Total Lunar Eclipse Feb.20

[gopher_nation]

Would like to see some photo's of it this Wed. night. More info on the entertainment forum.

[Dbl]

If you want some excellent advice on shooting an eclipse do a google search for "Mr. Eclipse" go to the main index and "how to photograph an eclipse".

[Steve Foss]

Tonight's eclipse will offer a bit more than a simple eclipse. Eclipses sometimes are hard to make look interesting because, unless the atmosphere is clear and the earth's shadow on the moon turns that coppery red, the images look just like a regular partial moon shot.

Two things make tonight's opportunity better. One is that it's supposed to be very clear in lots of the Midwest (not to mention -20 up here tonight), and the moon will be from 21 degrees to 47 degrees above the horizon where I live in Ely (removing horizon haze) which means we might get that sweet color. Also, as the moon dims in the eclipse, Saturn and Regulus will show up and the three bodies will form a triangle. That makes it nice for people who don't have more than 400mm. With 400mm on a crop sensor, I still have to crop out about 30 percent to get a final image with the moon large enough to suit me. With the planet and star by the moon, even 300mm might be OK. Just depends on how far from the moon the planet and star are. For those with shorter lenses that won't allow tight portrait shots, consider environmental shots that include recognizable landmarks.

The other good news is, it starts around 7:40 or 7:45 and doesn't reach full eclipse until about 9, and it stays at full eclipse almost an hour, also taking its time to wax back to full. Such a long time period gives the photographer plenty of opportunity to get the challenging exposure just right, and a person can get set up by 7:20 or so and experiment with settings on the full moon.

I expect to use evaluative metering and the bracketing feature and set it to 2 stop increments to start, so I can get the bright portion of the moon right with the underexposed frame and the dark of the shadowed moon right with the overexposed frame, then blend them in Photoshop.

That's just for starters. There'll be lots of time to experiment on this one. Setting up early and checking the histogram on shots of the full moon to ensure the bright orb is properly exposed will give you a good starting point, because even as the eclipse progresses, the portion of the moon still visible will have the same exposure value as the full moon.

This is definitely and exercise for a good tripod and either a remote shutter release or use of the camera's self timer. I've had my best moon shot luck in the past by worrying not at all about shutter speed because of the tripod/remote release but choosing iso100 to 200 and (in aperture priority) setting the aperture at my lens's sharpest f-stop and letting shutter speed take care of itself. For most lenses that's f8 to f11. Manual focus has been the way for me to go, too.

Good luck tonight, anyone who's shooting. And keep yourselves and your equipment warm!

And Jonny Redhorse, this is a perfect assignment for a digicam!

Here's the image Mike Meyer posted in his older thread on the eclipse.

[jonny_redhorse]

I hear ya Steve!...but....I'm working during the eclipse ...don't think the management would think to highly of the redhorse snappin images of the moon while his counterparts are slavin away....lol! .....but I sure would otherwise ..I could sneak my digiscope under my coat(big bulky coat) and handhold it,hmmmm nawww that aint gonna work....lol!

[Dbl]

Here is some info on the eclipse. I am not sure I will get a chance tonight have another shoot scheduled Keep in mind as well the moon is moving so if you are shooting with a 300mm lens in order to get a sharp image your exposure should be no more than around 1/2sec. You may be able to go up to as much as 10sec with acceptable results. There is a formula which escapes at the moment that is based on your lens mm length and will give you a time for max exposure. Just something to think about as well.

And an exposure guide as well.

How to Use the Exposure Guide

The luminosity of an eclipse is determined by using the following guidelines:

L = 0 Very dark eclipse. Moon almost invisible, especially at mid-totality.

L = 1 Dark Eclipse, gray or brownish in coloration. Details distinguishable only with difficulty.

L = 2 Deep red or rust-colored eclipse. Very dark central shadow, while outer edge of umbra is relatively bright.

L = 3 Brick-red eclipse. Umbral shadow usually has a bright or yellow rim.

L = 4 Very bright copper-red or orange eclipse. Umbral shadow has a bluish, very bright rim.

[Steve Foss]

Good extra info, Dan.

Also it'll be difficult to keep gear warm enough to function over the long haul. A person with a window mount can shoot from the vehicle if the vehicle is turned off (even a smooth-running engine produces vibration) and the lens sticks out far enough to cut through the escaping heat distortion from the car.

But I'm hoping to do some interesting work by leaving the camera frame fixed and shooting the moon at intervals as it moves across the frame and blending later in photoshop (fingers crossed), so that means the camera/lens will be out on a tripod for a good long while at a time, and when it's likely to be -10 or colder, it just won't operate indefinitely.

So I'm planning to drape my old fishing shelter travel cover over the lens/camera/tripod and put a small propane heater on the ground under the cover so the heat will rise into the canopy created by the cover and keep camera/lens a bit warmer. Have to experiment with that a bit, too, and make sure the heat is turned off while shooting or the same distortion problem will exist.

[Dbl]

And one other exposure guide that is bit simpler to follow.

[Steve Foss]

That last chart tracks with what I've found, Dan, and is a lot easier for me to understand.

Here's an example of a full moon shot that agrees with the above exposure chart. This was shot with the 100-400 at 400mm late last October on that night when the moon was closer to the earth than it's been for many years.

It was shot with the 30D off a tripod with the remote release, at iso100, f8 and 1/250. I cropped out about 40 percent to get this. At shutter speeds longer than a second or two, if shot tight with telephoto, the moving moon will begin to blur a bit, as Dan already mentioned, and then it's probably time to start ramping up iso, but that will just depend on how bright the moon is while in the earth's shadow.

I will add that increasing exposure time as the moon's lit surface decreases will eventually lead to blowing out what bright portion of the moon remains, and that's where autobracketing and/or exposure compensation can come into play.

It'll be fun to experiment tonight. Well, cold, but fun.

[sticknstring]

I'll be out on the ice watching this all unfold... hopefully pulling up a few fish as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's shots of this coming from a skilled group of professionals. There's really a lot of variables that go into a shoot and I've got a lot of respect for you guys. Lots of incredible photographs in this forum!

[Steve Foss]

Hey stick, bring a good pair of binocs and that'll give you even more enjoyment. Lots to see up there, and it's amazing how much more detail there is with even 7x binocs.

And have fun fishing!

[sticknstring]

I'm fascinated by the sky. I'll definitely do that - thanks for the tip!

[mmeyer]

Steve,

What do you mean by "it won't operate indefinitely"? I plan on being out tonight but I don't have a place to keep my camera warm during the shoot. What kind of problems will I have? Can I take the battery out between shots and keep it warm to help? Do I need to be concerned about permanent damage?

Thanks

[Steve Foss]

Mike, keeping the battery warm helps the battery last longer but won't help the camera.

I don't know how cold it's going to get where you are, but I've found that when it's below zero out and I let my camera get as cold as the air temp, the shutter starts getting noisy and the functions move very slowly.

I'm most often putting the camera body in the opening of my parka against my chest with the lens sticking out, which keeps the body a little warmer and things are fine.

But if I'm going to leave the camera out on the tripod for an hour straight tonight in air temps of -10 or colder, I know it'll work a lot harder than I want it to. I've had this experience with four separate Canon digital bodies, and folks shooting Nikon alongside me have had similar experiences. I've even had this occasional problem shooting "1" series bodies and have come to the conclusion that it's simply a limiting factor in digital. The old bulletproof manual Canon, Nikon and Pentax film bodies didn't have the same issues.

You can surely pull the camera out of the cold and back in the vehicle between shooting stints, but the vehicle needs to be kept cool enough that the camera sensor and lenses won't fog up when they come back into the warm car.

Just depends on how you're wanting to shoot.

I may have the camera out there for at least 20 to 30 minutes at a time, maybe longer, because one of the things I'm hoping to do is get a succession of moon images across the frame by leaving the framing the same from shot to shot and capturing an image every few minutes and then blending them all into one single image later in photoshop.

That's why I'm going to take some additional measures to keep the camera warm. If I was just going for the occasional shot of the moon/planet/star triangle, I could trigger a bracketed burst and then pull the camera into the vehicle until I was ready for another burst later.

Hope that helps.

Anyway, they've changed the forecast from clear skies to partly cloudy, and while the sun is still very bright there's a light cloudy haze that's formed in Ely right now, so this whole thing could fall apart. Or it could be fine. Just a [PoorWordUsage] shoot.

[mmeyer]

Thanks Steve. I'll be outside my house so I can stay warm but maybe I'll put the camera in the garage between shots. I want to get enough shots to make a pano of 8 to 10 steps of the eclipse so I'm sure it'll be out for plenty of time. I guess i'll have to play it by ear. I hope the skies are clear.

Thanks again

[Dbl]

Here is what I use for loong exposures to cold. I take a soft cooler and tape a couple of Hand Warmers to the inside of it. I then take the cooler and set it over the camera, the cooler is upside down now so just zip it up tight around the tripod or base of the camera. Unzip and lift off to take your shot. Cooler back over the camera and zip it up. Camera stays nice and toasty warm for the 5 hours or so the hand warmers stay on. Long enough for a Lunar eclipse.

[mmeyer]

Dan, That's a very good idea. Talk about a handy DIY solution.

I'll be trying that one out tonight.

[Steve Foss]

Dang, Dan. I was just thinking about taping a couple handwarmers into the quilted inside of an old rabbit-fur bomber hat to lay over the camera. I came in here to post that tip and look what you've gone and done!

Finnbay and I are hooking up at his place out in the country in an hour or so, and we'll be able to set up right outside his studio and duck in to warm up every now and then.

Moon is up, sky is perfectly clear. Good luck, everyone!

[mmeyer]

Steve, that's a good tip too but I might have to stick that one on my head!! Good thing I have extra hand warmers.

[Dbl]

Good luck guys!!!

[JohnK]

Good luck with the eclipse shots guys. It's so overcast here I can't even see a tiny glow of the moon through the clouds and not a star in sight. Last night, of course, was clear.

Good luck!

[Mcfin]

I JUST STEPPED OUT ON MY DECK TO TAKE A LOOK. WOW WHAT A SIGHT. IT IS NICE AND CLEAR HERE AND YOU CAN SEE THE MOON BEAUTIFULLY.FORGET THE CAMERA SHOT CAUSE IT'S 11 BELOW 0 OUT THERE.

[woodman]

Had the family huddled in the biffy looking at it! Pretty cool to show and explain to the kids what is happening to the moon!

[yakfisher]

I'm downloading em now.

[Steve Foss]

OK, I'm going to lock this and we'll start a new thread for the pics.