A few churches in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) area and their ceilings. If you get a chance please check out and like my Facebook page www.facebook.com/MarkGoodmanPhoto.
St. Katherine Ukrainian Orthodox Church
St. Katherine Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Central Presbyterian Church
Central Presbyterian Church
Lakewood Memorial Chapel
Lakewood Memorial Chapel
Cathedral of Saint Paul
Cathedral of Saint Paul
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
We’ve all seen those photos of the moon with a silhouette of the lone tree. For the longest time it was sort of a mystery to me how people got those shots. Whenever I was out and there was a full moon I’d think maybe I could get something like that. Then the next few moments would be me scratching my head (mostly due to mosquito bites) thinking that tree is way to big and the moon is waaaaay to small. I’m going to describe how to get that killer moon shot like the one below.
This is both a simple and complex task. I’ll explain the process first which is really quite simple (despite my long explanation) and then give you some tips on the more complex part which is finding a subject that will work.
1st Bank Sign and Moon – f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 3200 (a bit high for my camera)
1) Step 1 is to put a hole in a box. Oops, sorry that’s a different process 😉 Basically the first step is to get the longest zoom lens you have. The idea is to fill the frame with the moon as much as possible. I used a 70-400mm lens at 400mm + a 2x teleconverter on a crop sensor (1.5x) camera. That’s a whopping 1200mm 35mm equivalent. As long as you have a 300mm lens or more I think you could make this work.
2) Zoom in on the moon and whatever object you’ve lined up to shoot with it. If it’s a small object like a weather vane, like you might see on a barn, you just move back until the object is the same size as the moon. They key realization is the moon is the same size anywhere you are standing and only changes based on the length of the zoom.
Instead of changing the zoom on the object you’ll need to change your position to affect the size of the object in the frame. In most cases you’ll need to put more distance between yourself and the object. In the photo above I’m about a mile away from the extremely large sign on top of the building.
3) Once you have the object and the moon about the same size then it’s time to get the exposure right. I like to stay below 1/100 of a second shutter speed to get detail (craters and such) in the moon. Even 1/80 or 1/60 could work but at high zoom magnification that starts to get dicey as the moon actually moves quite fast.
If you’re going for a silhouette then just expose for the moon (you can also use spot metering on your DSLR if you want) visually. In the photo above the sign lights up and matches well with the brightness of the moon so all is good.
If you’re trying to get an object that is not bright and not a silhouette then you’ll need a longer shutter speed. In that case make sure you’re taking the photo right after or before sunrise/sunset. That’s the time when most objects are relatively the same brightness.
4) I usually focus in manual mode. Just focus to infinity basically and use the focus zoom on your DSLR to make sure the craters of the moon have good definition. Using the largest (smallest number) aperture for your lens should be fine in most cases. Unless your lens gains a lot of sharpness stopped down but you might need to increase the ISO offsetting any sharpness gains.
Note: most of the time there will be a lot of space between you and any objects that are in the frame with the moon. There’s something called the hyperfocal distance. This is the point at which all object are in acceptable focus after a given distance. The object would need to be quite small for this to become an issue. You can check the focus of the object as well and change the aperture to a higher number if needed. Again you may need to increase the ISO if that’s the case.
5) After getting the shot then you might want to make a few tweaks in your editing program. Some of these could be set on your camera as well if you prefer.
Color Temperature – I usually like the moon to look white and even a little bluish. The moon is reflecting the sun which is very yellow/orange so move the color temperature down till it appears very white. You’ll almost get to a tungsten setting in the 3000-4000 color temperature range. This is just personal preference and you may want a more yellow/orange moon especially if low on the horizon for a harvest moon type scene.
Contrast/Clarity – you can add some contrast or clarity (Lightroom) to give the moon some pop. I find a little goes a long way before becoming over done.
Noise reduction/ Sharpening – If you sharpen at all make sure to use the masking slider if using Lightroom. There may be a lot of noise in the photo that you don’t want to amplify. You may also need some noise reduction to handle a higher ISO setting if that was needed. It’s always a trade off between controlling noise and not losing detail. I would error towards lower noise.
Cropping – try to fill the frame as much as possible. If sharpness or noise become an issue you can back off a bit.
Just to recap the biggest thing is to fill the frame with the moon then put distance between you and an object till it matches the size of the moon in the frame. Next use a large aperture, a fast shutter speed and higher ISO if needed while focusing to infinity.
Keep going scrolling for helpful hints.
Half Moon – f/11, 1/80, ISO 400 (just right)
Helpful Hints:
Maybe the hardest part of all is finding a suitable object especially if you live in the city. You’ll need distance and line of sight which can make it difficult. Also the moon is always moving and changes positions day-to-day. There are tools I used to plan for this.
The Photographer’s Ephemeris – you can get this App for your phone. It can tell you the time and location of sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset. Use a compass while in the field to figure out where the moon will rise or set. It’s great for figuring out the how the light from the sun will fall at any time of day. http://photoephemeris.com/
You can also use tables of sun and moon rise and set times from http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.php to figure out when the sun and moon will set about the same time. Again when one is setting and the other is rising is the best time to photograph the moon.
Google Sky Maps – I used this App on my phone and it worked surprisingly well. The problem was I knew where the moon would rise but because of the tall buildings couldn’t locate where it was at and what trajectory. Probably not using the right terminology but I’m not going to go all Jodie Foster in Contact. The Google Sky Map allowed me to see roughly where the moon was and helped me get close to where I needed to be once the moon popped out from the buildings.
Moon Phase Pro – I also use this app on Android to find what phase the moon will be in on any give date. It also gives the location, rise/set and even the distance in case you’re looking for a supermoon opportunity.
Let me know if you’ve found any other helpful trick to getting that killer moon shot?!
Here are some of my favorite shots of Minneapolis bridges over the Mississippi River. You can see more galleries here.
35W Bridge and 10th Street Bridge
35W and 10th Street Bridges
Third Avenue Bridge
Third Avenue Bridge
Stone Arch Bridge
Stone Arch Bridge
Hennepin Avenue Bridge
Hennepin Avenue Bridge
Lowry Avenue Bridge
The Lowry Avenue Bridge
Minnesota State Capitol Dome Restored
The dome restoration was finished recently in the Minnesota State Capitol. Unfortunately the middle of the rotunda is roped off to protect the emblem in the floor I think. I wasn’t able to get a straight on shot of the dome but I think this turned out well anyway.
See the rest of the Minnesota State Capitol gallery.
Looking up the stairwell in the Minnesota State Capitol.
Another shot looking up the stairwell. One of the reasons I like the Sony SLT-A55 is the articulating LCD screen allows you to compose your shot a little easier. No right angle finder needed.
Stained Glass in the Sanctuary of Westminster Presbyterian Church
Another fantastic church in Minneapolis. Westminster Presbyterian is located just west of the convention center and a block south of Orchestra Hall. The people were very kind to let me in and give me full access to the church.
See Westminster Presbyterian gallery.
Sunlight through the Stained Glass at Westminster Presbyterian
When I arrived there was a memorial service in process so I had to wait for the main sanctuary to open up. Instead I took some shots in the wonderful chapel. It was almost like shooting two churches at the same location.
Westminster Chapel
Inside the Watt Munisotaram a Buddhist Temple in Hampton, Minnesota.
While roaming the countryside in Hampton, Minnesota I decided to stop at a Buddhist temple. Yes, a Buddhist temple. The Minnesota Cambodian Buddhist Society has built a Buddhist temple known as Watt Munisotaram. I love photographing churches and was curious about what the inside would look like. Turns out it’s spectacular and almost overwhelming with such rich colors and details.
See the full gallery of Watt Munisotaram.
Buddha Shrine.
Part of the shrine and ceiling in the lower portion of the temple. There are signs at the door asking you to remove your shoes. There are rugs everywhere so it’s actually quite comfortable taking photos in your socks.
Buddhist Temple in Hampton, Minnesota.
Above is a view of the outside. There’s an upper portion and a lower portion in the temple. The first picture is the upper portion of the temple which you actually have to walk outside to get to. They are also building a stupa next to this so I’m guessing there will be a return trip in my future!
Lower portion of the temple.
One last photo to give an idea of the portion of the temple. It’s basically a large gathering space with a shrine (assuming shrine the correct term) in the middle and along the far walls.
You can check out the Watt Munisotarm website for more info.
Yeti Habitat
Went to the Ice Castles exhibit at the Mall of America last week. Actually went twice, once for these pics and then also to photograph a birthday part for some friends daughter’s birthday party.
Ice Shelf
It was a great opportunity to get some unique photos. The exhibit was a bit underwhelming actually. This is one of those times when the pictures probably look better than real life. A lot of time the opposite is true but not this time.
Fire and Ice
One of the most popular spots in the exhibit was the fire pit where you could warm up your hands a bit. It was very cold that week. I’m glad I went during the week to get these as it was busy on the weekend.
Lately I’ve been taking a lot of pictures of shop windows. Usually there is some great accent lighting and the stores put their best (usually) display out there. It’s like a pre-made studio and all you need to do is set up your tripod and, well, brave the cold in Minnesota this time of year.
Symbiotic Relationship
These two shops, or shoppes if you prefer, seem to fit together nicely. I liked the different lighting coming from each to create this dual frame.
Stillwater Beads
Here’s another shop for beads. There’s a lot going on in the photo so I desatured mainly the bluish colors. You see a lot of selective coloring in photos which can be overdone or a little heavy handed. I find desaturating a color or two can often produce a different look or feel and help to keep the eyes focused on fewer subjects.
Main Street
These were taken on Main Street in Stillwater, MN which is on the border with Wisconsin. It’s a popular spot especially in the summertime and not to far from Minneapolis and St. Paul.
On New Year’s Day. What do you do at 7AM on New Year’s Day? Well you take a few photos, that’s what. Why? Because you can go wherever you want without having all the crazy people bothering you. It also helps that it’s zero degrees and even the drunk people are sobered up and heading for their warm beds.
Here’s a couple shots from 7th street in Saint Paul. I especially like the lamp store and the antique store has a rather unusual manger scene.
3 Shades…Not Sheets
Manger Scene?
Union Depot Interior
I went to the newly renovated Union Depot in St. Paul, Minnesota. $243 million was spent to update and create a transit hub for trains, buses, light rail and maybe a high speed train someday. It was a good time to take pictures as there is not a lot of foot traffic. Mostly just curious visitors visting for the first time or comparing to how they remember it.
Christos Restaurant in the Union Depot
Here’s Christo’s restaurant with a few patrons getting a jump on the dinner rush. Seemed like a nice atmosphere for a restaurant.
Lightspeed Rail
Outside is a newly built light rail station. It isn’t in operation yet. I caught some interesting reflections off the station.
See more here.