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How to photograph a harvest moon lunar eclipse

robandmarianne
Contributor

We have a harvest moon/lunar eclipse tomorrow night that I would really like to try and photograph.

 

I have a T4i with three lenses:  EFS 18-55mm; 75-300mm and a high def 0.43X Super Wide Angle w/ Macro Japan Optics.  Can anyone guide me as to which lens would be best and how to set up the camera to get some interesting shots.  I have a tripod.  Not sure how to use "live" mode and I am not well versed when it comes to anything other than the automatic settings -- i.e., ISO, shutter speed, etc.  Anyone willing to teach this old dog some new tricks?  Thanks.  

24 REPLIES 24


@robandmarianne wrote:
this is pretty technical for me. .. . so, when you say eclipses can be as much as 10 stops darker, I should move my ISO up at least 10 different positions?

You can do a combination of things...

 

If you start at ISO 100, f/11, and 1/100th second exposure... then you can get stops by:

 

1)  Drop the f-stop to f/8 (that's 1 stop)

2)  Drop the f-stop to f/5.6 (that's 2 stops) ... many zooms can't go lower than f/5.6 when zoomed in.  But if you have a high end zoom, you might be able to go to f/4, or f/2.8 (for a 3rd and 4th stop).

 

3)  Start increasing ISO to ISO 200 (that's 3 stops)

4)  Go to ISO 400 (4 stops)

5)  Go to ISO 800 (5 stops)

 

If your camera can handle ISO 1600, or 3200, or even 6400 and still have low noise then you coudl get to 6, 7, and 8 stops that way)

 

6)  Start dropping shutter speeds (you DO have a tripod, right?  You'll need it.  Also if you have a remote shutter release, you'll want to use that to trigger the camera.  If not, use the 2-second delay timer or even the 10-second delay timer that way after you press the shutter button (will will induce some vibration on the camera) it has a chance to calm down before the shutter opens.)  Drop the shutter speed to 1/50th (that's 6 stops)

 

7)  Keep dropping the shutter by halving it each time (e.g. 1/25th = 7 stops; 1/12th is 8 stops, 1/6th is 9 stops, and 1/3rd sec is 10 stops.)

 

But it might need to go EVEN DARKER (so you might have to go start doing 1 second, 2 second, 4 second, 8 second expoures or even 15 second expoures.  

 

Check your HISTOGRAM (do some reading to understand how that works.) 

 

When you take an exposure, you can check your historgram and you'll see a rectangle with a graph that looks like a mountain-range in it.  You want to make sure that the bulk of data in that graph stays away from the extreme left edge or extreme right edge and that your "mountains" are somewhere in the middle (without bunching up on either end).   If they do bunch up on either end then it means you've clipped data (you are under-exposed if your "mountains" are chopped off on the left side or bunched up against the left side.  You are over-exposed if it's bunched up or chopped off on the right side.)

 

Do not trust how it "looks" on the LCD screen when you review the image.  That can be misleading.

 

You may need to adjust these exposures (in fact, you'll almost certainly want to do that).  If you shoot in RAW (Canon ".CR2" files) then you'll have a much easier time adjusting the images (using something like Adobe Lightroom or even Canon Digital Photo Professional which came with your camera and even if you can't find it you can always re-download it from Canon.)

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da

No not necessarily.   A full stop is a doubling or halving of the current number.  No matter if it is a f-ratio like f2 or a SS like 1/100.  Even the ISO of say 200 is easily moved one stop by setting it to 400.  This is one stop faster.  If you half it from 200 to 100 that is one stop but it is slower.

A SS of 1/250 for instance is one stop if you do the same doubling, 1/500, or halving, 1/125.  Some cameras have half stops or even third stops.  But whatever the number it must be doubled or halved.

 

It helps if you are in a dark place.  Don't turn on any room lights and give your eyes time in darkness to adjust before you try to shoot the Moon.

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.

we'll see what I got tomorrow . . . I could get nothing once the moon was the darker colo -- kind of bummed, what a gorgeous night, albeit cool with a good breeze, but it is clear as a bell, so many stars and that beautiful moon -- I hope I never forget this mental picture.  Thanks for trying to help me everyone . . . 

It was well over 10 stops difference!  It was windy and I hope that did not effect the longer exposures. I am d/l them to LR right now.

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.

I had clouds... lots and lots of clouds.   But in the moments when I managed just brief glimpses of the moon I was at 12 stops.  I haven't unloaded the camera yet to see if anything is salvageable.

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da

No clouds Tim but it was windy.  The big heavy Sigma S was being moved around quite a bit.  I had the ef 70-200mm f2.8 on the 1Ds Mk III.  A little work in Lightroom and  ...............................

_DS39376-Edit.jpg

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.

Before ...........

 

_52D0592.jpg

EOS 1D Mk IV.  SIgma S 150-600mm @ 600mm, f11, 1/100, 125 ISO, 0.0 EV.

This is the 'Looney 11 Rule' for shooting a full Moon.

 

 

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.

After .........

 

_52D0646.jpg

 

EOS 1D Mk IV with Sigma 150-600mm S @600mm, f6.3, 1/3s, 3200 ISO, 0.0 EV.   This is not the Looney 11 Rule !

 

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.

Airplane !

 

_DS39373.jpg

 

EOS 1Ds Mk III with ef 70-200mm f2.8L IS II @ 105mm, f4, 20sec., 1600 ISO, 0.0 EV.

EB
EOS 1D, EOS 1D MK IIn, EOS 1D MK III, EOS 1Ds MK III, EOS 1D MK IV and EOS 1DX and many lenses.

Not sure how to attach a pic, but I certainly didn't get any more than my best shots of the moon ever. I had taken a few shots of the super moon rising, but never looked at them on the screen -- they never came out! I was able to shoot the moon for awhile then gave up at 10:30! None of my pics have any color . . . geez, I probably changed a setting to black and white!! Never fear, my Nat Geo photography course DVD's arrived today . . . 🙂 Thanks for all your responses and the beautiful pictures that inspire me to get better.
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