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Photography Question 

Choo Choo Love
 

How to shoot action shots at night with moon?


 
 
Hi guys:

I think I finally learned to take action shots (goose flights) at sunset with my Tamron 28-300mm lens and my Canon digital Rebel XT. I'm attaching one of my sunset action shots. I took it with an ISO of 1600 and on Program mode.

I notice that the image comes out dark when I use a high shutter speed (1/1000) on shutter priority mode.

However, when the sun completely goes down and the moon comes out, I can't seem to get any photos with this camera. I tried using flash and it crackled. I increased the shutter speed and it wouldn't focus. The geese were flying across the moon and I couldn't get a photo!

I can't even take a still photo at night, much less an action photo!

HELP!

Please comment on my sunset goose flight photo, too. All comments and thoughts on it and how to take night time goose flight photos appreciated.

Thanks!

Choo


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October 11, 2005

 

Samuel Smith
  very nice photo choo.ya froze the wings in low light.good.
no flash!it's not going to help.
i think it's going to take several seconds to record the image with the moon,so your going the wrong way with your shutter speed.
action and low light?not a good combo.
you should have given your f stops for your lense,helps people figure out your best bet.if your not asking for something close to impossible,i'd like to hear it?
nice pic,sam


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October 11, 2005

 

Choo Choo Love
  Hi Sam:

Thanks for the compliments on the photo. Coming from you, it's a real honor because you tell it like it is and that's why I like you.

F stop? I went to my lens brochure and I think it's F/3.5 - 6.3 XR Di LD? Does that sound like the F stop?

When the geese fly across the moon, there's even less light than in this sunset goose shot and that's why I can't get the darn thing to focus. It's pretty dark by that time and the camera takes a few seconds to record the image by that time. Sometimes it won't even allow me to depress the shutter.

Thanks for your help, Sam.

Choo


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October 11, 2005

 

Choo Choo Love
  Hi again Sam:

I notice that when I use the shutter priority mode at 1/1000 shutter speed and 1600 ISO, the same photo is much darker than when I use Program mode with a shutter speed of 1/200.

Do you know why that happens?

Thanks.

Choo


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October 11, 2005

 

Samuel Smith
  yes.
at 1/200 it sets a slower shutter speed to record more of the image.you have to allow the the sensor to record the image.
so at 28mm your lense speed is 3.5 . at 300mm it's 6.3 .but it won't record action in low light.
i've seen many pictures I want to take but with my camera and lenses it's not going to happen!so I settle for what I can record.
even if you go with focus overide you won't like the results.
maybe there's help out there,sam


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October 11, 2005

 

Choo Choo Love
  Hi Sam:

I've probably been looking at too many National Geographic magazine photos! I never thought that hard about it and I always assumed any SLR would allow you to take those moonlight action shots but since I became much more interested in photography, I've learned that there are cameras out there that cost $30,000 or more! Shocking! I can't afford those either. My Canon and Tamron lens is more than I've ever spent on any one thing, except a piano.

I'll have to keep trying. If you think of something, please tell me. I'll try it. The moon and geese flying across it is driving me nuts!

Thanks.

Choo


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October 12, 2005

 

Forrest C. Wilkinson
  Your problem is your high ISO speed, it will washout the moon. Shoot at the minimum ISO speed, which is 100 for you. Shoot at 100 ISO and at a long Depth of Field, around f/14. Use a tripod and shoot at lower shutter-speeds, such as 1/125. Put your camera on the AV mode then set the aperture to f/11 and let the camera set the shutter speed. And be sure that your ISO is at 100.


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October 12, 2005

 

Samuel Smith
  hey forest,
you think at f11 and low light her camera,given her lense speed,will shoot at 1/125?very interesting?
i agree with the moon shot,but the geese flying past it?
still learning,sam


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October 12, 2005

 

Forrest C. Wilkinson
  If you're shooting towards a sunset I would think so. I shoot at about 1/80 on sunsets at f/14 ISO 100. I mean, sure compensate the shutter to the correct exposure setting, but that should do the trick, not setting up the ISO which will wash out detail and bright objects. Also, if you need a higher shutter, compensate aperture until f/8, in which case you can add up to 400 ISO, but no more on landscapes. Anything higher and you will not get what you hope for. Hope this helps.


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October 12, 2005

 
- Gregory LaGrange

BetterPhoto Member
Contact Gregory LaGrange
Gregory LaGrange's Gallery
  Sam tells it like it is?


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October 12, 2005

 

Samuel Smith
  hi ya greg,you and your mini-pics,i don't think I change socks that often.i'm glad someone is keeping an eye on me.
actually forrest she wants a picture of geese,and you can tell they're geese,not just little black spots,with the moon as a background.not a sillhouette?
am I correct choo?
sam


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October 14, 2005

 

Choo Choo Love
  Hi Sam, Forrest and Greg:

Forrest: Thank you for the advice. It's almost a full moon tonight so I'll go out and try it just outside my garage with tripod and AV mode set to 100 ISO and aperture f/11. I'll see if I can even get a shot of the moon alone. I haven't had any luck getting any night shots at all, with or without moon, still or action. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thank you, Forrest. You're a terrific photographer, by the way.

Sam: Yeah, I'd like pictures of geese flying across the moon. Silhouette is okay as long as you can see they're geese. They'll be silhouettes, right? I mean, they'll be backlit by the moon, right?

Greg: Of course Sam tells it like it is. I've never known him any other way, have you? Interesting.

Thanks, everybody! I'll go out now and try to shoot a moon.

Choo


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October 14, 2005

 

Samuel Smith
  careful on your wording there choo,your neighbors might be looking out their windows.
you know I wish you the best.
just so you have a reference to lock focus on.does your camera have focus lock or something.so you can focus on the moon and then recompose the picture?
i still have a different picture in my head,and laughing and gotta go.
sam


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October 14, 2005

 

Choo Choo Love
  It didn't work. I went out just beyond our garage, set the camera to AV, f/11 aperture, ISO 100, tripod. Camera wouldn't focus on the moon. I couldn't depress the shutter. The 30 shutter speed was blinking which indicated underexposure so I increased the f/11 down to 5.6 - still blinking and wouldn't focus. I increased the ISO to 400 - still won't focus. Oh, dear!

Help!


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October 14, 2005

 

Dan Smith
 
 
  sample
sample
canon 300D /canon 75-300 4-5.6 usm (non IS )lens, tripod and 2X doubler iso 100 @5.6 1/125

Dan Smith

 
 
Choo. could you layer your gees over the moon in your computer ? ... I hahe some nice shots of the moon that I layerd together with fireworks ....IM still learning at photography but here are the settings that worked for me...Canon 300d / canon 75-300 usm 4-5.6 (non is) on tripod,calimar 2x converter (bought in south korea for canon) camera at 1/125 @5.6 iso 100 ....clear sky and no fog (the moon will get a strange halo and will not be clear) at @ 12pm (midnight)....Ill try to upload a sample...but dial up is slowwwwwww. but three are some moon -fire works layerd photo's in my gallery... hope this helps !!!! rember im still an amiture and this is what worked for me after a lottttttt ou attempts LOL... D.J.


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October 14, 2005

 
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