Cat and moon both in focus?

[mapdealer]

Check out the last photo in the sequence of four on this link:

http://www.pbase.com/mapdealer/cat_and_moon

My son took the two shots with the cat and moon with a 10D and Sigma 70-200 2.8. He wanted the moon in focus too. By the time I got there to help, the cat was gone and the moon too high above the shed. I told him the only way to get them both in focus was to get the aperture down to get a better depth of field, probably slow the shutter too, and use the flash. This would take program mode and he only knows 'point and shoot' (idiot) mode. However, I don't know if we could have THAT much depth of field. Am I correct? Any suggestions?

[lightandlife]

Can you borrow a 1200mm lens?

Perhaps you can take a picture of both, and the cat would look larger than life but both the cat and the moon could be within the desired depth of field.

[elm54]

There are some very experienced photographers around here of which I am not one but, here's my 2 cents ;) I would use a tripod and shoot both subjects from the same position focusing on each and then blend them in PS... there are articles here and a few other sites on "shooting the moon" ( try a search ), me i've had no luck with the moon but I wish you some:D
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15292#80205
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12318#63707

Peace
Eric

[Webster]

You could use one of the newly announced "wavefront" lenses and get everything in focus. Of course, by the time they're actually on the market there will have been time to actually learn to use the actual camera.

[dbarthel]

Go with ELM54. Two shots on tripod, and lie with PS.

[clos]

dbarthel wrote:
Go with ELM54. Two shots on tripod, and lie with PS.

It's not lying...afterall that is how we perceive the image in real life.

-Clos

[pwagner]

Getting the proper exposure setting for the moon is surprisingly tough. I think that even if you did have the focus issue solved you would find the moon "blown-out" or the cat way too dark.

[cowman345]

I agree that the best way to do this (easily, i.e. without getting cat back in position) would be to shoot the same angle of just the moon, and expose for the moon.

If displaying online, I like to shrink original file size, then with the moon shot perfectly exposed, paste it in digitally at full size (or just not as shrunken as original). this has worked particularly well for me in this shot:

http://www.photoblink.com/imageView.asp?ImageID=75076

-dave-

[scotgasch]

It's not lying...afterall that is how we perceive the image in real life.

-Clos


Actually it is NOT how we see the image in real life...if you hold your finger in front of your face and focaus on it everything in the background is out of focus. It is humanly impossible to focus on two objects at varying distances at the same time.

[pwagner]

I haven't been able to get a really good picture of the moon, so here's the best I can do for you.


http://homepage.mac.com/pwagner650/Misc/CatAndMoon.jpg

[cowman345]

I would turn the brightness up on the moon so it glows... if you pasted it around the same size as the original moon, you can blend the edges of the new moon with the surrounding glow.

-dave-