Lunar Eclipse Dec 20/21

[Christopher Walrath]

Can you do multiple exposures? Not fam w/ the AE1 but I have seen photographs with the moon exposed in different phases along it line of travel in a single photograph. Just an idea.

[tkamiya]

Moon isn't as dark as you think. With modest aperture and ISO 100, you'll get decent shutter speeds. (I can't recall what I used, but I think it was something like 1/125 seconds or so) If you can use 300mm lens or so, you can crop and get usable image with some detail. With 50mm, it will be a small blob. I'm sorry about loss of your job.

[hpulley]

Can you do multiple exposures? Not fam w/ the AE1 but I have seen photographs with the moon exposed in different phases along it line of travel in a single photograph. Just an idea.

Yes, the AE-1 can do multiple exposures but not easily. You have to rewind the film and wind again since there is no way to cock the shutter without winding and there is no dedicated multiple exposure feature. You need to rewind and look at the little dot on the rewind button to get the spacing right. Not easy to do but it is what he has so you have to work with what you've got.

You could 'black hat' it though, put it on a tripod and cover the lens with a 'hat' and take it off for seconds at a time during totality, replacing the 'hat' each time. At the darkest point of totality it may take 30s for the exposure which will be blurred but that's what you get unless you have a driven mount.

[DWThomas]

Thanks for the heads up. I am ill-equipped for such work, but may try anyway. I have a 70-210 for my FD gear, that's better than nothing. I too remember from long ago that exposures for the full moon are a lot faster than one might expect. I might put the bit-zapper on a second tripod to try and get some idea of exposures as it goes into dark mode. I have a roll of 35mm Provia 100F that's dated May 09, might as well try something with it!

That said, they are predicting a low of 22ºF (-5 or so ºC) tonight. The glass half empty part of me says "why do these things happen in the winter?" The glass half full part says the air will probably be very clear. Right now there's high wispy clouds, but the weather guessers are still calling for "clear" overnight. We shall see.

[hpulley]

The meter on the AE-1 could work with the 210mm if you keep the Moon centered with the center weighted average metering pattern.

You need a long lens for good shots however as the moon is just half a degree across. A 2000mm lens (a telescope) with a driven equatorial mount is best. If set to Moon rate it will keep the Moon centered. If I'm up (it is very late/early here) I may get my 1800mm f/8 telescope out on its mount for a try though the weather looks pretty iffy.

Edit: I should say for good tight shots you need a telescope. You can get good shots including the horizon, foreground objects, moon tracks with multiple or single long exposures using shorter lenses.

[Markster]

Yes, the AE-1 can do multiple exposures but not easily. You have to rewind the film and wind again since there is no way to cock the shutter without winding and there is no dedicated multiple exposure feature. You need to rewind and look at the little dot on the rewind button to get the spacing right. Not easy to do but it is what he has so you have to work with what you've got.

You could 'black hat' it though, put it on a tripod and cover the lens with a 'hat' and take it off for seconds at a time during totality, replacing the 'hat' each time. At the darkest point of totality it may take 30s for the exposure which will be blurred but that's what you get unless you have a driven mount.

I had never thought of the hat trick (new use for that term!) and that is quite brilliant.

One other technique I was told about long long ago by a film class instructor (when discussing my AE-1 Program I used in-class) was as follows: You can take up all the tension on the rewind spool, hit the "film rewind" button underneath, then advance the film lever. Thus keeping the film in place and recocking the shutter.

I've never had the guts/imagination to try it (my subjects are far more ordinary), but I would be careful how much tension you put on the rewind lever. Too much, and it might "spring back" a bit when you pop the rewind button.

He was a pretty smart instructor. He knew some tips and tricks that I've never tried myself, and it was clear he loved film.