Shoot The Moon at DVinfo.net

Brad Schreiber · July 8th, 2006, 04:24 PM

Okay, I'm no DP but I should be able to handle this myself. Every time I point my XLH1 skyward, the moon gets blown out, appearing like a big glowing ball, I can see no texture or detail. What kind of filters/techniques do I need to do this?

Daniel Epstein · July 8th, 2006, 05:00 PM

Remember that the moon is really reflecting sunlight so it is very bright blue source. Throw in the ND and try a daylight white balance.

Chris Hurd · July 8th, 2006, 05:20 PM

Brad, you have seen my various lunar shots, right?

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68960

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=67201

The trick is to expose properly. Due to the brightness of the moon, it is not a night shot but rather a day shot. Try an aperture of f/5.6 to f/8.0, and a shutter speed to match, best results at 1/100th to 1/250th.

A. J. deLange · July 9th, 2006, 05:30 AM

The moon's albedo (reflectance) is close to 18% in other words it's a great big gray card in the sky illuminated by sunlight. Thus an exposure measured for a gray card in daylight should be about right for the moon at night. Try turning on your zebra bars at 70 IRE. Set the exposure to just extinguish the zebra pattern and then reduce 1 stop. This should be about right but confirm by zooming in as far as possible, using the FOCUS magnifier and looking for detail. A monitor hooked up to the camera is, of course, the best way of getting it just as you like it.

Steven Dempsey · July 10th, 2006, 10:41 AM

If you are looking to get shots where the moon is registering some detail and you also want some landscape in the shot, your best bet is to shoot in the magic hour when the moon is rising. Stop down and you will be able to get a decent shot of both landscape and moon.

Failing that, an ND grad filter can help somewhat.

Pete Bauer · July 10th, 2006, 11:47 AM

Study up, all you moon-shooters. Full moon tonight!

July 8th, 2006, 04:24 PM	#1
Brad Schreiber Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 96	Shoot The Moon Okay, I'm no DP but I should be able to handle this myself. Every time I point my XLH1 skyward, the moon gets blown out, appearing like a big glowing ball, I can see no texture or detail. What kind of filters/techniques do I need to do this?

July 8th, 2006, 05:20 PM	#3
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,366 Images: 513	Brad, you have seen my various lunar shots, right? http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=68960 http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=67201 The trick is to expose properly. Due to the brightness of the moon, it is not a night shot but rather a day shot. Try an aperture of f/5.6 to f/8.0, and a shutter speed to match, best results at 1/100th to 1/250th. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

July 10th, 2006, 10:41 AM	#5
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	If you are looking to get shots where the moon is registering some detail and you also want some landscape in the shot, your best bet is to shoot in the magic hour when the moon is rising. Stop down and you will be able to get a decent shot of both landscape and moon. Failing that, an ND grad filter can help somewhat. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

July 10th, 2006, 11:47 AM	#6
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	Study up, all you moon-shooters. Full moon tonight! __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

July 8th, 2006, 05:00 PM	#2
Daniel Epstein Trustee Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,267	Remember that the moon is really reflecting sunlight so it is very bright blue source. Throw in the ND and try a daylight white balance.

July 9th, 2006, 05:30 AM	#4
A. J. deLange Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: McLean, VA United States Posts: 749	The moon's albedo (reflectance) is close to 18% in other words it's a great big gray card in the sky illuminated by sunlight. Thus an exposure measured for a gray card in daylight should be about right for the moon at night. Try turning on your zebra bars at 70 IRE. Set the exposure to just extinguish the zebra pattern and then reduce 1 stop. This should be about right but confirm by zooming in as far as possible, using the FOCUS magnifier and looking for detail. A monitor hooked up to the camera is, of course, the best way of getting it just as you like it.