Space Shuttle Launch EV? - DPChallenge Forums

12/08/2006 11:04:41 AM · #1

I live about 125 miles south west from where the shuttle is launched, and if it the sky is clear will have a good view, as I live out in the country where the sky is dark at night. I have photographed the launches before, but didn't record the camera settings as it was with film. The lens system that I plan to use is a Nikon 300mm 4.5 ED with 2X telextender, so my choice for aperture will be about effectively f 11, (5.6 minus 2 stops for the 2X.) I plan to shoot it with 400 film, as my S3 is in the repair shop this month. Anyone with experience photographing a night shuttle launch have a recommended shutter speed. I am guessing that 1/500 sec for the glow in the smoke ,or 1/750 if I want detail in the flame will be about right, but would like to get input from someone that has good night pics of a launch. I know that in the daytime, normal daylight exposure rule, f16 & 1/asa sec, gets it close to right for the flame.
They should post this info on the NASA site, but I have not found it.

12/08/2006 11:15:59 AM · #2

I'll see if I can find NASA's link for their recommendations. It definitely exists. When I shot the shuttle launch in 2000, they had a hand-out at the press area that gave their suggestions, and I've seen it on their web site. I'll do some Googling.

Here's one potentially helpful link (not the one I'm looking for, though):

Shuttle Launch Photography

Message edited by author 2006-12-08 11:19:10.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

12/08/2006 11:44:36 AM · #3

Well, I can't for the life of me find the link on NASA's site, although I KNOW it was there not too long ago, *somewhere*. Hopefully the link I posted in my previous message will be of help. Seems like there's a lot of good advice there.

When I went, I had three cameras set up in a row on tripods. I wish I remember what settings I used on my "main" camera, but I just used whatever that guide sheet had suggested (and it was film, so I can't go back and check EXIF data on it).

I'm guessing that any advice I'd give wouldn't really be too helpful here anyway, since you're trying to shoot it from a great distance, as opposed to the press area, too.

RainMotorsports

Nikon D60

12/08/2006 11:50:58 AM · #4

1/500 for the glow in the smoke? Thats way too fast in my opinon... while it will give you a clear shot due to the speed the shuttle is moving whens the last time you shot a fire..... You get more glow out of a long exposure then you do a short one short exposures tend to catch the details in the flames

12/08/2006 08:28:23 PM · #5

Nice night photo Alan, thanks. Do you know which launch this was? I will keep plundering the NASA site too. I have photos of STS 1, from the campground, and STS3, and 9 from the causeway. STS1 was an early morning launch, so I was shooting almost directly into the sunrise from about 12 miles. I notice in my daylight pics that the flame is much brighter than the shuttle, which is white. With the shuttle correctly exposed, the flame is washed out in some of my daylight pics. The flame is burning fuel with an oxidizer, and so it much hotter and brighter than an ordinary fire. Unless it's foggy, the air here is unusually clear, as it comes over the state from the ocean. I photographed one with a handicam from about 60 miles distance, and you could see the solids falling away.
I just had a good look at Stan's site, and in the daylight pics you can clearly see that the flame is at least 2 to 3 stops brighter than the white shuttle. They painted the big tank on the early shuttles, but discontiued the practice as it added a lot of weight and some cost.
I only wish that I had this kind of photo gear back when the Saturn 5's were being launched. They were amazing to see.
I will post how it turns out. Maybe my new Fuji S3 will arive by launch time if they scrub again.
I need to learn how to post photo links here. I will be working on that soon.
Thanks Rainmotor, I am not sure what the EV of the shuttle flame is, but I know that it's hugely brighter than any ordinary flame. What's Rain Motorsports about? Private mail me using this sites mail service if you want.

12/08/2006 09:05:37 PM · #6

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:

Nice night photo Alan, thanks. Do you know which launch this was?

It was STS-101, May 2000. I drove to the space center specifically for the launch, which thankfully went off within a reasonable time. The launch had been delayed several times, and when it was rescheduled for a week or so later, I decided to try to make the trip. It was delayed one more day after I got there, but went up on time at something like 6:11 a.m. What an incredible site!

I'm not sure how much help those NASA guidelines are going to be to you, even if you do find them. They're geared for the press guys who are right there at the press area, just three miles away. At 125 miles away, it's just going to be a dot, if that's where you're shooting it. I'd just set it on f16 or something, and do a timed exposure of a few seconds to capture the trail of it.

12/08/2006 10:29:16 PM · #7

I have seen it from here before, and still remember seeing the cloud of the Challenger incident. The actual shuttle will not be visible, but the flame trail is about the size of a candle flame at 30 ft. We hear the sonic boom here when they come back.
We camped out at Cape Canaveral for 3 nights awaiting the STS1 launch. It was worth the wait. I knew it was history, and wanted to be there. My slides from that launch were rather dark, but that's about what it looked like, as it was not full daylight yet. I shot that one with a Canon TX with a 135 and two 2X entenders. Sort of miss those simple times.
I ordered a new S3 Fuji from 42nd st Photo today. I will be having my old one repaired too, for back up and knocking around when it's not so camera friendly where I am going. The price there was lower than most of them on the "bay", and it's getting the 5 yr no hassle warranty too. The one that I wore out shot about 25K pics, and was beginning to show it's age. It shorted out somewhere inside badly enough that smoke came out, so it should be easy for them to find the problem.

12/09/2006 09:41:03 PM · #8

Good news, I made it to both the Christmas boat parade, and then to the site where I wanted to view the shuttle launch. The launch was beautiful from here. The flame was about like a medium to bright sunset as it was filtered thru 125 miles of light haze. My S3Fuji is in the shop, so I photographed it with film, using 400 asa at f 11, and bracketed from 1/30 to 1/350. I ran out of film just as it went dark at booster seperation, which worked out just about right. I shot all frames horizonal, and the flame was about 1/3 to 1/4 of the height of the frame in the viewfinder using the 300 with 2X extender. I could see the main engines for a long time after the booster sep. It looks like a bright blue star, only moving. The north bound trajectory made it appear to rise until about a minute after booster sep, then gradually move back down toward the northern horizon. I think that Rainmotorsports was right with the 1/500 being way too short exposure time.
I appreciate your input about this, and can see that exposure's not a matter of "done it before" but it's "what's your best guess now that it's happening" kind of shooting.
If I can get the negs without them cutting them up mid frame, I hope to get some prints soon, and will scan them. It will be tricky to have them printed as shot too. Bummer I didn't have slide film.