[Launch Alert] Launch Photo Advice

[Brian Webb]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                         kd6nrp at earthlink.net
                     http://www.spacearchive.info
		       
                               2009 December 8 (Tuesday) 19:50 PST
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                         LAUNCH PHOTO ADVICE

Since some of you will be on or near Vandenberg AFB for Friday's
launch, I thought some photographic advice might be in order.

Perhaps the easiest type of launch photo you could take would be a
time exposure that shows ignition and initial rise of the rocket.

To capture such a photo, use the following settings:

Camera Orientation: Portrait

Framing: Launch pad slightly above the center bottom of the frame

Lens: 50mm fixed focal length lens or zoom lens set to 50mm

Exposure: Open shutter from T-15 seconds until the rocket exits
          the lens' field of view

ISO: 100

f/ Stop: The f/stop is determined by your distance from the launch
         pad.

                   Distance (miles)

         3.125           6.25          12.5

         f/22            f/16          f/11

If you can't be near the base for launch, you may still get a photo
op because there's a chance the rocket's first stage will produce
a tenuous, jellyfish-like plume at high altitude. The suggested
settings to record this phenomenon are:

Camera Orientation: Landscape

Lens: 50mm fixed focal length lens or zoom lens set to 50mm

Exposure: 1/15, 1/4, 1, and 4 seconds

ISO: 800

f/ Stop: f/4

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Copyright 2009, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
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