mario’s note: We continue with the series of Getting Started Guides. On this occasion, Iaio Atamián brings 13 tips and tricks that will help you improve your photos of the moon or launch yourself into this type of photography if you have never tried it before. And if you want to go deeper into the night photographydo not miss this mega guide that I have prepared for you with tips, tricks and a lot of inspiration.
Since the beginning of humanity, the moon has been the object of the greatest fascination for human beings. Source of light among so much darkness, the moon has become one of the most wonderful elements that decorate the celestial landscape that surrounds us, and one of the most coveted objects by photographers, when thinking about and taking their photographs.
Have you ever tried to take photos of the full moon on a clear night in search of capturing its magnificence? You’ve made it?
Don’t worry, in today’s article I will teach you everything you need to know so that you can take not only incredible portraits but also start using this star when composing your photographs.
- Find out what phase you are in
- find a good place
- the darker the better
- Prepare your team
- Use a remote control or delay mode
- Use spot metering mode
- maximum focal length
- middle opening
- ISO at minimum
- Not too fast, not too slow
- Locks the mirror for stability
- Check the photos 100%
- Edition
How to photograph the moon: preparations
Although it may seem like a relatively simple task, getting the best results when photographing the moon is not at all easy.
Before starting, I recommend that you take a look at the following articles that will be very useful to make the most of the advice that I am here to bring you today:
- As in most cases, the photos of the moon are taken at night, I recommend that you read: Introduction to night photography.
- Although it may not seem like it, the moon moves very fast, so you will need to measure and expose correctly to find the ideal shutter speed. I recommend that you take a look at how to take long exposure photos and the following examples of light metering modes.
- Much more difficult than photographing the moon is photographing a starry sky, so if you follow Mario’s advice in the article: how to photograph a sky full of stars, photographing the moon will be much easier.
- In low light conditions, it is very likely that your photos will be blurred if you do not take the necessary precautions. Don’t worry, if you read the following article you won’t have any problem: how to avoid blurred photos in 6 easy steps.
What equipment do I need to take photos of the moon?
This is the equipment you need to take photos of the moon (successfully):
1. Photo camera
To get some good photos of the moon, you don’t need to go into the dilemma of which camera you need: SLR or compact, since you can get good results with either of the two. What you can not miss is a good zoom.
There are bridge and compact cameras with a lot of zoom, and if that’s not your case and you don’t have a telephoto lens, you can borrow one or even rent one.
2. Tripod
No matter how many stabilizers the current photo cameras bring, if you want to obtain the best results, the ideal is that you get a good tripod to gain stability. You can borrow one or run to a store to get yours, but first, be sure to read the following article where Mario explains how to choose one that is worth it, the tripod that your camera would like to have.
3. remote control
The ideal, since you are going to work with very long focal lengths, is that you use a remote control when shooting your camera and thus avoid accidentally moving your camera when pressing the shutter. In any case, you can use the “shot delay” mode that all cameras have in their menu, and thus avoid being in contact with it at the time of shooting.
Don’t forget that the camera is only a medium, so if you don’t have a SLR camera with a telephoto lens or a super zoom compact digital, you will have to use your creativity and get around this inconvenience with, for example, long views or a telescope
Moon phases
Before going out to take the best portraits that someone has ever taken of the moon, you must first know what phase it is in. Why? Imagine crossing a field to reach a lake, plant the tripod, set up your camera and after a few hours of waiting, you realize that there is a new moon.
Almost any daily calendar marks the lunar phases, but if you don’t have one at hand or you don’t feel like going to look for it, here is a page where you can check what phase the moon is in or will be in soon: Spanish lunar calendar.
Be careful to look at the lunar calendar of your geographical area when planning your next photos of the moon.
How to take pictures of the moon with spectacular results?
Next, I leave you the steps that I promised you at the beginning with their corresponding advice, so that you can obtain the best results when taking your photos of the moon:
1. Find out what phase it is in
As the protagonist of this article is the moon, the first thing you should make sure is that it is visible and in a phase that is interesting for you to portray it. You can do it on a full moon, or when it waxes or wanes. It seeks to achieve the greatest visual impact.
2. Find a good spot
The moon will be there, always above your head, the problem is where you are going to stand to be able to photograph it. Look for surfaces that allow you to work comfortably with your equipment and where you can firmly support your tripod.
3. The darker the better
Although you can take some amazing photos of the moon during the day, first try it in the ideal conditions: in the dark of night. Likewise, it is not the same to carry them out in a city that reflects a lot of its light in the atmosphere, than in the middle of a field. You must configure your equipment according to the place where you are going to take the shots.
4. Prepare your team
Once you have chosen the place, mount your tripod in such a way that it is as stable as possible. If you don’t know how to do it, here is a little help on how to properly mount a tripod. Be careful to take some flashlights with you, as in the dark of night you may lose some of your equipment if you are not careful enough.
5. Remote control or delay mode
In order to prevent pressing the shutter button from causing you to move the entire camera, use a remote shutter release or set the camera to “delay mode” for 5 or 10 seconds, so that you can walk away from it calmly enough without pulling. any.
6. Use spot metering mode
Since the protagonist of the shot is the moon, configure your camera so that it measures the light in a specific way. This will allow your camera to properly measure the moonlight for the scene.
7. Maximum focal length
To get the closest approach, use the maximum focal length that your zoom lens allows. The focal length is measured in millimeters and this will depend on the lens you are using or the one that comes with your compact or bridge digital camera. Whatever your camera, zoom to the maximum and try to focus at infinity.
8. Middle Opening
In order to capture the greatest amount of detail on the lunar surface, it is recommended to use medium apertures. If the diaphragm opening of your lens goes from f/3.5 to f/22, using a diaphragm at f/8 uf/11 would be ideal. By closing the diaphragm, you will allow “less light” to enter the sensor but will increase the depth of field.
9. Sensitivity to the minimum
When working in low light conditions, minimizing the ISO sensitivity as much as possible will help not only reduce photo noise, but also achieve a really black sky.
10. Not too fast, not too slow
The shutter speed should not be fast enough that the picture comes out completely dark, nor so slow that, as a result of the movement of the moon, it ends up drawing a white trail on the sensor. You will have to find the balance between sensitivity, aperture and shutter speed to achieve a correct exposure. You can start by shooting at 1/125s and increase or decrease the shutter speed as you see fit.
11. Locks the mirror for stability
SLR cameras work with mirrors that allow the scene to be viewed through the viewfinder before they rise and thus allow light to reach the sensor. When the mirror is raised, it can cause camera shake. Use Live View mode if you notice jitter in your lunar photos.
12. Check your moon photos 100%
Once you have taken the shot, do not settle for seeing that the viewfinder shows it clearly. The small screens of the cameras can deceive our eyes, so I recommend that you view the photos at 100% zoom to verify their sharpness.
13. From the viewer to the computer. Edition
Once you have downloaded your photos of the moon, you can retouch them, reinforce the lights and shadows, improve the contrast, crop them, etc. using the editing software that you handle best.
In any case, keep in mind that it is very difficult to achieve a good photo in the edition if it was not taken correctly, so repeat all the previous steps if you are not satisfied with the results.
The final result
The moon as a compositional element
Most likely, at first, you just want to take a good picture of the moon with your brand new camera to show off in front of your friends or expand your archive, but after a short time, and as you acquire more and more knowledge, you will begin to see the moon as a means to convey or reinforce a message.
As I told you in the article on how to capture and transmit movement, “A photograph is truly impressive not only when a good composition is achieved or if the subject or object is attractive enough, but what differentiates a good photograph from an exceptional one is the sensation that it manages to convey to the observer.”
The moon helps to reinforce the message, to convey a sense of atmosphere and place in the photographs, its light tinges the scenes with drama and its mere presence charges any photograph with emotion. The climate it generates, the light it reflects, the feelings it transmits have made it a means for your photographs to take a leap in quality.
Photos of the moon to inspire you
To be honest, the photos of the moon alone in the sky, beyond impressing you with what you are capable of doing and practicing, are of little interest. It seeks to include other elements that give meaning…