I'm starting to figure out how to photograph the moon.

[alfredo]

The secret appears for my particular camera is the ND filter and bracketing.

Here's is the result from last night. I sharpened the crap out of this and applied a sepia tone. The moon was very low in the sky, so it is probably not as sharp as it could be because of the atmosphere.





I will wait until the new moon and start all over in trying to improve on what you see.

I used a Canon G10 point and shoot set to Aperture Priority, ND filter on, and bracketing on with one stop between each shot. I believe the f stop was set at 6.

Next time I will use my remote shutter release. It was 1:30 AM, I was in my PJ's and it was 24 degrees outside. It was a quick shot from my porch.

[teamster633]

1. That's very good for a point and shoot..

A shutter release should reduce post-processing (I'm guessing a tripod was implied). I've been trying for years to get a really good moon shot. It isn't as easy as it looks. The moon is so much brighter than it appears to be. Spot metering with a long lens has given me good results, but it's time consuming when timing often is pretty critical for good framing. It moves through the sky relatively fast; you have to meter quickly and you have to set a faster shutter speed than you would expect to need for an evening shot. I'm hoping that with a digital camera and the instant feedback that it provides I will be able to finally develop a reliable technique. It was cloudy last weekend during the most recent full moon. I'll be hoping for better weather in 3 weeks.

[alfredo]

2. I shudder to think of how much it would have cost to

learn by trial and error.

from iPhoto:
The f was 6., ISO was 100.

focus was center weighted. I will try spot next time to see if it will be more accurate. I think results will be better when the moon is higher in the sky.

I think by the third image of the bracket was better because my hand was off the camera and it was more steady.

[teamster633]

3. Trial and error hasn't been ideal, but many of the trials have been ...

...based on settings suggested in books or articles. I even read somewhere that you should use the sunny 16 rule when photographing the moon. So far I haven't found a technique that really works to my satisfaction. As for the expense, that would depend on if you count the camera I broke as I tried to jam in a roll of film a little too quickly so I could rush out and catch a particularly good moon rise.

[alfredo]

4. Expense means little when it comes to digital. I forgot

that I used a 1 second exposure on that shot.

I need to learn stacking. I can do stacking in GIMP, but I don't see how it can average out noise.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

5. As a newcomer to the art of photography

you guys are speaking greek! :) But I'm learning....... :toast:

[alfredo]

6. I consider myself as a beginner. It's like cooking, you are

always learning something new. The more you learn, the more you realize you really don't know that much. It's wonderful.

[qnr]

13. because the noise is in different places in the different frames. I have a set

showing how it works with photos from a 0.3mp camera.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/qnr/sets/72157604291373006/
This gives the basic idea:

[alfredo]

15. Thank you. I took some more images last night.

I will play around with it today

[alfredo]

17. Will I need the Averaging plug in? They also say I need

a python science script, but the one for OSX is 404.

[qnr]

18. not really, that would just automate things for you. Just follow the

notes I gave in the picture shown above.

Basically:

1. Load all your of photos as layers (an option in the File menu).
   
2. Turn off the visibility (click the eye icon) of all the layers except the background.
   
3. Now work your way up each of the layers individually
   
   
   
   1. Make one layer active by selecting it
      
   2. Make that layer visible by clicking the eye. You'll now have 2 visible, the background and the active layer, though only the active one will be 'visible' since it's in "normal" mode at 100% opacity.
      
   3. Change the mode of the active layer to "Difference" 100% opacity
      
   4. Use the Mac equivalent of Alt+M or click on the Move icon in the toolbox. (Remember to click the image window, because you've been using the Layers dialog) Use the cursor control arrow keys to move the active layer around until the image is as black as you can get it (when everything is black, that means the images are lined up perfectly)
      
   5. Change the mode back to "Normal" and adjust the opacity as appropriate: background=100, 1st layer=50, 2nd layer=33.3 etc. (1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6 ... 1/n)
      
   6. Turn the visibility of this active layer off and repeat the process starting at 3.1. until all layers are done.
      
   
   
4. Turn the visibility on on all of the layers.
   

Sorry for any glaring typos or whatnot, I'm sending this with my N800, having typed it with a stylus on a virtual keyboard.

[ManiacJoe]

10. Pretty good results for a P&S.

If you do not have a remote release or cable release, try the self timer set to something really short.

The moon is really bright, but the sea of darkness it is in tends to confuse cameras. Spot metering can help. So does bracketing as you have figured out.

Be careful of the longer exposures. The moon moves at a pretty good speed due to the Earth's rotation, so motion blur can start to creep in. The longer the lens, the more noticeable it becomes.

[alfredo]

12. I'm going to explore stacking. First I have to get the basic

mechanics of shooting the moon. I can't wait for the moon to cycle back into the early sky.

[qnr]

14. It's fun to do, once you get started - here's another example, this time to get

a view of Jovian moons with my Panasonic bridge camera, a DMC-FZ28

[alfredo]

16. Looks like the view through a 200X telescope

[Mira]

7. Even though all you folks are saying is greek to me too

(as well as Greek is greek)
I want to say I like this a lot. It's amazing how heavy it is in the sky, and because there is that that crack, which looks like a smiling mouth, I would like to see the moon rotated to the right by just a few degrees to where that mouth is parallel to the bottom edge.

Heck, that's my contribution, since I don't speak Greek.

[alfredo]

8. It does seem to look like a Tim Burton character.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" comes to mind.

[Mira]

9. Pacman

[alfredo]

11. Ha!

Check out this artist

http://www.themonsterengine.com/