Moon Photography

One of my favorite things to photograph is the moon, especially when it’s full. I find it fun to experiment with different angles and other things in the field of view, such as clouds, when taking photos of the moon. There happens to be a full moon tonight, so it’s the perfect time to share some of my best moon photos. These were all taken with my DSLR camera, since it’s pretty much impossible to get a tiny smartphone camera to perfectly focus on the moon. As usual, I will include the camera settings that were used for each photo, along with some moon photography tips.

Shutter Speed: 1/80
F-stop: 10
ISO: 800

Shutter Speed: 1/250
F-stop: 5.6
ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 1/100
F-stop: 6.3
ISO: 200

Shutter Speed: 1/30
F-stop: 6.3
ISO: 3200
*Flash was also used

Moon Photography Tips
First, I would recommend using a long lens when taking photos of the moon. The lens I typically use starts at 75mm and goes up to 300mm, which is much longer than many standard DSLR lenses. Also, use a tripod or some other flat object to stabilize the camera. Since you will likely be zooming in very far, the camera shake that occurs will make it difficult to get a still shot of the moon. In fact, the first photo shown in this post (which happens to be my favorite moon photo I’ve ever taken) was taken in my driveway, and I was using the roof of my car as a makeshift stabilizer. You might think that nighttime is the best time to take photos of the moon. However, many photographers recommend beginning to take photos just before it gets completely dark. This time of day is also referred to by some as moonrise. It is the period of time just after the golden hour, when the sun has set and left the last bits of daylight in the sky. Not only will you have a sky that isn’t just pitch black, you will also have a better opportunity to incorporate other things into the photo such as landmarks and people.