Some recent AK photo's (Talkeetna, Central: how much, yard, interior)

[Siouxcia]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

The most common cause for me (but not necessarily for you) is that I've taken too many shots too fast and filled the buffer. Until it can dump a few images to the memory card, the camera "sticks". The "solution" is to buy the fastest memory cards you can afford...

Another possibility is using "single-servo autofocus" mode. That is the little switch on the front of the camera to the right side as you look into the lens. If it is on "S" it cannot fire the shutter until autofocus detects correct focus. In dim light or when pointing at something that doesn't allow the AF system to detect focus, it "sticks". But putting it on "C" allows out of focus shots...

The solution for that one is learning techniques that allow focus lock to be acheived, and how to hold it if you want to reframe before firing the shutter.

Assuming you want a picture of the moon itself... Consider that the moon is a bright sunlit landscape. Hence the same settings that you'd use in the back yard at high noon apply! The "Sunny Sixteen Rule" is f/16, ISO 100, 1/100 of a second.

Sunny 16 rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rance suggested spot metering to avoid focus problems, but that is a gross misunderstanding. The spot meter is where it measures brightness, and has nothing to do with focus. Metering the moon is tricky due to all that black area surrounding it. You are probably best off using manual exposure modes. (Which is indeed what happens when you set the mode to "M" on the top LCD display.) And then, given the cheap cost of digital film these days, bracket your exposures! Take 20 or 30 shots! Try every different configuration you think could possibly have an effect, and take three shots, or more, for each!

First, use a tripod. Second, use AF to get correct focus, by putting the focus point right on the edge of the moon; then switch to manual focus and leave the lens focused as is for all shots. Third, modify the Sunny Sixteen Rule to get the best from your lens. F/16 is probably not the best aperture. F/8 or f/11 is probably better. Also ISO 200 is better than ISO 100. Hence, a ballpark exposure might be f/8, ISO 200, and 1/800 second. (If your lens' widest aperture is f/5.6, use f/11 instead of f/8, and use 1/400 to compensate.)

But that is just the starting point. Shoot with at least half that shutter speed and take several exposures at increasingly faster shutter speeds.

And use the longest focal length lens you can beg borrow or steal.On the other hand, if you want the moon to just be a prop that shows up in your "night picture" of some other landscape, that is a much more complex topic that depends on what your "other landscape" is.

Thank you for the advice. I think I'm going to take a class when I get back to an area that has such things!

Awesome moon shot!!!

[ASpilot2be]

Originally Posted by Nephler

Pilot, it's a Manik brush guard, think I got it from 4WD Parts. Not sure though, it was quite a few years ago.

Thanks!

Picture time:



Chasing rainbows





Matanuska Glacier


The Sunset was amazing!







2AM


Fog banks in the valley


Sunrise




Fog




Lenticulars





On my way back to Anchorage








In Canada


Some serious cloud development we tackled later on



Chasing a Cougar


Intense rain















Buckshot Bettys

[warptman]

I hate the twisties from Tetlin Junction to the Tok bridge.

[Rance]

You got some nice shots there ASPilot!

[ASpilot2be]

Originally Posted by warptman

I hate the twisties from Tetlin Junction to the Tok bridge.

I hate the ones on the Glennallen side of Palmer.

[Nephler]

This morning's sunrise. With all the haze and smoke in the air, the sunrises have been great.





From the other day...helicopter passing Pioneer Peak

[trlhiker]

Awesome pictures, judging by some of those pics. yall look like you get some very heavy storms. How often do you get them and are they actual thunderstorms or just heavy rain?

[warptman]

Alaska gets it's share of thunderstorms. Most of the storms happen in the interior where you get a lot of heat on the ground. We do get them here in Western Alaska, but not that often. When we do get them here, they tend to be strong but not strong enough to create twisters. We did get a few funnel clouds the past couple years here in western AK but none this year.

[Rance]

We've already had 4 or 5 days with thunder and hail in Sterling. As hot as it's been, there's more coming.

[Nephler]

We've had quite a few good thunderstorms here, mostly riding along the Talkeetna's.