Tag Archives: moon

Night Sky

Capturing the moon and unveiling the Carltonaut logo

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What better way to unveil my new logo for Carltonaut Photography than by pairing it with a photo I shot of the moon moments ago.

Waxing Gibbous Moon

I have no intention of including my logo on all my photos, because I like photos that can speak for themselves. But for this photo, I made an exception. I’ve spent the past little bit trying out different styles, colors, fonts, etc. to find a logo I felt would be fun and tie into my love of photography and space. As my blog’s tagline states, “Photos of (and out of) this world.”

Hope you enjoy the photo and the new logo, and will follow my Carltonaut blog to see what I capture. I’m always looking to see what others capture (either on WordPress, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.), so maybe I’ll come across your work, too.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, Night Sky, Travel, Tutorials

Fun Photography: On the Way to the Harvest Moon

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Manned exploration to the moon ceased before I was born in 1980. Now in my 30s, I am fascinated with the history, grandeur and intrigue of the space program (yes, I stayed up till 2 am watching Curiosity land on Mars). I’ve also stayed up till 2 am taking photos of the moon or capturing star trails. I think it’s pretty obvious that when I can combine space and photography, it’s gonna be another late night.

Beyond just sharing the photos, I thought I would include information about how I set up and took the photo, so if someone else wants to re-create it, they have a good starting point. I am also including this How-To write to the DIY Photography’s How I Took It contest.

After a quick trip to Home Depot, I had all the supplies I needed, and it didn’t cost more than $15. The items included three 10′ PVC pipes and some connectors, along with the ever popular black Duct Tape. In my backyard, I hooked two of the pipes together using a straight connector. However, when I lifted it into the air, it would bend way too far. Using duct tape, I attached the third pipe across the joint of the first two. This provided the support I needed.

I didn’t want to have to fight with the objects spinning while I shot my photos, so before I attached the third pipe, I had cut three 8″ pieces and configured the setup seen in the photo to the left. Using thread, I hooked one end to the model and the other to the pipe (I cut a small notch in the pipe so the string wouldn’t slip off as easily). I then hoisted the contraption into the air and duct taped the bottom part to the trampoline leg, and used rope to hook the upper part of the pipes to the sturdy pole on the trampoline netting.

Now I just had to wait for the full moon (the Harvest Moon) to get out from behind the neighbor’s tree, and then position the model near the moon. I set the camera on the tripod and framed the shot I was looking for. I had to constantly keep adjusting the shot, because the moon kept moving across the sky. In manual mode, I set the aperture to f/25 so I had the largest depth of field possible (although it still wasn’t enough to have both elements – the moon and the model – in focus).

Using the wireless shutter-release function, I warmed up my Canon Speedlite 430EX II flash and put it in wireless mode. After I got into position on the step-stool (to help me get closer to the model with the flash in hand), I held the flash in position and triggered the shutter. Since only one of the two objects (the moon or the model) could be in focus at any one time (see sample on the left), I had to change the focal point for each photo, then combine the two photos in Photoshop later.

Here are the two final photos along with the specific camera settings for each photo, and any post-processing in Photoshop.

092912 On the way to the Moon

MOON Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Converted to BW
MODEL Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Canon Speedlite 430EX II | RAW – Adjusted exposure and levels, erased out-of-focus moon, cropped closer

092912 Saturn V toward the Moon

MOON Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Converted to BW
MODEL Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/25 | f/25 | ISO 100 | Canon Speedlite 430EX II | Adjusted levels, erased out-of-focus moon, cropped closer

I have another shot I am working to capture, but it will take a little more planning and play to get it to work the way I’m envisioning it. Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy this little bit of trick photography.

~signed, Carltonaut

Black & White, Night Sky, Tutorials

How to Shoot the Moon – in Honor of Neil Armstrong

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If you can’t tell from the name of my blog, I am enthralled by all things space. I am amazed at the precision with which humans can launch a rocket from Earth and land Man or machine on distant moons or planets. I am humbled by the dedication each astronaut has for their “profession” and proud to know that I have shaken hands with Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Charlie Duke, Gene Cernan, and countless other moonwalkers, astronauts, and mission control personnel.

When I heard of Neil Armstrong’s passing, I was saddended that I never had the chance to meet him. From everything I had heard about him, he was humble, and convinced that he was just doing his job when he took Man’s first steps on the moon. So this post is my way of honoring Neil Armstrong, and I invite others to share their moon photos this week in his honor.

I digress. This blog post isn’t just about my love of space. It’s about my experiences in photographing the moon, and sharing with others the simple things that will hopefully give them the confidence to DIY and shoot [for] the stars… or at least the moon!

Here are the 4 simple steps I used a few moments ago to capture this shot of the moon, with a clarity that even surprised me – though I wish I had a more powerful zoom lens. Or better yet, a Saturn V rocket to take me to the moon to snap a few photos in person!

082812 Honor Neil Armstrong r2

Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/100 | f/11 | ISO 100 | (Manual Mode)
And a setting that hopefully will make you LOL: Focal Length 238,900 Miles. :-)

STEP 1 – Camera Setup

  • Attach the lens with the longest zoom
  • Put your camera in Manual Mode
  • Start with ISO 100, f/11, and shutter speed of 1/100

STEP 2 – Location Setup

  • Choose a location that works for you. The photo above was shot from my back door. If you can, get away from ambient light.
  • Find the moon (if it’s overcast, go back inside and try for the moon another night).

STEP 3 – Getting Ready to Shoot

  • Use a tripod if you have one handy. If not, set down or lean against something to help keep the lens steady. (I did NOT use a tripod for the photo above)
  • Zoom your lens all the way in to get as close to the moon as you can.
  • You can auto focus on the moon, then switch to manual mode (which is what I did), or you can just refocus on the moon for each shot (which also works).
  • Hold it steady and snap a shot.

STEP 4 – See How It Looks, Adjust Accordingly

  • You can simply look at the LCD screen on your camera to get an initial look at the photo (unless you are using film).
  • If the moon looks dark, adjust one of two things – the aperture or shutter speed.
  • If you’re not using a tripod and the moon looks blurry, try again. You can try holding your breathe as you pust the shutter release button to reduce your movements.
  • Keep adjusting camera settings to snap a few shots. No harm in trying a few different settings to see how it changes the outcome.

Now that you have the photos, take the camera card over to your computer and adjust the exposure, temperature, etc. as you wish. You can even make it a black and white photograph to eliminate any odd colors of the moon (unless you want it to be a rare Blue Moon).

I hope this helps, and I invite you to give it a shot (literally) and then share your photo and camera settings with me in the comments. With the Blue Moon on Friday (Aug 31), it’s a great week to give the moon a shot… literally!

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, Night Sky, Travel

Shooting the Super Moon in Hawaii

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Aloha! Yesterday was a long day – 28 hours in fact. That’s what happens when you hop on an airplane in Salt Lake City and head west, all the way to the Hawaiian island of Maui. When we arrived at our hotel, it was only 9:20 pm (Maui time). To us Utahns, it felt like 1:20 a.m. the following day. We were exhausted.

But with the Super Moon in the sky, the palm trees and foliage surrounding me, and my camera in hand, I put my wife to bed and headed out to grab some photos of the Super Moon.

050412 SuperMoon_Hawaii

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 1/60 | f/22 | ISO 800 | Speedlite 430EX II Flash

The first few photos I snapped had too much glare and reflection in the lens itself, so I added my 67mm circular polarized filter to my lens before shooting any more. That helped immensely.

I didn’t want to bother with the tripod, so that created a few challenges as well. I was hoping to get some bracketed photos I could use for some HDR processing later, but I couldn’t hold the camera still enough, and the stark contrast between the brightness of the moon in the distance and the unlit foliage in the foreground, it just wasn’t happening. The palm trees were way too tall for my flash to light them up enough, so I found this other type of tree to use in the photo.

I did end up switching to manual mode for these photos, which offered me a lot more control of what I wanted to see in the photo. The details of the moon and the foliage. When I first shot this scene, my aperture was f/5.6, which made the tree really out of focus. While I liked that effect, I opted to use the one with the tree in focus instead. It just allowed more detail, without detracting from the Super Moon itself.

Regardless, it was a fun, though frustrating, image to capture, but I am pleased with the final results. I did end up doing a little Levels adjustments in Photoshop to help brighten up some of the areas that were a little dark, and I think shooting in RAW would have allowed me to produce a better photo, but again, I am pleased with how this one turned out.

Many more photos to come, I’m sure of it!

~signed, Carltonaut

Night Sky

Gazing at the moon through a leafing tree

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Having lost my NCAA bracket miserably, a colleague and I have challenged two others to a game of basketball, hoping to reclaim some basketball prowess by beating them miserably. However, I haven’t actually played basketball in a long time, so I thought I would practice in my driveway tonight while my kids rode their scooters.

However, when I saw the moon growing brighter in the sky as the sun set below the horizon, I couldn’t help but grab my Canon 60D and snap a few shots through a leafing tree on the side of my house. I tried a couple of different angles, but I found this angle to be the best.

040312 Moon through trees

Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/160 | f/18 | Exposure Compensation -1 1/3 | ISO 400

I needed to find a way to light up the tree leaves, so I mounted my Canon Speedlite 430EX II flash and shot a few more shots. I think my battery was low, because it took forever for my flash to recharge itself. I also had to adjust the exposure compensation a little lower so the colors looked more vibrant and less washed out.

So after lining up the moon a few more times in the center of this clearing in the tree, I was satisfied and headed inside to take a look at the spoils. That photo above is the result. What do you think?

I took another great photo of a blossoming tree at work earlier today, too. But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to check out that one.

~signed, Carltonaut

Night Sky

Star trails in northern Utah

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The other day I came across a fellow blogger (DailySnaps2012) who had shared some nice star trail photos she had taken last week. Star trails and night photography are some of my all-time favorite shots to try and capture, so I thought I would share two that I took during a Father-Son campout last fall.

My favorite ones are of the North Star, because it is a constant in the night sky, but all the other stars rotate around it to create a sort of vortex look.

Circumpolar Star Trails

In order to get a cooler effect, leave the shutter open for a longer time – the longer, the better. The night I took these photos, there was a full moon, so I wasn’t sure how long I could keep the shutter open without over-exposing the whole thing. I think this was about 5-10 minutes, but again, I don’t remember. However, I do like how the moon lit up the tree, I just wish the stars showed up a little better.

I then pointed the camera south to get some longer star trails.

The night sky over Liberty, Utah

Not only did I like how the tall evergreen shoots up and out of the dark hill side and into the sky, the clouds moving through the sky added a nice look to the photo. Although the full moon was lighting up the sky, the city lights from around Pineview Reservoir polluted the lower portion of the photo, but gave a nice gradient effect to the night sky.

Getting up and into the mountains offer the best setting for photographing star trails – away from the light pollution of nearby cities. But getting up into the mountains isn’t something that I can do on a whim, but it is something that I would love to do more often. If I do get out and capture some interesting star trails, I will definitely share. Thanks again to Lisa from DailySnaps2012 for sharing her star trail photos.

~signed, Carltonaut

Travel

Remembering Grissom, White, & Chaffee of Apollo 1

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Last November, my son and I had the opportunity to travel to the Kennedy Space Center as part of the Astronaut Autograph & Memorabilia Show, organized by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. It was a phenomenal event. In fact, my son cried for days after because he was so sad to have left Florida.

With that in mind, I decided to share this photo today because January 27, 2012, marks the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, which claimed the lives of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. This photo shows my son holding the mission patch for Apollo 1 at the launchpad where this event took place.

Apollo 1 & 7 launch pad

While many today may not understand the impact that disaster had on the American space program, I would recommend watching the documentary, When We Left Earth. I’ve watched it via Netflix and more recently purchased the DVD set.

The astronauts my son and I met during our trip (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Gene Cernan, and dozens more), who knew and worked with these three brave men, spoke very highly of their efforts in the space program, and described how the best way to honor their sacrifice was to continue striving for a successful landing on the moon, which took place two-and-a-half years later.

So to honor these men, and all the men and women who seek to explore the world by going beyond it, I say thank you. Maybe one day, my son will be traveling millions of miles from Earth to explore other planets because of the hard work and sacrifices of these early pioneers in space exploration.

~signed, Carltonaut