Moon setting over Atlanta just before sunrise

Moonset and Sunrise

My friend, Lauren, keeps a close eye on the sky, and she said the moon would be over the City as it set early Saturday morning. Good for us that the time change wasn't until that night so sunrise wasn't too painfully early. 

We were out on the bridge by about 6:40 am shooting the moon, and though it wasn't painfully early, it was painfully COLD! 

I had stepped outside to let the dogs out before I left (I was house-sitting for my son and DIL for a few days, so I had three dogs!). It didn't seem that cold, and I took the wrong jacket. Will I ever learn? 

Anyway...

Saturday morning was a great example of how you can have patience and timing and still not capture quite what you're imagining. 

Little Moon, Big Moon

As you can see in the photo above, the moon was nearly full, but it looks sort of boring, or at least unspectacular. 

Without going into too much detail, you need the right lens to compress the moon toward the camera to make it appear bigger. It's confusing, and I struggle with some of the concepts until I get out there and do it.

It's one of the reasons I enjoy shooting with Lauren so much. She understands all this stuff really well. 

Nikon and LUMIX

I love shooting with my Nikon, but as I've mentioned before, It's heavy. It's also bulky and takes a lot of space - not ideal for travel.

It's not so much the Nikon body, but the lenses. The lenses are monsters! 

I picked up a used Sony and was shooting with that. I liked it, and I loved the small size of the zoom lens, but it never felt right in my hands, and I couldn't get used to it. I struggled with getting my fingers on the right buttons.

With my Nikon, I don't have to think about it at all. 

I sold the Sony to a sweet dad who was buying it for his 14-year-old daughter. I love that he's encouraging his girl like that! It's a nice camera, and she'll get a lot of use out of it. 

I picked up a used Panasonic LUMIX. It's a mirrorless camera that feels better in my hands. It's a little bigger than the Sony but much smaller than my Nikon. 

I shot with the LUMIX on Saturday morning as well as my Nikon. 

It's hard to explain, but the LUMIX feels more like me. I'm sure it's mainly because the grip is old-style, much like my Nikon. 

I've been shooting that big Nikon for six years now, so it's hard to change. I love that Nikon too, it's a great camera that takes amazing photos, I'll never sell it.

Use the Camera that Works for You

If you're new to cameras and trying to choose one, I'd recommend a used camera first. When I first bought my Nikon, it never dawned on me to try a used camera. 

It's a great way to try a camera without a steep financial commitment. KEH is a good place to start if you don't like the idea of buying from a stranger.

I bought my LUMIX off of Facebook from a local guy who was trading up to something that would work better for his videos. 

I did TONS of research before I bought my Nikon back in 2014. I chose it over Canon because of the color profile.

The colors from Nikon are very true to life. In all the comparisons I saw, I liked the Nikon color better. 

BUT - and this is a big BUT - everyone has different preferences. ALL of the major cameras out there today are amazing. 

You can get great shots with almost any digital camera you choose. It's all about learning how to use the camera.

Okay - a caveat. You will get clearer, sharper images with an expensive lens compared to a cheap lens. But you can get great photos with a mid-grade camera and lenses.

Don't get discouraged if you can't afford a super expensive pro camera. Learn the camera you have and you'll get great photos!  

I'm still learning on the Nikon and now I'm learning on the LUMIX. 

It's Just My Imagination

I got up early, got out to the bridge with Lauren, was super patient, froze my butt off, and got a lot of photos BUT didn't get the photo I was after.

Welcome to photography.

I did, however, get enough photos to make the photo of my imagination:

Composite photo of the moon over Atlanta

I don't know about you, but I like the composite photo better.

Reality can't always live up to my imagination! 

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday and get at least a few minutes to do something creative. It'll distract you from all the craziness we're experiencing right now!

Have a great rest of your week, and see you between the raindrops!

xoxo,
Susan

PS - I'm running my Black Friday sale early this year. Everything in my online gallery is 30% off - no coupon necessary! If you have ANY questions or issues with the website, contact me at susan@susanjphotography.com