Photographing the Eclipse

[Capn_Jack]

Hey all,

So apparently there will be an eclipse (lunar) on the 20th of February.

Can any of those who have done this before share a "how to" guide on photographing such an event? What should/shouldn't be done?

Cheers
Craig.

[aam1234]

Good question, I'm interested too.

[rshunk]

I shot my first eclipse back in August so I'm no expert, but let me tell you - it''s not as easy as it looks!

1. Use the longest lens you have - the moon always appears smaller on film/sensor
2. Shoot wide open so you can see! It gets very hard to focus during the eclipse
2a. I used Aperture Priority to keep my lens at it's widest aperture and let the camera pick S/S
2b. My lens would focus slightly passed infinity, so I had to focus manually (not easy to do!)
3. Use a higher ISO to achieve a faster shutter - remember, the moon is a moving object


Bob S.

Here's a sample of what I was able to capture (PS'd of course)

[aam1234]

Very interesting, Robert. Thanks.

In my mind the moon is very bright, so maybe using spot metering (on the moon) will help with shutter speed and ISO. This is a guess on my part.

[rshunk]

If I remember correctly, the moon is something like 10,000 times LESS bright during a total eclipse - it nearly disappears from the sky. Using my longest lens wide open I could barely see the moon in the viewfinder, making it near impossible to focus.

Also, be sure to use a tripod and shutter cable!!


Bob S.

[aam1234]

That makes it even more interesting.

Thanks again, Bob. A karma for the info and welcoming you here (assuming you are new considering the no. of posts).

Edit: Checked your profile and you are not new here. Welcome anyway

[blumesan]

I tried photographing my first lunar eclipse back in August. Here's what I learned. First, you really need a lens longer than the 180mm that I used if you want really good results, but 180mm will do in a pinch. Second, you really need less exposure than I first guessed to photograph a full moon. Around 1/80 sec, f/16, iso 100 works fine (perhaps even a bit less if the air is very clear). However as the eclipse progresses you need more exposure and you can't simply increase the exposure time much over 1/10 sec without getting motion blur. So you just have to crank up the ISO. Naturally a sturdy tripod and a remote release are essential. The rest is luck; find a spot where there is little or no ambient light and hope for a cloudless sky.

Good luck/Mike

[Narsuitus]

Here are the guidelines I use when shooting lunar eclipses with a camera and photo lens (as opposed to using a camera and telescope):

2000mm f/22 mirror lens (1000mm f/11 mirror lens with 2x teleconverter)
Manual focus mode
ISO 400
Manual exposure mode

Full moon …… 1/125 sec
5% eclipse …. 1/60 sec
25% eclipse …1/15 sec
50% eclipse …1/8 sec
75% eclipse ….¼ sec
95% eclipse ….½ sec
Full eclipse ….1 sec to 4 minutes

Please note:
1. The exposure guidelines above do not take film reciprocity failure into consideration.
2. I use a tripod head with a tracking motor to compensate for the movement of the moon.
3. I bracket my shots.
4. I use a cable release
5. I use the mirror-up or the mirror lock-up feature of the SLR to reduce camera vibrations.

[Pele Watcher]

I think all of the advise given above is excellent. To really catch it well it helps to have a long lens but then you do need to worry about motion blur as totality approaches. The only other thing that I would add is that there are many ways to shot an eclipse. Some feature the contrast between shadow and light. Others attempt to capture detail in the face of the moon. Finally you can attempt to capture the special effects of light around the edges of the moon. All are great fun! Good luck. May there be no clouds in your night!

[titan307]

I hope Im not hijacking this thread but i need help. We have a book publisher wanting us to take pics of the eclipse from here in Nashville,Tn. How much should we or would you charge? Would you settle for recognition in the publication? A little pay plus recognition? Royalties? If that is even heard of in photography. Any other tips you have would help as we have never done taken these type before and need to practice. only have about 6 days. i have a 70-300

[lightandimages]

I disagree with the statement about "needing" at least 180mm lens. I have attached an image of the last eclipse I shot in my front yard with my Nikon D80 and the kit lens, 18-135mm.

A tripod is a must. Prefocus and manual focus is a must. I used the self timer to minimize the shake of my pushing the button. I shot at F8 which is the sweet spot for this zoom on my camera for sharpness. Remember that the moon is highly reflective so the sunny rule of 16 applies well here. My shutter was 1/800 at ISO 200.

I did crop the image hard but 10 megapixels lets you do that and get away with it. The longer lens would let you get a tighter shot without the hard cropping but it's not "required"

I would also add that shooting RAW is almost a must. You get about 2 stops either direction to play with on the exposure and you dont worry about color balance until you process it. I would also suggest that this a very good time to "expose to the right" where you want the hump of the histogram on the right hand side, not up against the end but in the right hand third. This will give you max data to work with after the shot is taken.