The Windmill

[davidb]

I like it. It's a v little OOF but that is probably movement of the moon during the long exposure. It's disappointing that there aren't a few more stars (just to keep the judges happy).

But it's certainly something I'm going to try. I was hoping tonight might be a good opportunity but the weather forecast was cloud, if not rain. Same for tomorrow but Sunday/Monday could be a good time. It's not a full moon though, just a crescent but, if I can get it right, could be a dramatic picture. 1.3 seconds ay! Certainly will need a tripod for that.

[davidc]

For the moon, my advice is to try to tackle it handheld and aim for a shutter speed of about 1/200 or so. With a 1DX and a stabilized lens this will be totally achievable. Reason being, the moon is actually quite bright as it's reflecting a fair bit of sunlight. With a long lens, extender and APS-C you'll find that putting it on a tripod will be tricky to track the moon though, simply because it moves so quickly! Handheld, it's not a problem. Assuming it's a clear night tonight I'll try my APS-C + 600mm giving an effective FOV from a 960mm lens on full frame.

As for light pollution, outside some of the welsh valleys and highlands around Scotland you will never get free from the irritating orange glow. Some places might be better than others - I was going to try places on the Downs - but you won't get total darkness in all but a couple of places in the UK.

For the moon, light pollution is rarely an issue assuming the moon is high enough. For long exposure astro, light pollution is a complete PITA.

Good luck with your adventures! I think astro is often overlooked in photography yet can yield some stunning results. Hoping to see what I can achieve on some of the islands around Singapore as, like the UK, Singapore is blighted with horrific light pollution.