Saturday, May 5, 2012

Moon

Tonight the moon will be the closest to the earth and brighter looking than at any other time in the year. If the weather is good, I will try to get a photo.

If you have a clear night, why not try one yourself? The trick is to use the "Moony 11" rule. This tells us to set the shutter at the reciprocal of the film speed and shoot at f/11. This is because the light we see from the moon is actually reflected light. Therefore if you have a digital camera, pick a fairly high ASA of maybe 500. You then set the shutter speed at 1/500 of a second and set the lens opening to f/11. Maybe try a couple of different settings as insurance but following the "Moony 11" rule will get your exposure in the ballpark. Do not rely on the camera's meter because it will be seeing a lot of dark sky and will try to average the reading to make everything come out. In other words, it will not work!

This is not my shot but it will give you an idea of what you are going for!

2 comments:

  1. Colin did a great shot of a super perigee moon last march on the Isla. http://www.contessajewall.com/2011/03/20/super-perigee-moon/

    Sorry but I have no idea what settings etc

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  2. Cool! Unfortunately, I think the rainy season has begun here at Hacienda Contreras...overcast and a few showers this afternoon. Hopefully it will clear up a bit this evening.

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