obscured by clouds

[zapp]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_p_h/2220936425/" title="moon obscured by clouds by John / Dad etc etc, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2070/2220936425_8e4d8e8253.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="moon obscured by clouds" /></a>

a cold Missouri morning I literally shot the moon ...

what can I do to make this photo not only better but a great photo?

don't worry you the worse you can do is make me curl into a ball and cry like a baby :p :D

Thanks in advance for your help!!

John

Camera: Olympus E-500
Exposure: 1.6 sec (8/5)
Aperture: f/4
Focal Length: 81 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0/10 EV

[geotography]

zapp,

No need to curl up and cry like a baby (LOL), just go out and take another photograph...lots of them.

Here is what I see: You saw a beautiful sky. Without your settings (Exif), I cannot take it a step further in critique. I see noise in the photo (grainy) and I suspect that you had your ISO cranked up. One think that comes to my mind would be to try a "bulb" mode if your camera has one and shoot with a remote holding the shutter open. You can do this with a low ISO and eliminate that noise.

Keep shooting.

[oriolhdz]

zapp,
I see noise in the photo (grainy) and I suspect that you had your ISO cranked up.

I checked the ISO and it was 100 so I don't know why he has so many noise.

Hi zapp:
Moon shots can be tricky ones. Especially when trying to capture detail, but seems this is not your case. Here IMHO there is nothing much to do (except of a heavy post processing) because image seems to be already cropped all the way down. Also there is a lot of noise in the picture and the moon light's are blown up. About your composition you have your subject (moon) in the center which some times is not that appealing. You may want to try the rule of thirds for this shot. Maybe you can try to take again a similar photo taking in consideration all of the above. Good luck!

[zapp]

Thanks gentlemen .... I have something to work on and a direction in which to go ... Thank You for your help!

[Tami19]

Ok I have this problem all the time - I take moon shots like you and I end up with the same results. I use a FujiFilm S5600 and I have found that it doesn't take great night time shots.

But I have found that if you use a steady tripod and use a night time setting you can end up with some good shots. I know this doesn't help but if it somehow helps, it helps right?

[zapp]

yep it does

[zapp]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_p_h/2227113841/" title="Blue Sky Full Moon 1 by John / Dad etc etc, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2163/2227113841_54fc43e3d3.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="Blue Sky Full Moon 1" /></a>


Is this more along the lines what you were talking about? :cool:

I believe I like this better myself.... certainly not as "noisy"

can we play a game of spot the face in the clouds? its natural I swear!! no edit tricks!!

EXIF on flickr

[clockdoc]

Here are a couple of things to think about when photographing the moon:
- Use a low ISO like you have done (the night scene setting may increase your ISO sensitivity, which you really don't need for moon shots.)
- Use a tripod
- Use spot metering for your reading if possible
- Use as fast a shutter speed as conditions allow since the earth is constantly rotating
- Manually focus or use the landscape setting on your point-and-hoot camera (this is important if you have trees or other subject matter in the foreground as the autofocus may want to settle there.)

[zapp]

Here are a couple of things to think about when photographing the moon:
- Use a low ISO like you have done (the night scene setting may increase your ISO sensitivity, which you really don't need for moon shots.)
- Use a tripod
- Use spot metering for your reading if possible
- Use as fast a shutter speed as conditions allow since the earth is constantly rotating
- Manually focus or use the landscape setting on your point-and-hoot camera (this is important if you have trees or other subject matter in the foreground as the autofocus may want to settle there.)

Thanks for the tips .... once the weather warms up I will be getting more shots ... the wife found out I snuck out to "shoot the moon" and about flipped .... I guess COPD, recovering from pneumonia, and -15 early morning breezes aren't a good mix
LOL .... next time I will have to remember to turn on my screen saver when I leave my computer when editing "prohibited photography"
ROFLOL

hey if it aint worth risking something to gain.... it likely aint worth doing :D

thanks again for the tips .... I will put them in practice soon!!

[Godfu]

Here are a couple of things to think about when photographing the moon:
- Use a low ISO like you have done (the night scene setting may increase your ISO sensitivity, which you really don't need for moon shots.)
- Use a tripod
- Use spot metering for your reading if possible
- Use as fast a shutter speed as conditions allow since the earth is constantly rotating
- Manually focus or use the landscape setting on your point-and-hoot camera (this is important if you have trees or other subject matter in the foreground as the autofocus may want to settle there.)

I agree, and 1,6 sec is really too long for shooting a moon (your moon is really blown up on the two pictures, try 1/500 - 1/1000 to start if it's a full moon). Now it depends what you want to show in your picture: the detail of the moon or the clouds... Anyway, use the manual mode or the apperture mode with a spot metering and bracket your shots... And take a look at your histogram too...

[zapp]

thanks for all the tips .... I will certainly try them out when I get my next chance to "shoot the moon"