18 20 July 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
OLLIE’S TOP TIPS
Plan for the golden hour
Plan your shots to take advantage of the
atmospheric light around the golden hour. This
shot of the Dolomites shows the golden hour
over Croda da Lago ridge in Italy. The viewing
distance from the subject (the ridge) was
approximately 8km.Try the dark sky technique
Moonrise over Inner Farne Island Lighthouse,
Northumberland. For this shot the viewing
distance from the subject was approximately
5km. I used the grey-card technique –
removing it from the top part of the frame
during the last second of the exposure.location you select. PhotoPills also
enables you to pinpoint your elevation
in relation to sea level and your target
landmark height and distance, allowing
you to work out approximate moon size
versus focal length, and how long it will
take to rise over landmarks. For me, the
golden hour is one of the most rewarding
times of the day to shoot the moon over
the landscape, and technically it’s one of
the easiest times to tackle this subject too.
Shooting during the golden hour has a
number of benefi ts: the moon is clearly
visible as the sun dips and the land will
still be amply lit, enabling an exposure
that will record sharpness in the moon’s
surface – if needed, the landscape can
always be lifted a little in post-production.
During the golden hour, you can shoot a
single frame, expose for the moon and the
landscape will usually take care of itself.
Avoid using graduated fi lters as they will
lead to longer exposure times, decreasing
the probability of a sharp moon surface.
Bracketing by a stop or two either way is
often good practice.
Dark sky technique
There are various techniques that will
enable you to shoot the moon in total
darkness, though it can be very tricky to
achieve this within a rural, unlit landscape.
Once total darkness falls, there is a drastic
diff erence in exposure between the moon’s
surface and the landscape. Unfortunately,
grads won’t help at all as they won’t block
Sunset over Gran Canaria
and the Atlantic Ocean from
Tenerife’s Mt Teide, Spain
Sony A7 III, 16-35mm,
1/400sec at f/5.6, ISO 250