How to photograph the moon at night on a DSLR. How to Photograph the Moon: An easy way to capture moon shots full of details. How to Photograph the Moon: Equipment Needed

Greetings! Again with you, Timur Mustaev. What kind of objects photographers do not undertake to shoot. They are not at all afraid of their unusualness or complexity. The types of photography where you need to make a lot of effort include photographing, for example, celestial bodies, in particular stars and the moon. And for the most courageous, today's topic is how to photograph the moon with a SLR.

A beautiful full moon, for example, is very common. This has happened many times in my life. Yes, but I didn’t have a camera with me at that time. But this does not upset me, and I will definitely find my "Moon".

Main difficulties

Do you remember how you yourself or someone tried to capture this beautiful satellite of the earth on your phone when there was no camera at hand? Agree, I want to make a high-quality image so that the lunar disk is visible in detail, and not just as a bright spot in the black sky.

Of course, the point is in the capabilities of the phone, and in the settings themselves. With a DSLR, such as Nikon or Canon, it is quite possible to realize the idea.

You can use not only professional photographic equipment, but also budget models, for example, take pictures on a canon 600d, Nikon d3100, Nikon d5100, etc. show themselves well in this matter.

The specificity of the moon as the main subject, in my opinion, is obvious to many even non-professional photographers.

There are two shooting times:

After sunset or before dawn;
At night.

Difficulties increase markedly when preparing the camera for the second situation, when the lighting becomes noticeably less.

Firstly, as night falls, the moon gets higher and farther from us, therefore, you obviously need to take a picture of it in all its glory.

It is even better to wait for a certain period when the moon approaches the earth as much as possible. So it was quite recently - in November of this year (2016), and is also expected in mid-December.

Secondly, the brightness of the moon is very high, its contrast with the sky becomes striking in the dark. Although there is a plus: you don’t need to worry about displaying the color of the sky, because it’s just black (dark blue), but focus on the moon.

Stages of photographing the moon

So, let's move on to practice how to photograph the moon step by step:

1. Preparation and filming

a) Camera setup

For this case, choose . We set three main parameters: , . Don’t worry too much about white balance, you can set it to auto or choose one of the suggested modes, in which the image will go into colder or warmer shades.

Regarding light sensitivity (ISO), the advice of most connoisseurs, and mine too, is not to increase it unnecessarily. Noise is of no use to us.

Acceptable footage in twilight conditions (late evening, early morning) can also be obtained at values of 100-200. Somewhere up to 400, and with a good camera up to 800, the graininess is not so visible in the picture.

The aperture is set as standard, as for landscape photography - about 7.1-9. If the picture is completely dark and the optics cannot cope with these values, then open f when shooting the moon, a slight bokeh may appear around it, but this is not essential. In the future, it is planned to cut the object from the photo.

If you can not fool around with the aperture, then what kind of shutter speed is needed?
Again, in the case when it is not yet dark, it will be adequate to set 1/100, even 1/160. But with the onset of night, such indicators will not pass, you need to significantly reduce it - 1/30 and then 1/15, that is, increase the exposure time, thereby passing more light through the lens.

From now on, you should use . We take a tripod just in order to be able to increase the time on the camera, while not risking creating negative vibrations.

But there is one nuance that can affect the image. Since the moon is still noticeably moving across the sky, a slow shutter speed (in the region of several minutes) can make the picture blurry due to the fact that it will catch exactly this movement of the main object.

In addition, any breeze can shake your tripod during this time period, unless it is made of durable material and is stable enough. Therefore, it makes sense not to get carried away by varying the shutter speed on the camera.

For photographing the disk of the moon, it is better to use spot metering exposure.

Better to use manual focus, for precise focusing. With automatic, there is a possibility of a miss. You can use the mode to make it easier to see the focus.

In addition to working with equipment, by default, the task is to scout the area from where you will be filming and roughly determine the future composition.

On the Internet or using a special application on your phone, you can easily find out the time of sunset, the appearance of the moon and its movement in the sky. key point the presence of cloudiness will be: if these are rare clouds, then the lunar disk will look even more interesting, periodically peeking out from behind them; in high cloud cover nothing will come of it.
For a great shot, consider all these factors!

b) Photographing

After adjusting and setting the camera, take a photo of the lunar object in the maximum enlarged view, focusing exactly on it. The second frame is a general landscape. In order not to miss the settings and focus, which is even more difficult to do in the dark, organize a series of shots.

2. Processing

Be sure to shoot in , this will allow you to better process your picture.

The more difficult the subject and the conditions for photographing, the more you will have to mess around in the photo editor after. Our case is no exception. Besides the fact that it is worth adjusting such standard indicators as color, clarity, saturation, graininess, etc., you can also do cropping if you are interested.

To do this, you need to take 2 photos:

As close as possible to the moon (long-focus lens);
General background (not enlarged).

Having taken two pictures - the moon and the general background, they need to be combined. Despite, most likely, the unnaturally increased size of the lunar disk, in general, the picture should look harmonious, without the obvious intervention of Photoshop. The main recommendation when overlaying a photo is to leave enough space at the top of the image. In this case, the moon can be blocked by a tall object (building, hill), which will not reduce its attractiveness.

As you have already understood, we figured out the main points, one of the difficult situations is how to photograph the moon at night or at dusk.

Does it really seem too difficult to you now? I hope not anymore. Don't be afraid to try and do something for the first time. After all, you are growing as a photographer, gaining experience and improving your own skills.

The main thing is to prepare and arm yourself with any SLR camera that has fairly wide photographic capabilities - nikon, canon, sony, for example.

As you know, every self-respecting photographer should know well, firstly, his SLR camera, and secondly, to know graphic editors such as Lightroom and Photoshop. Based on this, I want to recommend the following courses, which once helped me, as well as those to whom I recommended them.

or My first MIRROR. You should start learning from this video course if you are new to photography and do not understand your subject at all. reflex camera. The course will help you understand all the intricacies of your camera.
. The course is dedicated to the graphic editor Lightroom, which is designed specifically for photographers to make their work easier. The course describes how to competently work with Lightroom, as well as what it is capable of and what it is good for.
. From this course, acquaintance with such a "great" graphic editor as Photoshop begins. The video course contains all the basics for a proper understanding of it. Very simple, clear and at the same time very useful video course.
. Completing my collection is a video course designed specifically for photographers. From the course, you will learn how to properly process photos, how to do it professional photographers.

Digital SLR for beginners 2.0- if you have a NIKON, this is the course for you.

My first MIRROR— if you have CANON, this course is for you.

Lightroom is an indispensable tool for the modern photographer.

Photoshop from scratch in VIP 3.0 video format

Photoshop for photographer 3.0. VIP

That's all for me. Happy, readers of my photoblog! I wish you productive photo shoots! If available practical advice and additions, share in the comments, it will be interesting to read.

All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.

Pictures of the big moon over landscapes in the vast majority of cases are the result of what is called a double exposure. Even when the Moon approaches the Earth at a minimum distance, as it happened relatively recently, it is too small to fill the frame of a conventional camera. However, there is a way to overcome a distance of thousands of kilometers and present the Moon in an interesting perspective.
On May 5, 2012, the Moon was at perigee (the point of closest approach to the Earth). The same thing happened in March 2011, but in both cases it was too far away and the pictures turned out to be a little more than a small coin. To be precise, in March 2011 the Moon was at a distance of 356,575 km from the Earth, and in May of this year at a distance of 356,955 km.

Canon EOS MK III camera with 400mm lens

When photographed with a wide-angle lens, the moon looks like a small disk high in the sky

No matter where you are on Earth, you can only see a large moon if it is slightly above the horizon. The higher the Moon is in the sky, the smaller it appears. And high up in the night sky, the Moon is just a small dot, especially if you're using a wide-angle lens to frame other objects such as, say, a building or a monument.

1. Long lens or telescope

If you don't attach a camera to a telescope, even a 400mm lens isn't enough to take pictures of the big moon. And the trick here is to take two shots with different exposures, and then merge them into one.

Shot with 400mm lens, APS-C sensor camera

The small picture shows full frame and its dimensions. On the large one - a cut out part of it and exposure settings. Shot with 400mm lens, APS-C sensor camera.

First you need to take a picture of the desired object, and then take a picture of the moon in the same place, in order to then create the final image. Or you can shoot the Moon in another more interesting place. Create a library of interesting moon shots for future reference. Remember to warn viewers that your work is a montage.

2. The solar rule of sixteen

Because the Moon is far away and surrounded by dark skies, many people cannot align correctly. Camera sensors concentrate on large dark areas and require more light than necessary. As a result, in the pictures, the Moon looks like a blurry disk without delineated details. Just remember that, in essence, the Moon reflects sunlight, and therefore, as a guide to setting exposure, it is recommended to use " solar rule of sixteen". A shutter speed setting of 1/125 at f/16 and ISO 100 should do the trick, especially with a full moon.

Keep one component the same and change the rest

When setting the exposure, keep one component constant, and change the rest until you achieve a good result. In this photo, the aperture was constantly at f / 8, and the shutter speed was changed to achieve the optimal result. The camera was on a tripod.

3. Do the math

Settings for " solar rule of sixteen» can be considered initial. If the image is too dark, you should either increase your shutter speed or open your aperture wider. If you're using a tripod, it doesn't matter what settings you change. One thing is important - to work fast enough. Up to 1/15 you can feel quite comfortable, but do not forget that large lenses slow down the shutter speed. The larger the lens, the more noticeable movement will be in the frame.

If you are holding the camera in your hands and shooting with a lens, say 400 mm, you need to reduce the shutter speed. Settings of 1/500 at f/8 will produce the same exposure. If the pictures are too dark, open the aperture wider. The last resort is to zoom in, which is not difficult to do in modern cameras.

4. Remember the main thing

Remember the following because it is important. You can't shoot the moon at slow shutter speeds. Due to the rotation of the Earth, a white line in the sky may appear in your images. But if you go for slower shutter speeds and use a tripod to get sharp images, you can try the mirror lockup feature along with the remote control. Another solution to the problem is to use the camera's timer in conjunction with the mirror lockup function to reduce vibration. Use a stable tripod, not these cheap supermarket crafts that can't handle even a light breeze.

Final snapshot

A large shot is an example of a photomontage. The small one shows a real picture and indicates that the moon is not so close to the castle.

Once you've taken a picture of the moon, take a photo of the scenery you want to paste it into. The illustration above is an example of how to do this. When shooting a landscape, leave enough room at the top of the frame to fit the moon. Knowledgeable people will immediately understand that this is a photomontage, but here the general concept of creating such images is simply described. The castle on the mountain used as an illustration is located in Central Africa in a mountain range that in ancient times was called the Mountains of the Moon (the modern name is Rwenzori).

The small image in the illustration shows that when you shoot a subject from a distance, elements such as the castle and the moon appear to be the same size, and this allows you to take photos that actually make the moon look big without having to resort to all sorts of tricks.

Moon has always attracted people's attention. The mysterious distant planet has always been surrounded by clouds of myths, rumors and secrets. Sometimes lunar landscapes are so beautiful and expressive that even novice photographers uncover their simple soap dishes (or mobile phones) in the hope of capturing this miracle. Unfortunately, the results of such spontaneous filming are often more than depressing. In this article we learning to photograph the moon.

When is the best time to photograph the moon?

It's no secret that the moon can be seen even during the day. Sometimes a narrow sickle suddenly appears in a clear cloudless sky, sometimes a little more. But we will never see the full moon during the day. why?

Everything is very simple. To see the full moon, we must have the sun on the opposite side, that is, beyond the horizon. Therefore, we must have the night, or at least the evening. Photographing the moon during the day is not very interesting. She is dull, dull and expressionless.

On a dark night, the moon is the easiest to photograph. She is bright and clear. Since the sky around her is almost black, you don't have to worry about how to somehow convey its color.

The most interesting, but at the same time difficult to perform, are shooting the moon at sunrise or sunset at dusk. Usually, these are the most picturesque paintings. Imagine a quiet summer evening, all the work in the garden has already been completed, you look up from the garden and suddenly you see a large full moon above the horizon, bright and yellow, like a polished copper coin.

If at heart you are more of a photographer than a gardener, then you immediately wash your hands of the greasy black earth, grab your camera and rush beyond the village to take this magical landscape against the backdrop of a forest, river or something else beautiful enough.

Indeed, if you know how to photograph such landscapes correctly, they turn out to be simply excellent.

My brother famous photographer Artem Kashkanov shows
how to photograph the moon

How to photograph lunar landscapes

When shooting at dusk, all novice photographers have the same problem. I'm not talking about the fact that some shoot such landscapes in auto mode with a flash :)

We are talking about the fact that the Moon in the evening sky is a fairly bright object. If you set up your camera so that the evening landscape itself turns out well, then instead of such a bright and beautiful moon in the photo, you get just a white spot. If you shorten the shutter speed, then the moon itself will turn out very well, but the landscape will be very dark, barely visible.

Moreover, if a photographer sees a real landscape in front of him with a large and beautiful Moon, which you really want to photograph without stopping, then in the photo it usually turns out to be just a bright small dot.

What to do?

What is the best way to photograph the moon?

Alas, I would be the last scoundrel if I said that a beautiful lunar landscape can be obtained even using a camera mobile phone. At some stage in the development of technology, this will probably be possible, but now we need something more serious.

To photograph the moon, it is better to use a film camera with a telephoto lens. Why film? Everything is very simple. The dynamic range of film is noticeably wider than that of even professional digital cameras. So, in order to get a beautiful photo of the Moon against the backdrop of an evening landscape, take out your old Zenith, stomp to the store for film (sensitivity no more than ISO 100) and get a telephoto lens somewhere. Naturally, all this had to be done in advance, and not rush around the evening city in search of an open photo shop where they sell film.

However, it is quite possible to shoot the Moon on a digital SLR if you know how.

Here are some pictures I took from the balcony of my own apartment. On the example of these photos, you can understand what parameters should be set when shooting lunar landscapes. Photos are given without any computer processing.

Photo 1. Time 7:59. ISO 320, shutter speed 1/50, aperture 5.6, focal length 400mm.

Despite the fact that the sky was already bright, I had to make it darker due to a shorter shutter speed. Otherwise, a bright spot would have turned out instead of the Moon.

Photo 2. Time 8:09. ISO 100, shutter speed 1/30, aperture 4.5, focal length 100mm.

I hope you remember the rule: the lower the sensitivity, the less noise the matrix, the better photo. In order to get the city, the shutter speed is increased. The result is obvious - the drawing on the moon is not readable.

Photo 3. Time 8:27. ISO 100, shutter speed 1/100, aperture 4.5, focal length 100mm.

As the sky gets lighter and lighter, it becomes possible to capture not only the image on the surface of the Moon, but also the landscape below it. If you slightly modify the "ground" in Photoshop, you get a quite tolerable picture.

Photo 4. Time 8:28. ISO 100, shutter speed 1/100, aperture 5.6, focal length 400mm.

This picture was taken almost immediately after the previous one. The only thing that was changed from the settings - focal length and, accordingly, the diaphragm. Note that as you get closer to the horizon, the outlines of the details on the surface of the Moon become more and more blurred, and the edges more jagged. This is due to the effect of "trembling" of the atmosphere.

Photo 5. Time 8:40. ISO 100, shutter speed 1/160, aperture 5.6, focal length 400mm.

The closer to the horizon, the bigger the moon appears. However, the less clear it is. We look at the Moon through a thick layer of air, which, unfortunately, is not as transparent as we would like. In this and the next photo, the sky and the earth are slightly "cropped".

Photo 6. Time 8:44. ISO 100, shutter speed 1/160, aperture 5.6, focal length 400mm.

And in conclusion, here is such a fantastic picture. If I had not seen the whole process, but accidentally cast my glance in that direction, I would have been quite surprised and would have wondered for a long time what kind of dome appeared on the horizon. After all, the details on the surface of the moon are now completely indistinguishable.

How closer moon to the horizon, the faster its "fall" becomes. This is the moment when the photographer must be very attentive and capture the most interesting moments. For example, the passage of the Moon behind a pillar, etc.

The sun and the moon in the frame at the same time!

This photo was taken with an ordinary, and not at all a professional Canon EOS 300D digital SLR with the simplest kit lens. However, let's forget about the technical shortcomings of shooting for a second and be surprised: both the Sun and the Moon are present in the frame at the same time:

If I had noticed this situation earlier, when the sun had not yet completely set, the picture would have been even more interesting. Theoretically, there is nothing impossible for you to take such a photo. It is only necessary to properly calculate the date when such a combination will be possible, guess that the weather will be good and - forward.

How to photograph a lunar eclipse

If you become aware that a private event will soon take place, and even better, total eclipse of the moon, this is a great occasion to spend the night in nature, breathe fresh air and, at the same time, make great shots. Photographing the Moon during an eclipse also has a number of secrets and features.

Of course, you understand that you need to arm yourself with a telephoto lens and a tripod. Most importantly, do not miss the moment of the beginning of the eclipse. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is a long process and, accordingly, it begins very smoothly.

Then it is worth filming all the phases of the eclipse, including the moment when only a narrow sickle remains from the Moon.

By the way, even during a total lunar eclipse, you can still see the dark part of the moon. It is visible due to sunlight passing through the earth's atmosphere and partially scattered by it. Your camera will see this especially well if you slightly lengthen the shutter speed:

Here it is worth paying attention again to the fact that the use of high-quality optics and a matrix can significantly affect the result. For example, take a look at this photo:

Then, in 2004, it seemed to me that this photo was quite clear and of high quality. However, I no longer think so.

In this article I will tell you how to photograph the moon. And not even just the moon, but a landscape with the moon. Let me tell you right now that this is not an easy task. But the result can be very, very interesting. It's worth the effort for it. First, let's decide when is the best time to shoot. Of course everyone has seen the different phases of the moon. Such crescents, with different widths of the illuminated part. Every day the crescents become wider and wider, until the full moon finally comes.

Oh those full moon days! Poetic time! I want to read poetry, fall in love, compliment girls. But this time we won't do any of that. Because we're going to shoot a landscape with the moon. Although you can take the girl with you. It will not only inspire you, but also serve as a detail in the frame, an element of the foreground.

The full moon is important to us for another reason. The fact is that you need to shoot a landscape with the moon during a moonrise. Those. when the moon just appears above the horizon.

First, at this time, the brightness of the lunar disk is relatively low. It is quite comparable with the brightness of the foreground, with the details of our future landscape. In other words, all the elements of our image will be displayed adequately and will not require any special post-processing in Photoshop.

Secondly, as long as the moon is not high above the horizon, it is easily arranged in the landscape, in other words, it is adequately combined with the ground details of the foreground of our future image.

But remember, the moon rises very quickly above the horizon. Therefore, the shooting time is very limited. About 30 minutes. But do not rush to send the model girl to the starting position. A little more astronomy.

It is important to know that the time of moonrise is a variable value. Each subsequent moonrise is shifted in time by 20-40 minutes ahead. Here, watch her. And you will see that the moon during its month can rise in the morning and in the afternoon and at night.

On full moon days, the time of its rise is very close to the time of sunset. To put it poetically, the days of the full moon, this is the time when the sun, as it were, meets the moon. It's like they're looking at each other. Well, then the sun hurries over the horizon to rest. And the moon remains the main thing in the sky.

Here is another very important astronomical subtlety. Two days before the full moon, our night luminary rises before sunset. With a difference of several minutes. In two days, its sunrise will be after sunset, at the end of twilight, almost in the dark.

Therefore, these two days before the full moon are very important for us as photographers. They are the ideal time to shoot a landscape with the moon.

Imagine a lunar month as a series of days characterizing some particular phase. In this case, the day of the full moon will be the 15th day of the lunar month. BUT optimal time for shooting our landscape there will be 13 and 14 days of the lunar month. True, these days the illumination of the lunar disk is not quite complete, somewhere around 98-99%, but visually it is almost imperceptible.

Write these dates in your diary, because going to shoot the sunset at 13 and 14 lunar days, you can shoot not only the usual sunset, but also the moonrise. It will be enough just to turn around with the camera in the opposite direction.

Another one important feature. The moon rises above the horizon in the same place where the sun rises in the morning - in the east. In summer, the place of sunrise shifts somewhat to the south, and in winter to the north.

Therefore, it will be extremely useful if you decide in advance where you will shoot. Choose a location for your future shoot in advance.

An ideal place where there is an open horizon in the east and southeast direction. Well, if there is a large body of water, then there is a chance to include a beautiful moon path in the frame.

No open horizon? Then look in the city for beautiful forged lattices, domes, and other architectural forms for the foreground. Perhaps just ordinary residential buildings in which the lights are already lit. It would be nice to get to the ninth floor at the same time. Then the horizon will immediately appear, if it was not there before.

And you can also try to shoot the moon over the factory pipes, or waste heaps, if you have something like that in the city. Or, for example, mountains, this is generally an ideal place for such a shooting.

Well, if you still decide to shoot the moonrise in the field, then I strongly advise you to find a shooting point near a hill (hill), or on the hill itself. In order to change the shooting point from the top to the bottom as the moon rises above the horizon.

Now it remains to clarify when these most favorable 13th and 14th lunar days come for shooting. Everything is very simple here. There are enough resources on the network where this data is available.

For example site RP 5, where, in addition to the weather forecast, there is data on the time of sunrise and sunset and the moon, as well as information in what phase the moon is on a particular day.

Or type in the search engine the phrase "lunar calendar" and you can also find out the current lunar day. And there are also specialized resources, where, in addition to the time of sunrise and sunset, there is data on the exact direction of sunrise for a particular place.

Now about the shooting technique. A telephoto lens on your DSLR is highly desirable. The longer the better. In order to convey the moon as large as possible.

The aperture of the lens in this case is not so important. Because we still have to cover the aperture somewhat. How much will depend on the presence of the foreground in the frame.

Already at a focal length of 200 mm for a camera with a cropped matrix, the lunar disk is transmitted quite large. But with 300mm or 500mm lenses, the result can be even more interesting.

If you don’t have such a lens, then shoot with what you have, and don’t worry too much about it. For your imagination and your perseverance will be able to overcome any technical inconsistencies or lags. And it is not at all necessary to include the moon in the entire frame.

Remember, for example, Kuindzhi's painting "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper". There can be a lot of options for the layout of the future image. A tripod for such shooting is very, very desirable, and in some cases simply necessary.

It is very important not to overexpose the lunar disk so that the characteristic pattern and relief of its surface is not lost. Therefore, when photographing in one of the semi-automatic modes, we must set a negative exposure compensation in the camera settings, for example -0.7 or -1.0. This way we will prevent possible loss of detail in the highlights.

Consider the option of shooting a lunar landscape using one of my shots as an example. The day of the shooting was chosen according to the calendar. It was the 14th lunar day, i.e. one day before the full moon. The moon rose at the same time as the sun set.

The shooting was carried out on the banks of the Dnieper, from a high steep bank. The width of the river in this place is about 500 m. The shooting mode is aperture priority. Exposure compensation -1.3EV. The focal length of the lens is 65 mm.

It was not possible to use a longer focus. Because then it would not be possible to include interesting foreground details in the frame.

Very useful when shooting at dusk manual exposure mode. It is more flexible than semi-automatic modes. And the correct exposure can be controlled by the monitor and the histogram. It is desirable to shoot in RAW format. This will allow you to correct inaccuracies in the exposure later.

I wish you find new interesting ideas for shooting scenes with the moon. And if you have any questions, then write, ask, always ready to help.

Photographing the moon is not as easy as it seems at first glance. This article covers composition techniques, camera settings, and lighting tips for photographing the moon.

The moon is a rather insidious object for photography. It turns out to be brighter than you originally thought, forcing you to fiddle with exposure. And instead of a huge impressive disk that we draw in our imagination, we get a small point of light that delivers nothing but disappointment.

There is a misconception that moon photography requires expensive equipment. Yes, you can spend thousands of dollars on telephoto lenses, but it's also true that you can get fantastic results with the equipment you already have.

After mastering the tips in this article, you can learn to photograph the moon like the pros, thereby getting excellent results, regardless of your experience and budget.

Taking into account the phase of the moon

Since the Moon revolves around the Earth, the sunlight hits it at different angles and as a result we get different phases of the Moon, or, more simply, different phases. appearance Moon.

Knowing the phases of the moon is very useful when photographing it.

The moon looks and feels different in different phases. The full moon is the brightest, but it looks quite "flat" because the light hits it frontally. The moon between the first quarter and the full moon, as well as the quarter moon, are of the greatest interest, because. in these phases, side illumination falls on the moon, which creates shadows, thereby making it possible to show craters and mountains on the lunar surface. The crescent moon, the darkest of all phases, makes it possible to emphasize the dullness and uninterestingness of the night sky.

Choosing a time to shoot

The best time to photograph the moon is at dusk, just before dawn, or just after sunset, when the moon is close to the horizon. At this time of the day, the sky is illuminated with a faint residual light, which allows you to highlight the surrounding details and add interesting colors to the sky and clouds, thereby creating a mysterious atmosphere.

Photograph the moon at dusk to create atmosphere.

Arrive early to prepare and set the appropriate settings as the light levels change rapidly during this time. At different phases of the moon the best shots obtained with different levels light conditions, so take as many shots as you can during the twilight to increase your chances of getting a killer photo.

Try shooting at night for photos of a sharply defined moon against a pitch black sky, especially when using telephoto lenses. The moon is also visible during the day, although not as clearly, in which case it acts more as an addition than the main subject of photography.

It is good practice to use a lunar calculator to determine the desired phase of the moon and the times it rises and sets.

fill the frame

If you can afford a long telephoto lens, you can certainly get fantastic, detailed pictures of the moon. You will need the longest lens you have. 300 mm is the minimum distance, preferably 800 mm or more.

To detail the lunar surface, you need a telephoto lens.

Most digital SLR cameras have a cropped sensor. And this means that your effective focal length will be longer than on a full-frame sensor. Read more about the crop factor in the article.

To save money, you can combine several telephoto lenses into one. For example, With two 2x teleconverters and a 200mm lens, you can get an effective focal length of 800mm. The quality of the picture, of course, will decrease, but it is better than shooting with a standard lens.

Use an interesting foreground

Don't despair if you don't have the money for a telephoto lens - there's good news. You can get great photos with any lens, even wide-angle, as long as you compose accordingly.

Use objects in the foreground, this will add context.

Instead of looking at the moon as the main subject of the photo, place some objects in the foreground to create an interesting scene. Photographing the moon through grass or mountain silhouettes adds to the atmosphere, so short throw lenses won't be a disadvantage.

However, this technique has a drawback. It is often almost impossible to get both the moon and the foreground well exposed. If you have the slightest doubt about exposure, it's better to underexpose the foreground than overexpose the moon. In the end, you can take two shots - one with the correct exposure of the moon and one with the correct exposure of the foreground - and then combine them in Photoshop.

Reduce vibration and increase clarity

The moon is very sensitive to camera shake, especially when using long lenses. The slightest movement can cause a blurry frame. Therefore, it is important to minimize vibrations. For this.

Use a tripod. A stable tripod is essential. By itself, it will reduce camera shake almost completely and protect against external interference such as wind.

Use remote release. Use a starter cord or remote control remote control to eliminate jitter caused by pressing the shutter button. If you don't have these devices, use the descent timer to achieve the same effect.

Use mirror lock. Even the movement of the camera's mirror can blur the photo. Mirror lockup pops up the mirror before you take a picture. If your camera has this setting, use it for extra clarity.

Choosing camera settings

One of the fundamental and most difficult things about photographing the moon is choosing the right settings. A consequence of the huge variety of shooting conditions is the impossibility of determining any universal settings. However, there is a regulated process for selecting settings that must be followed.

Manual shooting mode. Automatic mode will not cope with a bright moon in a dark sky, so you need to switch to manual mode. You should start selecting parameters with an aperture of f / 11, the smallest ISO value (say, ISO 100) and a shutter speed of 1/250 sec. Use autofocus to focus on the moon and then set the focus mode to manual to lock the focus.

Experiment. Take a test shot and view it on the camera screen, zooming in to see the detail and exposure. Adjust the settings according to what you see, and repeat the process. When using very long lenses, try not to set the shutter speed more? sec to avoid smearing. When using wide-angle lenses, you can set much slower shutter speeds.

Use bracketing. Bracketing can help you good service. This means that even if you have not guessed correctly with the settings, you may still have at least one picture that can be pulled out in graphic editors.

We cheat atphotoshop

In order to make your photos look the way you draw them in your imagination, you can use image editors. For example, you can combine multiple images so that both the moon and foreground are properly exposed, or even increase the size of the moon to get the perfect composition.

The use of graphic editors is a very controversial thing, but sometimes the result exceeds all expectations. This picture combines two different pictures with different exposures.

This question gives rise to two opposing camps, one of which insists that photographs should be subjected to minimal or no exposure. digital processing. However, even professional photographers sometimes sin with this, and, no doubt, sometimes the result is simply breathtaking. Which camp to join is a personal matter for everyone.

Lunar photography is in some way a challenge to your abilities and skills, and the reward for this challenge is a great shot. It is a process to be learned and perfected. And once you get the hang of it, you'll get countless amazing shots.

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