THE DARK ROOM -- Developments of the evening scene

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Go get your cameras and what not! This thread is to include any media or app. one wants to use, for themed imagery to do with any sort of evening (including sunset or sunrise and space/scifi) scenes captured with camera, and/or if wanted, added to or adjustments made to with the app of your choice.

If you would like to post evening, astronomical or weather photographs you have taken it would also be most welcome to hear how you got the shot, the type of camera, film, settings, lens, filters, etc. This would be of help to others in their experimenting efforts also. This could form a data base of sorts along with the imagery.

Night scenes -- don't forget fireworks displays, aurora, lightning storms -- if you've been lucky enough to see and witness these incredible shows of nature please share them -- also cityscapes or countryscapes at night, mountains in moonlight...etc....just let what's around you be an inspiration. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

For any who don't do photography but are inspired to create similar scenes in some other media, digital or otherwise, please contribute also, and share with us what beauty you just couldn't forget and had to express artistically.

Let the developing begin! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
http://talkgraphics.com/groupee/foru.../Y/my_moon.jpg
35mm Canon F-1 and APO refractor (450mm fl w/ 21mm eyepiece afocal = 1050mm f.l. @ f/15 1/30 sec. ASA400)


(As there is a posting problem with the board today, if you want to post an image use your own website url image tag [IMG][/IMG]to put it into the body of your post, or use a tag from a stored image you've uploaded to something like the free photo storage site such as Photobucket.com or Image Shack.) http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif One of a different nature -- created entirely in a 3d app. Vue 5 Infinite...
http://talkgraphics.com/groupee/foru...sitors_vsm.jpg

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gifFor those not too acquainted with night time photography of the astronomical kind I post a listing of some camera settings and lens combinations you might try.

FIXED CAMERA EXPOSURES (using a tripod or some other manner to keep your camera rock steady is necessary).

If you have a self timer use that to ensure the least vibration when closing the shutter.

Constellations: 50mm lens, ASA400, F/1.4-f/2, 10 to 20 seconds.

Auroras: 50mm, ASA400, f/1.4-f/2.8, 4 to 20 sec.

Meteors: 28mm-50mm, ASA400, f/2-f/2.8, 5 to 20 sec.

Lunar halos: 35-50mm, ASA100-400, f/2.8-f/4, 2-10 sec.

Zodiacal light: 28mm, ASA400, f/2-f/2.8, 1 minute.

Star trails: (set your camera on a tripod aimed at a bright star constellation)
28-50mm, ASA400, f/2.8-f/4, 5 minutes to an hour.

Planets in dark sky: 50-135mm, ASA400-3200, 4 to 20 sec.

Planets in twilight: 50-135mm, ASA200, f/2-f/4, 2 to 6 sec.

Lunar eclipses: (this varies a great deal so bracket and try many settings)
The moon will be a tiny image in a 50mm lens. If you want a larger moon image use up to a 400mm lens if you can. A 400mm lens, f/5.6, on a fixed tripod = exposure is limited to about 1/2 sec. before motion blurring occurs without a tracking drive mounting, so try to keep exposures under this.
To show an entire eclipse sequence, shoot up to 14 exposures at 5 minutes apart on each of 3 film frames. Using ASA200-400 a good range of exposures with a 50mm lens would be 60 sec. at the darkest portion of eclipse to 1/125 sec. at brightest. Use of "B" bulb or self timer, or if you can set to bulb and then just use a black card to put in front of your lens to stop the exposure at each point works too helping to avoid blurring vibrations.

[Mike S]

Maya you are incredible! i love your 3d rendering.
thanks for posting those settings. they should work with digital to i would assume.

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Thanks Mike -- but I'm not incredible, just persistant! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Yeah, try some of those settings out with the digital camera...it's a place to start and you will find what works best with experimenting. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Mike S]

you are to modest Maya. I tried to add a attachment but there seems to be no attachment button??? http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

[John Rayner]

Hi Mikey,

The attachments are off line again... Maybe Antony will look in to it... Although I have not seen him around too much lately. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Maya, Great shots... The advice seems very sound on the camera settings also. On a digital camera one might want to be ready to give it a click or so in either direction depending on the camera.

Gernerally guys... the brighter the object in the sky the closer to daylight camera settings to get the shots to look "right". Auto exposure will not work... You will get a white blob.

Minimum digital zoom for a decent shot I would say would be 6X although 10X would be better.

[Crow Haven]

Yeah -- looks like TG forums can't post attachments today as mentioned at the top of the screen. You can still post, though, if you have a image tag URL for your picture from some other website - like storing them on a Photobucket.com account (I've got one and it's free -- comes in very handy in times like these!). http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Good advice John! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Mike S]

ok signed up with photobucket.com. lets see if i did this right http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif this was a raw file converted to jpeg with post proccessing done in photoshop. added the lens flare the lightning and i hint of blue to the moon. nothing spectacular.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y242/mkach/moonq.jpg

[Crow Haven]

Ooops! can't see the pic yet --
Here's what I do:
After you upload your images to your photoalbum you will see 3 different type image tags below it in boxes. Click and drag across in the bottom one that starts with [IMG]- this highlights the url tag in black, press Ctrl+c to copy this to your clipboard (or if you've got several and you just want a record of the urls for each one write them down). Be sure you have the complete line of the tag including the [IMG] on the beginning and the [/IMG] at the end. Now create you post at TG. After writing in the body of your message. go to a new line and paste Ctrl+v that image tag. That's all there is to it. The image will load on TG as long as you keep it on your Photobucket album. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif