HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH THE MOON

At some point every photographer decides to try and photograph the Moon and why not, it is a beautiful subject.

On first attempt the results are often disappointing with the Moon being over exposed and appearing as just a white disc.

Here are some great tips and tricks to help you take amazing Moon images with plenty of detail.

USE YOUR LONGEST LENS

The Moon is over a quarter of a million miles away so it makes sense to use the longest lens you have available. At minimum a 200mm lens will do the job but if you have access to longer lenses then use them. Even with a 200mm lens you will get good results that you can crop into in post production.

IF YOU OWN A TRIPOD, USE IT

A sturdy tripod will definitely help you to get better results. Setting your camera on a solid base will prevent camera shake as well as enabling you to frame your image and concentrate on taking the shots. If you do not have a tripod available the last tip below will enable you to shoot handheld and still take great photos.

SET YOUR CAMERA TO MANUAL MODE

To ensure you get the best results you will need to have complete control over your aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Using manual mode will give you this control, other modes like aperture priority and shutter priority will give false exposure readings and result in overexposed images.

IGNORE YOUR CAMERAS EXPOSURE METER

This may seem like an odd piece of advice but your camera’s exposure meter will try to work out an average exposure reading based on the full scene. With the Moon being basically a very bright sphere set against a very dark background, the camera will give a false reading and over expose the Moon itself. This brings us to the next tip on how to set up your camera.

THE LUNAR 11 RULE

If we are ignoring our exposure meter how should we set up the camera?

This is where the ‘Lunar 11 rule’ will be your best friend, it is incredibly simple and gives great results every time.

The first thing to do is to set your aperture to F:11, hence the name.

Next you need to set your shutter speed to match your ISO.

For example if you are using ISO 200 then set your shutter speed to 1/200th of a second.

The Lunar 11 rule will produce images that show all of the Moon’s details in both the highlights and the shadows.

Another advantage of using the Lunar 11 rule is that by increasing your ISO and shutter speed you can work handheld without the need for a tripod.

If you set your ISO to 800 you can now set your shutter speed to 1/800th of a second which should be fast enough for handheld shots to be steady and sharp.

Below is a list of settings, using the Lunar 11 rule, that will help you to get great Moon

photographs.