looking for harvest moon tips

--

'Tis the season for the harvest moon here. Not a subject for a novice but it will be a whole year before I can try again.

The shot will be across an open field and then the woods a half mile distant. I want to capture not just the face of the moon but the light across the landscape as the moon rises.

I've searched all the forums for tips and found a few specific to the harvest moon. Use the sunlight/daylight setting. Use a polarizing filter (which I don't have yet). Reduce the EV.

Any other suggestions or setting recommendations? (Not yet ready for full manual, probably.) Weather permitting, I'll have a couple nights to practice--both technique and dealing with my frustration. ;-)

TIA,
Susan
Fuji DL-400 tele circa 1988 & a new, fully charged G2

In addition to the other suggestions you have received, try a stitch shot if your camera suppprts it. One exposure for the foreground, one for the moon. I have seen this used with sunsets with very dramatic effect. And make sure you post your results! Good luck.
Wayne

For example, take a look at how Anders Wahlstrom used this technique very successfully:
http://medlem.spray.se/digitalphoto/b3.htm

Wayno said:

In addition to the other suggestions you have received, try a
stitch shot if your camera suppprts it. One exposure for the
foreground, one for the moon. I have seen this used with sunsets
with very dramatic effect. And make sure you post your results!
Good luck.
Wayne

Click to expand...

Liatris said:

--
'Tis the season for the harvest moon here. Not a subject for a
novice but it will be a whole year before I can try again.

The shot will be across an open field and then the woods a half
mile distant. I want to capture not just the face of the moon but
the light across the landscape as the moon rises.

I've searched all the forums for tips and found a few specific to
the harvest moon. Use the sunlight/daylight setting. Use a
polarizing filter (which I don't have yet). Reduce the EV.

Any other suggestions or setting recommendations? (Not yet ready
for full manual, probably.) Weather permitting, I'll have a couple
nights to practice--both technique and dealing with my frustration.
;-)

TIA,
Susan
Fuji DL-400 tele circa 1988 & a new, fully charged G2

Click to expand...

I know what a blue moon is – but what's the definition of a harvest moon? My recommendation as how to take the shot is to experiment alot, try many different exposures. After all that's one of the best things about digital photography – you don't have to worry about wasting film. Maybe one exposure will be "the one", or maybe you'll get the best result by combining two (or more) different exposures in Photoshop. And of course – don't forget your trusted tripod!!!

Olaf

--
Canon G1 owner since December 2000 - G2 owner since May 2002
Flash system: a 420EX, a 550EX and an ST-E2.

How would one go about combining two shots like that in photoshop? (I'm using LE 1). Thanks.

Stephen Adams said:

How would one go about combining two shots like that in photoshop?
(I'm using LE 1). Thanks.

Click to expand...

Pretty basic stuff, really. What I was thinking was that maybe a longer exposure was needed to show the moonlight on the landscape and a shorter one for the actual moon so as not to get the moon to be just a white, overexposed shape (I write shape because I don't know what a harvest moon is, remember?). How to do it in Photoshop? Well open both images and copy-paste one into the other. Let's say the picture with the correct exposure on the moon (I'll call this picture M) has been pasted into the one with the correct exposure of the landscape (and this one I'll call L). Now the file has two layers, the one with M is on top of the background layer with L in it. All you see is M. Now select the moon in M and invert your selection (cmd-shift-I on a Mac) and press the masking button at the bottom of the layers palette. You say you are using LE1, I am not sure what that means, surely you don't mean to say you are using version 1 limited edition of Photoshop? My acquaintance with Photoshop started in version 3, now I'm using 6 and hoping to upgrade to 7 soon.

Olaf

--
Canon G1 owner since December 2000 - G2 owner since May 2002
Flash system: a 420EX, a 550EX and an ST-E2.

Wayno said:

Wayno said:

In addition to the other suggestions you have received, try a
stitch shot if your camera suppprts it. One exposure for the
foreground, one for the moon. I have seen this used with sunsets
with very dramatic effect. And make sure you post your results!
Good luck.
Wayne

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Thanks for the example! Wahlstrom's shot is beautiful and the seam is invisible to me. If I understand the manual, I will need to re-aim the camera between shots to overlap them and change the exposure as well. Hope I can move that quickly! The light changes amazingly fast at moonrise.

Susan
--
Fuji DL-400 tele circa 1988 & a new, fully charged G2

Olaf.dk said:

I know what a blue moon is ? but what's the definition of a harvest
moon? My recommendation as how to take the shot is to experiment
alot, try many different exposures. After all that's one of the
best things about digital photography ? you don't have to worry
about wasting film. Maybe one exposure will be "the one", or maybe
you'll get the best result by combining two (or more) different
exposures in Photoshop. And of course ? don't forget your trusted
tripod!!!

Olaf

Click to expand...

The harvest moon is a full moon, a HUGE full moon when it's first rising. Its color ranges from pale gold to deep burnished, copper depending on the atmosphere. Once it clears the horizon, it begins to lose the deep color and some of its size. The phenomenon is most striking for perhaps half an hour.

Would this be a situation to use AE bracketing to achieve different exposures without manually resetting?

Susan

Liatris said:

Liatris said:

I know what a blue moon is ? but what's the definition of a harvest
moon? My recommendation as how to take the shot is to experiment
alot, try many different exposures. After all that's one of the
best things about digital photography ? you don't have to worry
about wasting film. Maybe one exposure will be "the one", or maybe
you'll get the best result by combining two (or more) different
exposures in Photoshop. And of course ? don't forget your trusted
tripod!!!

Olaf

Click to expand...

The harvest moon is a full moon, a HUGE full moon when it's first
rising. Its color ranges from pale gold to deep burnished, copper
depending on the atmosphere. Once it clears the horizon, it begins
to lose the deep color and some of its size. The phenomenon is
most striking for perhaps half an hour.

Would this be a situation to use AE bracketing to achieve different
exposures without manually resetting?

Susan

Click to expand...

--

Brian Schneider: actually, the size is an optical illusion, it's still a beautiful sight tho.

Moon Illusion: The moon appears larger when it's close to the horizon.

Harvest Moon: The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.

My only tip is to take care and not expose for too long a time or the moon becomes elongated. I believe this starts happening somewhere between 6 to 10 seconds.

I'll be trying to capture it from southern Utah myself on an upcoming vacation. Good luck....ta

--
Without gravity, what would we do with water?
http://homepage.mac.com/terryalford/

I don't think that's what he did. If i remember correctly he simply put the camera on a tripod.. choose the correct exposure for the foreground.. take the shot.. choose the correct exposure for the background.. take another snap. THen in ps.. use layer mask and blend in the correct back/foreground into the other. So what this mean is to not move the camera so that both have the same composition.

If this is the case then maybe use ur remote.. that'll keep urself from accidently moving the camera. Ignore this if it's totally wrong. = )

Good Luck.

T

Liatris said:

Wayno said:

Wayno said:

In addition to the other suggestions you have received, try a
stitch shot if your camera suppprts it. One exposure for the
foreground, one for the moon. I have seen this used with sunsets
with very dramatic effect. And make sure you post your results!
Good luck.
Wayne

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Thanks for the example! Wahlstrom's shot is beautiful and the seam
is invisible to me. If I understand the manual, I will need to
re-aim the camera between shots to overlap them and change the
exposure as well. Hope I can move that quickly! The light changes
amazingly fast at moonrise.

Susan
--
Fuji DL-400 tele circa 1988 & a new, fully charged G2

Click to expand...

T,

You may be right...not sure what Anders' reference to a "digital gradual filter" means. I may have assumed, incorrectly, that it is a stitch shot.
Wayno

TMalford said:

Moon Illusion: The moon appears larger when it's close to the horizon.

Harvest Moon: The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.

My only tip is to take care and not expose for too long a time or
the moon becomes elongated. I believe this starts happening
somewhere between 6 to 10 seconds.

I'll be trying to capture it from southern Utah myself on an
upcoming vacation. Good luck....ta

Click to expand...

I'd forgotten the calendar definition! Thanks for the tip on long exposures. I was hoping to avoid that anyway in order to catch the moon at different levels as it rises.

Good luck to you. Southern Utah should provide wonderful vistas.

Susan
--
Fuji DL-400 tele circa 1988 & a new, fully charged G2