The Terminator

EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
edited September 16, 2016 in Other Cool Shots
Lunar Terminator Line that is... last night.

The%20Terminator-XL.jpg
Eric ~ Smugmug

Comments

  • bristleconebristlecone Registered Users Posts: 451 Major grins
    edited September 11, 2016
    Wow. Nice exposure & clarity Eric!
  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins
    edited September 11, 2016
    wow. Nice exposure & clarity eric!

    +1
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited September 11, 2016
    Wow. Nice exposure & clarity Eric!
    Stumblebum wrote: »
    +1

    wave.gif Thanks guys!

    You know... it's made of green cheese... I think I captured that clearly here. :giggle
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • travelwaystravelways Registered Users Posts: 7,854 Major grins
    edited September 11, 2016
    Fantastic! clap.gif
    Tatiana - Seeing the world through my camera
    TravelwaysPhotos.com ...... Facebook
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  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited September 11, 2016
    travelways wrote: »
    Fantastic! clap.gif
    Thanks TT!
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • roaddog52roaddog52 Registered Users Posts: 1,323 Major grins
    edited September 11, 2016
    Don't particularly care for green cheese, rolleyes1.gif, but the clarity of this shot is beautiful.

    Phil
    I don't know where I'm going, but I'm going anyway.

    Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity!
  • sarasphotossarasphotos Registered Users Posts: 3,822 Major grins
    edited September 12, 2016
    Eric, I love the clarity and would really like to know how you did it - exposure, lens etc. On the critical side, I am slightly unsettled by the crop - I wish there were more room on the left side of the picture (or less room on the right). If the entire moon was showing then the left side of the moon would be kissing the edge or out of frame. Is this what you were aiming for?
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited September 12, 2016
    roaddog52 wrote: »
    Don't particularly care for green cheese, rolleyes1.gif, but the clarity of this shot is beautiful.

    Phil

    Haha! I agree! Green looks great on lawns and frogs - not cheese! :D
    Thanks Phil!
    Eric, I love the clarity and would really like to know how you did it - exposure, lens etc. On the critical side, I am slightly unsettled by the crop - I wish there were more room on the left side of the picture (or less room on the right). If the entire moon was showing then the left side of the moon would be kissing the edge or out of frame. Is this what you were aiming for?

    Thanks so much for looking-in Sara, and your comments! I'm happy to explain my process!
    Btw... thanks again to everyone for the feedback - this shot was a bit of an experiment in processing and I appreciate hearing your impressions.


    First... the crop. The placement in-frame is the result of my strong aversion to centering... aversion to a fault sometimes, I think.
    I thought about your point when I first cropped and I decided to center what was visible... but, I had similar reservations then, and now that
    you mention it, I tend to agree with you because - although not visible - the full disc is strongly implied and we expect it to be there.

    Technical: 5D3 ~ EF 100-400mm L ver. I + 1.4 Extender ver. III ~ 560mm @ f11 ~ ISO 100 ~ 1/13 sec. ~ Manual mode ~ Tripod (IS turned off).
    Processed from RAW in LR... I adjust the image using all the tone and curve tools to maximize the visibility of light and dark areas.
    Controlling highlights and contrast, and not over-sharpening, are important factors...
    Even with ISO 100 I use some noise reduction to smooth-out the graininess that results from cropping magnification.

    I live in a inland rural area with a bit of altitude, so, I have relatively low light pollution, and, at times, fairly clear air.
    When shooting the moon for detail, I catch it as close to overhead as possible - the air is thinner and clearer as compared to sight-lines closer to the horizon.
    The half moon is, of course, better for craters and mountains with the side-lighting.

    I use 10x magnified Live View for focusing and shooting... sometimes manually, this time I let AF do it...
    Tripod bounce is an issue with these long-lens set-ups, so, cable release is best.. or, in this case,
    I was too lazy to walk up to the house to get one, so, I used the 10sec. timer to release shutter - watching magnified Live View confirms that the tripod has settled-down.
    The mirror is already locked-up in Live View... anything that reduces vibration is crucial.

    The "experiment" part is the extent to which I cropped the original.
    I am constantly amazed at how much the 5D3 can be cropped and still maintain image quality...
    This image is a huge crop - I pushed it way further than I am usually inclined, just to see how far might still be acceptable...
    Based on y'all's feedback, I conclude that this magnification works!

    Hope this helps Sara!
    Best, Eric
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins
    edited September 12, 2016
    That was super tutorial Eric! Glad you explained it!
    I don't know anything about 'live view' focus (shame shame....) but have to figure it out....
  • sarasphotossarasphotos Registered Users Posts: 3,822 Major grins
    edited September 12, 2016
    Thanks for the detailed explanation Eric. It's so interesting to learn how it's done. You're lucky to live somewhere with such little light pollution! Congrats again on the great image.
  • toragstorags Registered Users Posts: 4,615 Major grins
    edited September 12, 2016
    Good one Eric...
    Rags
  • JuanoJuano Registered Users Posts: 4,878 Major grins
    edited September 13, 2016
    Earache wrote: »
    Haha! I agree! Green looks great on lawns and frogs - not cheese! :D
    Thanks Phil!



    Thanks so much for looking-in Sara, and your comments! I'm happy to explain my process!
    Btw... thanks again to everyone for the feedback - this shot was a bit of an experiment in processing and I appreciate hearing your impressions.


    First... the crop. The placement in-frame is the result of my strong aversion to centering... aversion to a fault sometimes, I think.
    I thought about your point when I first cropped and I decided to center what was visible... but, I had similar reservations then, and now that
    you mention it, I tend to agree with you because - although not visible - the full disc is strongly implied and we expect it to be there.

    Technical: 5D3 ~ EF 100-400mm L ver. I + 1.4 Extender ver. III ~ 560mm @ f11 ~ ISO 100 ~ 1/13 sec. ~ Manual mode ~ Tripod (IS turned off).
    Processed from RAW in LR... I adjust the image using all the tone and curve tools to maximize the visibility of light and dark areas.
    Controlling highlights and contrast, and not over-sharpening, are important factors...
    Even with ISO 100 I use some noise reduction to smooth-out the graininess that results from cropping magnification.

    I live in a inland rural area with a bit of altitude, so, I have relatively low light pollution, and, at times, fairly clear air.
    When shooting the moon for detail, I catch it as close to overhead as possible - the air is thinner and clearer as compared to sight-lines closer to the horizon.
    The half moon is, of course, better for craters and mountains with the side-lighting.

    I use 10x magnified Live View for focusing and shooting... sometimes manually, this time I let AF do it...
    Tripod bounce is an issue with these long-lens set-ups, so, cable release is best.. or, in this case,
    I was too lazy to walk up to the house to get one, so, I used the 10sec. timer to release shutter - watching magnified Live View confirms that the tripod has settled-down.
    The mirror is already locked-up in Live View... anything that reduces vibration is crucial.

    The "experiment" part is the extent to which I cropped the original.
    I am constantly amazed at how much the 5D3 can be cropped and still maintain image quality...
    This image is a huge crop - I pushed it way further than I am usually inclined, just to see how far might still be acceptable...
    Based on y'all's feedback, I conclude that this magnification works!

    Hope this helps Sara!
    Best, Eric


    Thanks for sharing the technical details. Great shot my friend.
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,319 Major grins
    edited September 13, 2016
    Very well done, Eric. The key elements to your success here are, I believe, the tripod ( of course ) and getting your hands off the camera using the delayed timer for shutter release. The quality lens plays a huge role as well. Kudos to you for pulling all that stuff, and more, together to make the shot.

    Take care,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited September 13, 2016
    Stumblebum wrote: »
    That was super tutorial Eric! Glad you explained it!
    I don't know anything about 'live view' focus (shame shame....) but have to figure it out....
    Thanks for the detailed explanation Eric. It's so interesting to learn how it's done. You're lucky to live somewhere with such little light pollution! Congrats again on the great image.
    torags wrote: »
    Good one Eric...
    Juano wrote: »
    Thanks for sharing the technical details. Great shot my friend.
    Taz, Sara, Rags, Cristóbal, thanks y'all for the love and feedback... I really appreciate your comments!
    Very well done, Eric. The key elements to your success here are, I believe, the tripod ( of course ) and getting your hands off the camera using the delayed timer for shutter release. The quality lens plays a huge role as well. Kudos to you for pulling all that stuff, and more, together to make the shot.

    Take care,

    Tom

    Thanks much Tom! Yes, I'm got every reason to think my gear is working very well!
    I am a bit romantic about the Moon... I so clearly remember sitting with my grandfather and watching the Eagle land...
    his employer had a production contract for parts of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), and so, I felt extra excitement and family pride because of that connection...

    Best,
    Eric
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • bristleconebristlecone Registered Users Posts: 451 Major grins
    edited September 13, 2016
    Tom..... Can you tell me what make and model of extender you used on this photo?

    Thanks,
    -Len
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited September 13, 2016
    Tom..... Can you tell me what make and model of extender you used on this photo?

    Thanks,
    -Len
    Hi Len,
    I used an: Canon Telephoto Extender EF 1.4X III

    E.
    Eric ~ Smugmug
  • bristleconebristlecone Registered Users Posts: 451 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2016
    Thanks Eric. Apologies for calling you Tom (my brain cells seem to be diminishing daily). I have the 100-400 also, and considering the extender.

    -Len
  • EaracheEarache Registered Users Posts: 3,533 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2016
    Thanks Eric. Apologies for calling you Tom (my brain cells seem to be diminishing daily). I have the 100-400 also, and considering the extender.

    -Len
    No worries Len! thumb.gif... we are adrift in the same boat my friend! mwink.gif

    Besides, Tom is smarter, and very likely better-looking than I... :giggle
    Eric ~ Smugmug
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