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October Lunar Eclipse

2014 Hunter’s Moon eclipse.

Shooting from my apartment’s parking lot, I went outside a little before 03:00 to see the already full moon already partially eclipsed. I quickly set up my gear, and began to shoot.

I know I have said before, but I’ll say it again: the moon is bright. It is the second brightest object in the sky, behind only the sun. Even a sliver of a crescent moon is significantly brighter than the the sky’s third most luminous object, Venus. When photographing a regular full moon, the dark sky that surrounds it can be deceiving to camera and observer. This makes it more of a challenge to properly expose. In most cases, you need a fast shutter, and will need to under expose significantly to capture the details in the moon’s face (if not shooting in manual mode). The opposite is true for a lunar eclipse. The strategy to use here is the technique used for shooting the Milky Way on moonless nights.

In my research to understand the relative brightness of a lunar eclipse, I learned about the Danjon Scale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danjon_scale

Set-up:

My initial set-up consisted of the following:

– 1D4 – bad ISO performance compared to 6D and 1DX, but has advantage of 1.3 APS-H crop sensor for additional “reach. This turned out to be a bad choice because good ISO capability is helpful to capture the dim moon.

– 600mm f/4 II + 2x III extender = 1200mm, but with the 1.3 crop on 1D4, this combination would be equivalent of a 1680mm lens on 35mm. This would help fill the frame nicely!

– Gitzo 3 series tripod with RRS Panning head and 15 lbs weight tied to the hook. This is a critical step to stabilize the support. With 1680mm of equivalent optics, the slightest vibration wrecks havoc on any image.

After using this set-up, I quickly realized that I needed more light.  The f/8 (with 2x teleconverter) just wasn’t fast enough. I removed the extender and opened the 600mm to f/4. Then lost some optical reach by switching bodies to the 6D.  This would give me cleaner high ISO performance and some more resolution (20MP vs 16MP) for cropping.  I tooks some shots with these settings, before taking a few clicks with the 1.4x extender.

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Fourth of July Road Trip Notes

This year’s Fourth of July road trip to the Dismal Side of the Sierras will have a more southerly focus than the previous year. The emphasis, like last year, will be on the Milky Way and sunrise. I plan to work with at least 3 sunrises (maybe 4) and will have 3 sunset to utilize.  Fortunately there are lots of neat things to see in the Eastern Sierra. The trip should be a productive one, without too much stress or sleep deprivation. The mornings will be early to catch sunrise, but the nights need not be too late because the Milky Way and the moon are both at their most useful positions before midnight. However, it will be important take advantage of the sunrises, as this is the most beautiful time of day in the Eastern Sierras.

Approximate Timing Considerations for the weekend

Sunrise/Sunset
⇑ 05:39, 
⇓ 20:13

    Twilights:
          ⇑ C 05:08, N 04:30, A 03:48
          ⇓ C 20:44, N 21:22, A 22:04

MOON

Setting in approximately due WEST

Thurs
⇑ 11:32
⇓ 23:49
Waxing Crescent 38%

Fri:
⇑ 12:28
⇓ 00:20 (Sat)
First Quarter

Sat:
⇑ 13:25 
⇓ 00:54 (Sun)
Waxing Gibbous 58%

Photographic Goals:

1 – Milky Way Landscapes
    Near object landscapes with arches, lightpainting
    Panoramics with Sierra range possible in twilight
2 – Evening Twilight by moonlight, tree and mountain range
3 – Petroglyphs and Paiute cultural sites
4 – Star Trails – foreground illuminated by twilight, moon
5 – Summer storms building on Eastern front at sunset
6 – Quarter Moon setting

1-Alabama Hills 

The best sunrise location in all of California.
Exploring the Hills and looking for Arches and granite formations
    Lightpainting the arches.
    The sunset potential here is also nice, but Mt. Whitney and the Sierra cut off the light early due to their height. 
    Twilight is interesting, especially when planning to combine it with astro landscapes.
There is possibility for capturing quarter moon setting in the west with a bit of twilight left.
Should plan to use the moon for milkyway landscapes, as moon shouldn’t interfere much with star visibility.  

Comfort Level

Highest. Tent not car. It is legal and free to camp here. Lone Pine is 15 min away. Cell reception is 10 min away.

2 – Death Valley

Highlights:   sunrise, wildlife, daytime mostly, daytrips
    Heat may limit options here. Although one weekend forecast has highs barely above 90F. But weather.com has a high of 120F at Furnace Creek. I don’t know what these weatherman are thinking. Lets see who wins out….it is July in Death Valley. The real deal.
    Wildrose may be downright chilly if Furnace Creek is only 90F.
    Look for Chuckwalla and other wildlife at Wildrose.
    Possibility to see cultural sights, but need to hunt for them (Ghost Towns, petroglyphs).
  Weak Offroad capability of 3er Wagon limits full access to best sights

Comfort Level

Medium. Must sleep in car. Hot night time temps. Food available in few locations with very limited hours.

3 – Volcanic Tablelands 

High cultural value. Harsh light makes area worthless photographically, but must still be in Golden Hour, blue hour is too late, and nothing after dark.
    Interesting for to see for scouting purposes, even during daytime. 
    Go beyond the already visited Fish Slough at Red Mountain. 
    Visit the BLM and Paiute visitor center in Bishop to learn more about the locations. 

Comfort Level

Medium. It is a bit of a grey area in terms of legal camping here.  The city of Bishop, and its food and hotels, is reasonably close.

4 – Bristlecone Pines

Oldest living organisms in the world, fascinating living drift wood. Stunning in twilight, moonlight, and sunrise/sunset.
    May be the best location in the United States for astrophotography. Very dark skies.  Light painting is also possible.
    Time-lapse, and star trails. The quarter moon will provide a gentle light at twilight for interesting images.

Comfort Level

Minimal. Extremely isolated and extremely high elevation (almost 12,000 feet).
Must sleep in car, or doze under the stars. The closest human building is 100+miles, on the very rough, dirt road on White Mountain.
Expect the temperatures to go below freezing.

Detailed Astronomical Timetable

Thursday (7/3)

SUN:
⇑ 05:39, C 05:08, N 04:30, A 03:48
⇓ 20:14, C 20:45, N 21:22, A 22:04

MOON:
⇑ 11:32 
⇓ 23:49
Waxing Crescent 38%

Friday (7/4) – Happy Fourth!

SUN:
⇑ 05:39, C 05:08, N 04:30, A 03:48
⇓ 20:13, C 20:44, N 21:22, A 22:04

MOON:
⇑ 12:28
⇓ 00:20 (Sat)
First Quarter

Saturday(7/5)

SUN:
⇑ 05:40, C 05:09, N 04:31, A 03:49
⇓ 20:13, C 20:44, N 21:22, A 22:04

MOON:

⇑ 13:25
⇓ 00:54 (Sun)
Waxing Gibbous 58%