Cityscape at night with the moon

[d_price]

If I'm posting in the wrong form, please let me know. I've searched

this subject exhaustively and have only been able to find limited

information. I want to shoot the downtown buildings at night from a

distance with the moon in the shot also. I've found information about

the proper exposure for the moon at night. The "sunny 11" rule. ISO

100 shot 1/100@ F11? I'm just not sure about the exposure time for

the buildings. I've seen times from 1 sec to almost a minute. I

haven't been able to find any specific information or examples. I

know that this will have to be done as a multiple exposure. I'll be

shooting with my N80 and it's got the gridlines, so that'll be a huge

help. I also wanted to know if ISO 400 will be ok, or should I go

with 100? Don't I also have to change the exposure or something to

that effect because of the brightness of the moon in comparison to

the city lights?

Sorry for the long post, all help is appreciated.

[michaelging]

Double exposure or a sandwiched neg are 2 ways to do it. You might try a graduated Neutral Density filter. I would also try using a scrim or black card to block the moon for the majority of the exposure.I have used this for blocking out car lights in night photos.

[jbq]

Double exposure is the way to go.

[d_price]

Is there a film that works best in particular? What about reciprocity failure?

[Jerry_]

Use a tripod; bracket (take one at 4 seconds, one at 8 seconds, one at 12 seconds) your exposures. As noted, shoot the moon and add it in with Photoshop (or as a double-exposure) but if you try 12 seconds of exposure, the moon will 'move' in your image. Every city has a different lighting scheme -- by bracketing, you will have one or two greats images. Keep a notebook and record what you are shooting at, then you will have a reference for the next time you try a city at night.

[andrew robertson]

Why not add a unicorn while you're at it?

 

I find that the best moon shots with cityscape are done with a wide angle lens, a the

widest stop you have, and the shortest exposure that can be managed. Bracket like hell.

There is no one correct exposure - depends on how well lit the city is, how bright the

moon is, how much fog / haze there is, reciprocity failure, etc.

[joseph_smith3]

I recommend a double exposure. The sunny 11 rule works with a full moon without clouds, but bracket for best results. Plan your shots carefully. The moon is the first exposure. Figure out where you want the moon in the image in conjunction with the second exposure of the city scene. I use a 300mm or a 400mm lens for the moon shot with the moon placed on the frame where I want it. Make sure the shutter speed is at least 1/30th of a second--the moon does move and its motion needs to be stopped. Then I switch lenses and put on a wider angle lens like a 28-50mm for the second image and expose it as a normal image. Then I start all over again for the bracketed shots. Everything is done with a tripod. You film ISO is a function of the brightness available to you that night and the f stop on your tele lens because you need s shutter speed of 1/30th or faster. If you want a bright moon without much detail of the moon, then expose for more light. If you want a moon with detail, then you want a shorter exposure for a darker moon. Personal preference will dictate what you do. Joe Smith

[d_price]

Great advice Joe, thanks alot. I went out last night but the clouds were covering the moon.

[Jerry_]

Here is Detroit, Michigan, taken from Canada with a Nikon F4.

 

 

The moon is from Florida, taken with a 500mm f8 Reflex-Nikkor.

 

 

 

The film was 'ran' through the camera twice, giving a double-exposure that may not work real well with a wide-angle lens, but it is up to you to decide what results are good....<div></div>

[maxpometun]

Like many people mentioned here, for shots like this double exposure is the way to go. Shoot your cityscape, then switch to telephoto (the longer, the better) then take the shot of the moon.

Cheers.<div></div>

[imaginator]

Shoot the landscapes/cityscapes first, keeping a record of where in the frame you would like the moon to be (if your camera can't do multiple exposures) You can rewind the entire roll, but stop just before the film leader goes all the way back into the can, or if your camera uses power rewind, then you need a tool to pull the leader back out (doesn't cost much) Reload the same roll of film and shoot the entire roll again, using your notes to place the moon in each shot. The hard part is bracketing exposures... both for the cityscape shots and for the moon shots (you need to bracket both) I have gone round and round in my head with this and came up with this: bracket 3 exposures for the cityscape, 2 for the moon (that means 6 frames for each composition) It would be better to do a practice roll of just the cityscapes first to nail down that exposure (use the same film you expect to use for the double exposures) but I would still bracket some, like 2 just to be sure (4 total) By the way, adding the moon shots is the easy part, and you can do it another night. Make sure the moon is up high enough so nothing else but sky shows, then use your notes, compose each shot, and shoot the entire roll in just a few minutes. Now for the suprise... I haven't actually tried this yet, but obviously have planned it out very well (by the way, I'm also going to do some moonlit landscapes) I assume you want a full moon, so best to have your cityscape shots done before the night of full moon, and you can go out several nights doing different cityscapes, even weeks in advance, just be ready to do the rewind/reload during the full moon. I'm using a variety of lenses for the main shots, then using an old 400mm for the moon shots. It's "faked", it's not true nature (neither are cityscapes, but since the same technique applies to moonlit landscapes why get picky?) but it's fun, and if done with taste, makes a convincing photograph. Of course, it can also be done on a computer, but personally I can't wait to see the reactions when I put some of these in the slide projector. There is a certain mentality that is bothered by such images, whether done my double exposure or otherwise, so may I suggest you mention that it was a double exposure so at least it's not like you are decieving anyone, and besides, there is more pride in that than just doing it in a photo program. Have fun!