Go On! Shoot the Moon! It's Not As Hard As You Think it Is!
Crater-Clear Results: Tips and Secrets for Stunning Moon Shots
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Go Ahead! Shoot the Moon!
I cannot count how many time I get the question, "TJ, there's going to be a full moon tonight! How do I shoot it?" Once they get past the moon's intimidation factor, they see it's actually quite easy to photograph the full moon. It's the other phases that can get a little more tricky! But since shooting the full moon is, in fact, easier, we'll tackle that first.
Full Moon
Most people think you need a sturdy tripod, a dark desert sky, and a small miracle to photograph the moon, but I’m here to tell you that’s just not true. In fact, if you use what photographers call the "Looney 11" rule, you can capture crater-clear details while standing in your backyard or the middle of downtown Orlando - handheld! Because the moon is actually sitting in full, direct sunlight, we’re going to treat it like a daytime subject to get that professional, high-contrast finish.
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Looney 11 Rule
If you've ever tried to take a photo of a full moon on "Auto" mode, you probably ended up with a bright, glowing circle that looks more like a streetlamp than a celestial body. That happens because your camera's meter sees all that black sky and tries to "brighten" the scene, which completely overexposes the moon itself.The Looney 11 rule is a manual exposure shortcut that treats the moon like what it actually is: a sunlit object. Here is the technical breakdown:
Aperture: Set your lens to f/11. This is the "sweet spot" for most lenses to ensure maximum sharpness across the lunar surface. Set it and forget it.
ISO: Be sure to take your camera out of Auto ISO, then choose a base setting between ISO 200 and ISO 400. Keeping this low ensures you don't get digital "noise" in the dark areas of your photo. Take note the ISO settings in each of my photos I include. You'll see I'll change them up. But once you settle on an ISO, you can leave it alone too.
Shutter Speed: This is the part that feels like a "secret." Start off by setting your shutter speed to the reciprocal of your ISO or close to it. If you are at ISO 200, use 1/200th of a second. If you are at ISO 250, use 1/200th (or 1/250th). The "trick" here is to look at your shot and see if it is too bright for your liking. If it is, speed up. If it's too dark slow your shutter down.
By using these settings, you are telling the camera to ignore the black sky and focus only on the bright sunlight reflecting off the moon. Your light meter settings don't really come into play here. You can use Matrix or Center-Weighted if you use Nikon, or Evaluative or Partial if you use Canon. I've used both Matrix and CW with no noticable differences.
The result? You’ll see craters, mountain ranges, and "seas" that you never knew you could capture handheld. However, there are alway exceptions like the shot below. Notice the camera settings.
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In the shot above, I actually took 20 handheld shots and stacked them in Photoshop to get the sharpness I wanted. But that doesn't mean you have to always stack. It just helps cut through the atmospheric crud. If the Transparency and Seeing is "average" or "above average" then a single shot will get you a phenomenal shot!
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"Transparency" & "Seeing"
Before I even pack my camera into "Stormie" (my Jeep), I usually take a quick look at the free app called Astrospheric (Google Play & Apple). Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that weather data is notoriously and irritatingly wrong sometimes, but this app will give you a much better starting point than your average weather app or local news forecast.
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Instead of just telling you if it’s "sunny" or "cloudy," Astrospheric uses color-coded rows to show you the things photographers actually care about:
Cloud Cover: Obviously, we want as few clouds as possible!
Transparency: This tells you how clear the air is (is there dust, smoke, or haze in the way?).
Seeing: This is the big one for moon shots. It tells you how much the atmosphere is "wobbling."
The goal is to see as much dark blue on those rows as possible. If the app shows a bunch of dark blue, it’s a green light for me to head out. Light blue is OK, but you may have to take 10-20 shots and stack them. If it’s white, I know I'll probably be fighting a losing battle with a blurry moon! It's worth your time to get to know how to read this app. Not just for moon/night shots, but for anything!
Daytime Moon
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I love getting shots of the moon during the day! You have the chance to tell a really cool story! In the photo above, I saw the plane approaching the moon, hoping it would transit... and it did! The rocket photo below, however, was completely unintentional. I didn't even see the moon in the sky until I got home and started going through my shots!
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The Tripod Dilemma
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, most folks think a tripod is necessary to get moon shots of any kind. But there are times when you will want to use a good, sturdy tripod.
When you are chasing those thin, beautiful sliver moons, tiny crescents, or lunar eclipses, the game changes. Unlike a full moon that’s blasting sunlight back at you, a slivers, crescents, and eclipses provides significantly less light. If you want to capture the faint glow of Earthshine—that's when you can see the dark outline of the rest of the moon—you’re going to need to slow your shutter speed down way past what most people can hold steady.
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Even with the incredible vibration reduction found in modern cameras and lenses, once you start dropping your shutter speed to 1/15th of a second or slower while zoomed in at 600mm, every heartbeat is going to cause movement. Plus, at that magnification, the moon is moving across the sky faster than you think! A tripod keeps your frame locked in so you can focus on the Technique and Focus without worrying about the "wobble" from your own hands.
So for settings, set your aperture to f/11 as always. Since you're on a tripod, you can drop your ISO if you want. Start at your lowest native number - like 100 (or 64 if your camera goes that low). If you have a remote trigger, using it now will keep you from having to touch your camera. If not, use your timer. Set your shutter to 1/20 and take a shot. If it's too dark slow your shutter down; too bright, then speed it up.
The rule of thumb is simple: If the moon is big, bright, and full, go handheld and enjoy the freedom. If it’s a sliver or you’re shooting in very low light and want to keep your ISO at a crisp 100, lock it down!
If you have any tips or tricks of your own for moon photography, I would love to hear them so feel free to drop a comment below! To see more of my shots, moon or otherwise, visit my website!!
Still struggling to get the moon to look like a celestial body instead of a glowing blob? Don't let the technical side stop you from capturing the sky. If you want to master your gear and nail that moon in person, click here to book a one-on-one lesson with me and let’s get shooting!
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Great article TJ, especially for a beginner like me! How often I look at the moon and wish to capture it!
ReplyDeleteA final tip is practice, practice, practice!
Thank you Cristina! I look forward to seeing some of your moon shots!
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