Wanda Krack  


Lunar Eclipse November 2021 by Wanda Krack

January 2022 - Lunar Eclipse November 2021

About the Image(s)

We had an almost complete lunar eclipse on the 19th of November, 2021 here in Tennessee. Fortunately, I was awake for most of it, and the skies were mostly clear. The full moon shot was taken earlier in the night before I slept, and when I awakened, the eclipse was in progress. Sorry, I don't have the original shots on the computer right now, but I can tell you the long and short of this composite. I shot pictures about every 10 to 15-minute intervals until the end of the eclipse. Bringing them into CR, (reducing the noise and any other slight adjustments, such as clarity), then into PS with probably some layers adjustments, cropping, and keeping. After processing each image, I then created a blank canvas (I keep 5X7 copies of edited images) and cropped and dragged over to the blank canvas the moon parts. resized each by eye, and then converged the layers. I did have to darken the background a bit to make the black background the same level of blackness.

The camera settings for each shot was probably something like: F 11 to 16, speed around 100 to 250, and ISO around 1000 and up. Normal moon shots I usually shoot hand-held or on the tripod, using a speed of 250th and F16. But, as the moon became smaller, I had to change the settings to allow more light. One other thing that I again discovered (either I get lazy or don't think, or whatever excuse I give) is that I failed to check the focus just before each shot, and the sharpness of focus was not the same throughout the shoot. This is a failure I find that happens with my night shooting too often. However, these are some of the images of that lunar eclipse that I enjoyed watching in the wee hours of the next morning.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
18 comments posted




Deb Thurlbeck   Deb Thurlbeck
Great captures. Thanks for explaining your process and the reminder to always check settings.   Posted: 01/05/2022 12:30:40
Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
Thanks Deb   Posted: 01/10/2022 06:13:48



Stephen Levitas   Stephen Levitas
(Group 32)
This is a great result. Please explain why you shot at f11 to f16 for an object at infinity with no practical depth of field. Is there something I don't understand?   Posted: 01/07/2022 01:34:18
Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
The moon has a huge dof, and the rotation between the earth and the moon is difficult at best to get a sharp image due to the movement, which we can't tell with our eyes. A pro once told me the standard setting for shooting the moon is at least 1/250th at F 16. Now, this will work as long as the moon is half full, but less than that, I have to adjust one of the three adjustments. It can be the ISO.   Posted: 01/10/2022 06:16:46
Stephen Levitas   Stephen Levitas
(Group 32)
Yes, I totally agree with you about shooting at 1/250th.
About the f stop, however:
1. Depth of field is a property of a lens; it has nothing to do with the size of objects you are photographing.
2. For a 50mm lens focused at infinity, the depth of field is approximately from 30 feet out to infinity. For a longer lens, it might be around 150 feet to infinity. This is the general concept, and will vary a little from lens to lens, and at different f stops.
3. This means that when shooting very distant objects, you can focus your lens on infinity and be unconcerned about depth of field. This further means that you can open your aperture to f/2 or wider to admit more light when shooting distant objects, and be sure they will be sharp.
4. You can conduct an experiment to test this discussion. Try to shoot an image of the full moon with the center sharp and the edge out of focus (or the reverse). That should not be possible since both the center and edge of the moon are optically at infinity.
5. I can of course see using f/16 if you also want to include some earthbound trees in the lunar composition.
I consulted an astrophotographer friend and he further suggested: "to reach the best focus ... use a star and [focus to] make it a pinpoint. Then swing over to the moon."
  Posted: 01/10/2022 23:31:19
Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
Thanks for the note Stephen. I agree, and for some reason sometimes my lens creeps and I simply forget to check it. This seems to happen to me more when I'm taking night shots....it's the photographer that messes up, not the lens.   Posted: 01/11/2022 02:38:38



 
Nice post process. Thnaks for staying uo to get this. I never seem to get it right thanks for the tech info.   Posted: 01/10/2022 08:21:07
Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
Steve, if you ever get the camera settings in your head, taking star and night pictures are easy..........set the camera, on a tripod, use remote shutter release or mirror up, and if the image comes out too light or too dark, simply adjust either the ISO, speed or f-stop. For milky way shots, I usually start (depending on the lens used) at manual settings, f-2.8, speed either 1/20 or up to 1/30, depending on the lens, and ISO between 2000 and 3200. I set the lens to just shy of infinity. For moon shots, handheld as I said in the information, and go up or down from that setting, changing either the ISO or the F-stop.   Posted: 01/11/2022 02:49:40
Stephen Levitas   Stephen Levitas
(Group 32)
Wanda, thanks for the settings. I would really like to try some moon shots. Yours looked so great.   Posted: 01/11/2022 12:05:27



Deborah Milburn   Deborah Milburn
WOW! Congrats to you! You did a wonderful job photographing and compositing.   Posted: 01/13/2022 13:28:29



Kathy Brand   Kathy Brand
I like the clever way you composed your final view showing the various stages of the eclipse. Also appreciate all the tech info on how you did it. Night photography is on my bucket list, too.   Posted: 01/13/2022 15:56:08
Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
Good for you Kathy. It's much easier to shoot night pictures during the summer months when it's warmer, but night shots are not difficult to do..........just tripods and camera settings.   Posted: 01/13/2022 18:15:48
Kathy Brand   Kathy Brand
I recently purchased an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. One of the things it is good for is night photography. I am still in the beginning stage of figuring out all of the things it can do. It is like a mini-computer!   Posted: 01/13/2022 18:43:04
Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
We'll look forward to some of your night shots!!   Posted: 01/13/2022 20:48:33



Sheila Burke-Grey   Sheila Burke-Grey
Wanda, you inspire me! I can see it took a lot of patience & knowledge to achieve this work! I applaud you for this!   Posted: 01/19/2022 12:27:49
Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
Thanks, Sheila. I like to try new things when in the mood for it. This example was hampered by my not making sure the focus was spot on during some of the shots, I"m sorry to say, but learning I'm hoping!   Posted: 01/20/2022 08:02:02



Sheila Burke-Grey   Sheila Burke-Grey
That's the wonder of photography..there is so much to learn!   Posted: 01/20/2022 10:26:46



Wanda Krack   Wanda Krack
I just ran across this article which has some helpful tips about photographing at night. Since interest has been expressed by some of you, perhaps this article could be of help. https://www.creativeislandphoto.com/blog/8-tips-for-moonlit-landscapes   Posted: 01/21/2022 10:57:33