Thunder Moon
This was shot with an Coolpix L110 on full zoom. I'm thrilled at how clean the leaves are.
This was shot with an Coolpix L110 on full zoom. I'm thrilled at how clean the leaves are.
Read less
Read less
Jul, 2016Views
162
Likes
Awards
Fall Award 2020
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a subdivision of Millcreek Township, Erie County, PA called Rolling Hills an a dead end roadTime
I don't recall exactly what time it was, but it was after 9:30 pm.Lighting
It was dark and I used no lighting, no flash.Equipment
I used my Coolpix L110 camera and a short aluminum tripod (Hint - a good, solid tripod is a good investment). I set the camera to the maximum zoom (200X, I think.)Inspiration
Last December, the full moon was on Christmas day, and I thought it'd be neat to get a picture of it and it to a picture of a wreath as a Merry Christmas greeting. From there, I got the idea of taking pictures of each of the full moons of the year to see if there are any differences. So far, the only differences are really a result of taking pictures with different foregrounds. I've been trying to catch the moon as close to moonrise as possible to get the largest, most dramatic image. This one is one of my favorites because of the tree.Editing
Using Photoshop, I zoomed in further and cropped the picture to make the moon as big as possible. I may have auto-adjusted, but I don't remember for sure.In my camera bag
I am a "basics" gal. I take my camera and my tripod with me for moon shots, period.Feedback
If you're trying to get a picture like this, the first step is to prepare better than I did. Look up moonrise times on the Internet. You can also find out at what angle it will be rising, so you can use a compass to know exactly what direction to look. I have a pretty good idea of the direction from prior experience. Scout out a place ahead of time. If you can, find a place where the horizon is low. For this picture, I had to wait after moonrise for the moon to rise over the hills and trees around me. This was my second attempt for the moon with trees. The month before, I ended up on a sidewalk and the homeowner came out to find out why I was taking pictures of his back yard. When I took this, I got in my car and started driving in approximately the direction I knew I needed to go, trying to drive and find a place with trees in the right direction. The moon had already risen above most of the trees by the time I found this spot, with one tree that was close enough and tall enough to make the shot. Zoom in as close as you can. I think I used 200X and when I've used less, I haven't gotten details, just moonlight. What I have found to be the key with nighttime, zoomed shots is absolute camera stability. Put the camera on a tripod or other stable surface, Use the timer so that the camera has a chance to stop moving after you press the shutter button and make sure you give your camera a chance to focus before you press that button. After that, take lots of pictures, moving the camera around and changing zooms because sometimes the shot you thought you were taking turns out not to be as good as some of your "also tooks"
