar surfaces and providing interesting shadows. Try not to shoot Moon pictures when it's low on the horizon. At those positions you're shooting through the thickest part of Earth's atmosphere, and the turbulent, moving atmosphere makes it difficult to see fine details on the lunar surface. Wait until the Moon is high in the sky, where the atmosphere is thinnest, even if that means getting up at 2AM to shoot!</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Another way to shoot pictures of the Moon is to include it in landscape shots for dramatic impact. You can use much shorter focal lengths than for the frame-filling detail shots, but stay on the longer side (100mm or above) or the Moon will look very small in the image. The same "sunny 16" exposure guide applies, with a caveat: when the Moon is near the horizon, the thick layer of atmosphere you're looking through to see it will dim its light, sometimes dramatically. When it's near the horizon, start with about two stops more exposure than when it's high in the sky, and bracket your exposures if you can. For the moonrise image above I used about three stops more than the "sunny 16" guideline. A full Moon will rise in the east about the same time the Sun is setting in the west; a crescent Moon will rise just before sunrise in the east or set just after sunset in the west. Balancing the near-daylight exposure for the Moon with twilight can be tricky, making sunrise and sunset the best times to shoot. Just be careful not to over-expose the Moon or you'll wind up with a white blob that shows no detail.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> I hope this How-To has piqued your interest in the possibilities of astrophotography. Don't put that camera away when it gets dark, get outside and take pictures! A whole universe of wonderful images awaits you.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <span style="color: #38761d;">Resources and Links</span></div> <div data-adafter="true"> To do astrophotography well, you need to get to know the night sky -- when and where the Sun and Moon will rise and set, which constellations are in the sky at different times of the year, and which celestial objects are visible. Here are some internet resources to help get you up to speed:</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>NASA/JPL's Ephemeris</b><br /> An ephemeris gives the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets. The NASA/JPL site lets you enter your position on earth to get specific information for your location, at any time in the present, future, or past.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Jim Kaler's Constellation Maps</b><br /> Provides maps of the constellations and their brightest stars, with different maps for the different seasons of the year.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Sky and Telescope's Interactive Star Charts</b><br /> An on-line star chart customizable for your specific location and time.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> The sky is full of interesting objects to photograph besides stars -- galaxies, nebulae, clusters, and more. French astronomer Charles Messier catalogued 110 of the brightest of these objects in the late 1700's, and his Messier List is a good starting point to find targets of interest. The Andromeda Galaxy above, for example, is also known as Messier 31 (M31). You can get a list of all 110 objects, along with information about where to find them in the sky, at: SEDS Messier Catalog.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> If you start going for long exposures at long focal lengths on an equatorial mount, you're going to need to guide your shots -- as mentioned in the text, a simple Web cam can be easily modified to be used as an "autoguider." Ash's Astro Pages has several articles and tips for using Web cams for guiding and astro-imaging.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> If you're using a DSLR to do your astrophotography, Michael Covington offers a comprehensive Web page with lots of tips to help you get started: Michael Covington's DSLR Astrophotography.</div> <div data-adafter="false"> Paul LeFevre is a photographer, writer, and astronomer living near San Diego, California. He can be reached at plefevre@hughes.net.</div> <div data-adafter="false"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="false"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">source : <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2008/12/how-to-astrophotography-101?image=4">http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2008/12/how-to-astrophotography-101?image=4</a></span></div> <div data-adafter="false"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="false"> <span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> READ MORE  </span></span></span></div> <ul> <li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/moon.html">How To Photograph The Moon</a><b> </b></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/wedding-day.html">Plan Out a Picture Perfect Wedding Day With These Handy Photography Tips (INFOGRAPHIC</a></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/dreamy.html">How To Shoot Dreamy Backlit Portraits With Natural Light</a></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/100-tips.html">100 Tips from a Professional Photographer</a><b><b><b> </b></b></b></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/september.html">9 creative photo ideas to try in September</a><b><b><b> </b> </b></b></span></span> </li> </ul> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div>

How To Astrophotography

Don't put that camera away when it gets dark, get outside and take pictures! A whole universe of wonderful images awaits you.   O...

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How To Photograph The Moon

<h3> The most beautiful photography subject 239,000 miles away</h3> <div data-adafter="true"> *I spend a lot of time photographing the night sky, and apart from the Milky Way, one of my favorite celestial objects to photograph is The Moon. Our moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, and sits at an average distance of 239,000 miles from us. It orbits our Earth every 27.3 day, and the same side of The Moon always faces us due to its synchronous rotation with Earth. There are eight different phases of the moon during it’s 29.53 day monthly cycle, and the most popular phase to photograph is during a full moon.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> So how do you go about photographing the moon? Well there are a number of things to consider when capturing a good moon shot, so I’ll take you through the methods I use and talk a little about the gear required as well.*</div> <h4 data-adafter="true"> It all begins with a plan and location</h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/capepallisersupermoon_0.jpg?itok=qOBflPcE" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/capepallisersupermoon_0.jpg?itok=qOBflPcE" width="640" /></a></div> <h4 data-adafter="true"> </h4> <div class="field-credit"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /> <div class="field-body"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">People gather at the base of the Cape Palliser Lighthouse in the Wairarapa, New Zealand, to view the biggest Supermoon rising for 2014.</span></div> <br /> <br /> <div data-adafter="true"> Planning is a big part of all photography, and shooting the moon is no exception. I always spend a lot of time planning my moon shots, and this first begins with the initial idea of the shoot. I may want a wide shot of the moon rising over a land or a city scape, or I may want a close up with the moon large in frame. Either way always I scout my location before the day of the shoot, and then work out what time and where the moon will be in the sky in relation to my shot composition.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Thankfully these days there are some great apps to help you plan your moon shots. Personally I use an app called <a class="linkTargets-processed external" href="http://www.photopills.com/" target="_blank">PhotoPills</a>, which can precisely calculate the timing and positioning of your moon shots, especially if you want to introduce a foreground object of interest into your composition. At this stage PhotoPills is only available on the iphone, but fear not, if you have an Android phone, then there is another great app that does a similar thing called <a class="linkTargets-processed external" href="http://photoephemeris.com/" target="_blank">The Photographers Ephemeris</a>.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/moonlittekapo.jpg?itok=ofIlwwaH" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/moonlittekapo.jpg?itok=ofIlwwaH" width="640" /></a></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">A moonlit landscape at Lake Tekapo on the South Island of New Zealand. I usually don't shoot much wide field astrophotography when the moon is out, but on this occasion, the moon was in it's first quarter phase, and it was an absolutely perfect evening. So I climbed the largest rock I could find on the shores of Lake Tekapo, and took in the views while my camera shot a panorama.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> A lot of people that I talk to think that I use a telescope to photograph my moon images, but this isn’t the case. I just use a regular DSLR camera and a super telephoto lens. These lenses can be super expensive - personally I use a 600mm with a 1.4x extender, but you don’t have to go out and spend that much money on a lens like this to take impressive moon photos.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> A typical kit zoom lens around the 70-300mm mark will get you decent moon shots and also give you the versatility of shooting images of the moon that are wider. You could photograph the moon over a city skyline shot at 70mm, or get more of a close up shot with your lens set to 300mm. Sure the optics aren’t going to be as good as the more expensive prime telephoto lens, but you are still going to going to be able to get the shot.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Probably one of the most important pieces of equipment to use when photographing the moon, is a tripod. Since you are shooting with longer focal lengths, you need to keep your camera locked down as much as possible to prevent camera shake and get a sharp image, so to do that, a sturdy tripod is necessary.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> As far as the camera body is concerned, you are probably already sorted there with your current DSLR. I prefer to use a cropped (APS-C sized) sensor when photographing the moon, as that will give me a little more reach with my focal length. For example, a 300mm lens on a crop sensor camera with a 1.6 crop factor, delivers images with the same field of view as a full framed sensor camera using a 480mm lens. In a way, it's working to your advantage.</div> <h4 data-adafter="true"> <b>The Importance of composition</b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/moonsilhouettes.jpg?itok=hpRdOPbF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/moonsilhouettes.jpg?itok=hpRdOPbF" width="640" /></a></div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="field-body"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Winning image of the People and Space Category of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Following on from my 'Full Moon Silhouettes' video, I wanted to see if I could capture a similar shot, except this time as a photographic still. Amazingly I had perfect weather again, and the location to shoot from was almost as perfect as the one from the video. You can find more info and see the 'Full Moon Silhouettes' video <a class="linkTargets-processed external" href="http://markg.com.au/2013/01/full-moon-silhouettes/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div> </div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> As with all forms of photography, a good composition is going to set your photos apart from others, so it’s important when you are scouting for your locations, that you find interesting angles and compositions that are going to differ from your every day photos of the moon.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> I always try to introduce an element of interest to my moon shots, even if I’m just photographing the moon against the night sky - clouds are great for this. Other elements could include cityscape's, silhouettes, moon reflections on water, or even the International Space Station flying in front of the moon (I’m yet to get that shot!)</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> If you keep in mind the traditional composition rules, like the rule of thirds or leading lines etc. when working with some of these elements, then you are going to end up with a much more interesting moon photograph.</div> <h4 data-adafter="true"> <b>You’ll need so know about settings too</b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/flymetothemoon.jpg?itok=16-TXpXw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/flymetothemoon.jpg?itok=16-TXpXw" width="640" /></a></div> <h4 data-adafter="true"> <b> </b></h4> <div data-adafter="true"> Probably the most common question I get asked about any of my photographs is what settings did I use. There is no real hard and fast rule about what settings to use for shooting the moon, and these will certainly vary depending on the time of day or night you are trying to capture the moon, and also the moon phase. The main thing here is most of the time you will want to be exposing for the moon itself and not the surrounds. This may not aways be the case, especially if you are shooting a wide shot with a city or landscape in frame just want the moon to be added interest.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> So for now I am going to just cover the settings I use to shoot a full moon around 30 minutes after sunset as it’s rising. I also always shoot on manual, and it’s the best way to give you ultimate control over your moon images.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> If you’ve ever stopped and actually watched a moonrise, you’ll notice that the moon does move fairly fast - it takes around 2.5 minutes from when you first see it until it totally clears the horizon, so to get a sharp image, shoot with a relatively fast shutter. I generally shoot around the 1/125 second mark. As for aperture, we are trying to get the detail on the moon as sharp as possible, so I very rarely shoot wide open and tend to settle on an aperture around f/9.0 As far as ISO is concerned, with the settings I’ve just mentioned, I go with a value around 400, but I’ve also pushed it to 800 so I could use a faster shutter speed.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> Using live view is a fast and easy way to get your exposure of the moon correct. It will give you instant feedback on any changes you make to the settings on your camera.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> As I’ve mentioned before, settings will vary greatly depending on the brightness of the moon and time of day/night, so it’s always good to experiment with your settings when shooting the moon.</div> <h4 data-adafter="true"> <b>Wait there’s more!</b></h4> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/moonsetoverbrooklynwindturbine.jpg?itok=umizJB0o" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://www.popphoto.com/sites/popphoto.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/moonsetoverbrooklynwindturbine.jpg?itok=umizJB0o" width="640" /></a></div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">The full moon sets over the Brooklyn wind turbine in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington is one of the windiest cities in the world, and the Brooklyn wind turbine is Wellington's first and also the oldest operating wind turbine in New Zealand. At 31 meters tall, it is easily seen from most parts of the city. Over the course of a year, the turbine generates the same amount of electricity as 80 homes use in the same period.</span></div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> I’ve been photographing the moon for quite a few years now, and I’ve learnt a few things through trial and error, so I thought I’d share some more of these tips with you.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Focusing:</b> Thankfully the moon is a bright object in the sky, so even at night, use your auto focus for focusing your camera on the moon.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Allow yourself plenty of time to set up for your shoot:</b> It usually takes longer to set up for your moon shot than you think and I have been caught by this in the past and missed the shot. I generally allow myself 30 minutes set up time.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Use a shutter release and even mirror lock:</b> Especially when using longer focal lengths. Just the vibration caused by clicking on the shutter button and the mirror flipping up can result in having a not so sharp image.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Photograph the moonrise a day before full moon:</b> It’s a lot easier to expose for both the moon and landscape etc, as there will be enough light around just before sunset to give you a nice balanced shot.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Shoot when the moon is high in the sky</b>: if you are after a shot of the moon with great sharp detail on it’s surface, you are best to wait until the moon is high in the sky. When the moon is low at moonrise and moonset, it is being distorted by atmospheric refraction, and even though you may be focused perfectly on the moon, the detail on the surface will look slightly blurry and out of focus.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <span style="color: #0b5394;">**Interesting Moon Photography Fact **</span></div> <div data-adafter="true"> The moon’s orientation and direction changes depending on where you are in the world. To a lot of you, my moon images may look upside down. That’s because they were shot in the southern hemisphere, and you may be use to seeing the moon from a northern hemisphere’s perspective. The moon also rises in a different direction - In the southern hemisphere it’s from right to left. Close to the equator, it’s pretty much straight up. And the further north you go into the northern hemisphere, it rises left to right.</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <b>Final word</b></div> <div data-adafter="true"> I hope you’ve found this article on photographing the moon helpful - it is certainly a rewarding experience when you do pull off that epic moon shot, and much more satisfying than just adding a big moon to your photos in Photoshop...</div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true"> If you’d like to read up about how I go about planning my big moon shots in more detail, feel free to <a class="linkTargets-processed external" href="http://theartofnight.com/2013/11/to-the-moon-and-back/" target="_blank">check out my blog on it here</a></div> <div data-adafter="true"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="false"> In the meantime remember to stop, look up and enjoy, and the best of luck with photographing The Moon!</div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">source : <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/how-to-photography-moon">http://www.popphoto.com/how-to-photography-moon</a></span></div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div data-adafter="true" style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: red;"><span style="color: white;"> READ MORE </span></span> </span></div> <ul> <li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/wedding-day.html">Plan Out a Picture Perfect Wedding Day With These Handy </a></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/selfie.html">7 tips to take your best selfie</a></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/dreamy.html">How To Shoot Dreamy Backlit Portraits With Natural Light</a><b></b></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="titlex" href="http://photoobest.blogspot.com/2015/09/100-tips.html">100 Tips from a Professional Photographer</a> </span></span> </li> </ul> <h4 data-adafter="true"> </h4> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div>

How To Photograph The Moon

The most beautiful photography subject 239,000 miles away *I spend a lot of time photographing the night sky, and apart from the Milky W...

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