Top tips for photographing the moon and getting a cracking shot

© "Moon" by harry-m

This week, John McClumpha, one of our most active gold members here at the Photography Campus, posed a questions in the forums; What's the best way to photograph the moon?

That's because on March 19 (this friday) the moon will be the closest it's been to the earth since 1993 - creating a phenomenon known as a 'super moon'. 

John's clearly keen to get out there with the werewolves, witches and whatever the heck else comes out to stare at the moon, so to help him and anyone else who dares take on this challenge we thought we'd throw forth a few tips.

What gear you'll need to photograph the moon?

1. A camera.

OK you'd figured this one out yourself. Happily, it doesn't have to be the super duper expensive or have a billion gadgets or flashes, but it will need a zoom. Use the longest you can. The moon is a long way away and zooming in will help you fill the frame, rather than just have a weird little dot in the middle of the sky that with a heap of imagination and a significant amount of explaining reveals itself as the moon.

2. A reasonable lens.

We've just mentioned you need a zoom but does it your lens have to be a super fast? Not really. The good thing about the moon is that it's bright, like really bright, so it comes with it's very own light source. If you have access to a 2x teleconverter for your zoom or telephoto lens go for it, it all helps. We recommend if you can try and get hold of a 300mm zoom.

3. A tripod.

Because the moon as we just noted is bright a tripod isn't always a necessity. It's great to have if you own one or can borrow one, and if you need help holding your zoom. But if you don't have access to one you can hand hold. The brightness should help you get a decent shutter speed.

© Moon over Bath by Daz Smith

What settings work best for photographing the moon?

1. Exposure.

As you know if you want lots of detail you choose a high numbered aperture. It's the same with shooting the moon. There is a twist inherent in this task however. It's easy to think because it's night time you need to get in as much light as possible and therefore have a small numbered aperture such as f/2.8 or f/4. But yet again because of the bright light the moon emanates if anything it's advisable to underexpose your shot by as much as one stop. F/11 is a good place to start.

2. Shutterspeed.

It's easy to forget that the moon is actually moving. And so for that matter are we. So if the shutterspeed is too long it will blur. Again at the risk of sounding like a broken record because the moon is bright a fast shutter speed is the go here. Also if you are hand holding a zoom you'll need a fast shutter speed to prevent any blur from hand movement.

3. ISO.

Keep it as low as possible. Camera noise often hides in the dark areas and there's plenty of dark in a moon shot.

© "Moon" by emreterock     

Some composition thought starters for photographing the moon.

1. Dead centre.

It's the most obvious sure and hey if you get a rocking dead centre shot of the moon you're doing well. But whilst you're out there why not have a play?

2. Half and half.

Just because it's a super big moon doesn't mean you have to take a full shot of it. Allow us to explain. The moon being a circle in a black sky makes for a great graphic shape. So why not crop it to create negative space that allows for a dynamic composition. It can create a sensational image.

3. Why have one moon when you can have two?

This is more of a post production trick but if you can get the surrounding sky black enough, why not clone the moon to create a moonscape all of your own?

© "Moon Sliced" by Kavya Bhat  

4. Shoot either side of the super- moon too. 

Funnily enough you can get more of a 3D look when you can only see a slither of the moon. The slight shading on the edges  help accentuate its roundness.

5. Shoot through something.

You can get some fantastic graphic patterns and shapes by shooting through foliage or windows or branches so they are silhouetted against the bright surface of the moon. If all else fails we find making shadow puppets against the moon a sure fire winner. But then we're easily bored and clearly immature.

No matter what you do, make sure you enjoy yourself and remember if there's clouds they can really add to the texture of the shot as well. And imagine how great it will look reflecting its light on the water? So what do you think? Have you got any thoughts to add? Add your comments below.