Moon over my Banning...

[schrackman]

Thought I would get out tonight and try to catch the moon. The last two nights it has been really BIG and RED.

The first one I was trying for a rising moon effect but my shots of the moon didn't come out the sharpest. You only get one chance at these kinds of shots, so you either make it or you don't. I didn't quite make it. Still, it was a neat idea to try.

The second one was shot down one of Banning's main arteries, Wilson St., on the northern side of town. This was actually two exposures...one metered for the moon and the other for the street lamps. Converted to b/w since the street lamps gave off a reddish color but the moon had lost its red color by the time I took this picture.

The third one was shot just north of Palm Springs near Interstate 10 at sunset, before the moon pics. These are the same windmills that Rick shot through his windshield on his way to LA.

[WsW-WYATT-EARP]

really like the streetlights one ... fun shooting the moon this time of the year ... the sequence of it rising is cool too !!

[schrackman]

Thanks WYATT!

Yeah, I really liked the rising moon idea too. While I really enjoy my Sigma 70-300mm for many things it sure shows its limitations here.

[ladybugamanda]

I love the street lights and the moon! Awesome job!

[Liz]

Wow! These are great! Each one is unique. Your photography only gets better and better.

You know, Ray, you could sell some of your prints.......and pay for that 400XTi! :-)

Liz

[starriderrick]

NICE !

Ray, can you enlighten me ? Were any filters used to create the star burst effect?
I'm interested in experimenting with this type of shot.Any pointers. I'm some what of a novice.
Thank you in advance,
Rick

[schrackman]

Thanks ladyb! Glad you liked these shots.

I love the street lights and the moon! Awesome job!

[schrackman]

Thank you, Liz. You know, at this rate I just might have to start selling photos to get the camera, hehe.

Wow! These are great! Each one is unique. Your photography only gets better and better.

You know, Ray, you could sell some of your prints.......and pay for that 400XTi! :-)

Liz

[schrackman]

Hi Rick,

No filters necessary. Just a small aperature. Keep in mind that the above image is actually two exposures. The first exposure was for the street lamp. My camera settings were f/13 @ 4 seconds, ISO 200. The second exposure was for the moon, and camera settings were f/4.5 @ 1/125 seconds, ISO 200. You will need a tripod for both exposures, and use either a remote shutter release or put the camera on self-timer so you don't get any camera shake.

In Photoshop I then carefully cropped out the moon from the 2nd exposure and pasted it into the streetlamp image. Converted it to b/w and that was it.

Good luck, and be sure to show us your results.

NICE !

Ray, can you enlighten me ? Were any filters used to create the star burst effect?
I'm interested in experimenting with this type of shot.Any pointers. I'm some what of a novice.
Thank you in advance,
Rick

[ladybugamanda]

And here I was thinking you must have sat for HOURS waiting for that moon to line up with the streetlights! LOL

[Glycerin19]

That moon was beautiful, I'm so glad you captured it. It's the first time my son has noticed anything like that and I can't wait to show him your shot. The other two was very nice as well!

[walterick]

Hey Ray,

My favorite is the moonrise. Very cool! I know from experience it's pretty hard to get a good, sharp picture of the moon on the horizon. Nice work! And you sure did a better job at those fans than I did

[drg]

How did I miss this?

Great photos, favorite is the wind farm. Been shooting windmills (pre assembly and inventory components) so I'm 'attuned' in that direction.

Thanks for sharing these, the sequence is very well done!

[schrackman]

And here I was thinking you must have sat for HOURS waiting for that moon to line up with the streetlights! LOL

No, didn't sit for hours. But driving home I actually did see the moon lined up with the street lights. Here are the two original exposures to show that. As you can see I did enlarge the moon from the original to give it more of an effect.

btw, this photo is now in an 8x12 high res file ready for printing and framing.

[schrackman]

Thank you, Sarah! I appreciate your comments.

That moon was beautiful, I'm so glad you captured it. It's the first time my son has noticed anything like that and I can't wait to show him your shot. The other two was very nice as well!

[schrackman]

Thanks Rick & drg!

btw, Rick, driving and shooting at the same doesn't make for quality pics. I am sure if you had pulled over to the side and took out that big camera of yours and set it on a tripod you would have no doubt captured a brilliant photo like those of the joshua trees and cactus. oh, and I got your pm...thanks! hehe

[walterick]

Of course, tripod work is going to be better than one-hand-on-the-wheel-one-holding-a-camera work. But those sure make for interesting shots!

Okay, watch your email

[megan]

I like the middle shot - It's got a great feel and a sense of humor!