The moon is cloudy and sunny: 9 tips for photographing the moon, you must know

Best places to photograph the moon

Photographing the moon close to the horizon can be difficult because you'll experience light pollution from cities . So, with that in mind, the best place to photograph the moon in the night sky is to frame it when it's halfway between the horizon and its highest point.

Using a telephoto lens

Using a telephoto lens is the first step in making the moon look big in your photo. A telephoto lens can create the effect of a compressed scene, as if the mountains were pushed forward. Pairing your long lens with a teleconverter can further magnify the moon in your frame. You want the moon to be as large as possible in your photos, and capturing the perfect detail of the moon image requires a telephoto lens, preferably one with a focal length of 300mm or 400mm. - preferably 400mm or more. Even a small 70-200mm cannon will do.

Consider APS-C or M4/3 format

As the moon appears larger near the horizon, a telephoto lens will magnify it further in your composition. What's more, the crop factor on DSLRs with APS-C sensors can get you closer, so your 400mm focal length may increase to 640mm equivalent, M4/3 equivalent to 800mm focal length, depending depending on the brand of camera you are using. If you're going 2x then you can shoot with an effective focal length of up to 1200mm!

To combat the motion of the moon, you need a fast shutter speed.

Why do we shoot at 1/125 of a second. Although the moon is very subtle to the human eye, it moves in the night sky when you photograph it. Long exposures only result in sharp surrounding landscapes and blurry photos of the moon.

Use a cable release and a tripod

on camera for long focal length shots, keeping the camera perfectly still and clear of the subject plus With long exposures, the risk of camera shake goes up. Challenging task for photographers. Such a tripod is absolutely necessary for photographing the moon in the night sky. Mount your camera on a sturdy tripod, use the remote shutter, and you'll be on your way to getting a crisp image. Many experienced night photographers also use a gimbal to keep the camera steady. If you use a DSLR with a mirror lock option, this will help further reduce the chance of camera shake. If you really want to take all precautions, you can also use a small sandbag to hang on a tripod - to reduce vibration.

Manual focus

Ideally, you want to photograph the moon on a cloudless night for best results. For best results, it is recommended to switch to manual focus and then turn on the Live View screen. Here you can zoom in on the moon and fine-tune your attention to detail on the lunar surface. Using your camera's manual exposure mode is the best way to photograph the moon. Because of the trial and error of photographing the moon, since the moon is so bright and surrounded by so much darkness, it will be difficult for your camera's metering system to determine the correct exposure on its own, manual exposure and setting your camera to f/8, 1/125th of a second at ISO 100. You can fine-tune as needed. Focusing to infinity isn't really a viable option when photographing objects as far as the moon at night. You'll find that the telephoto lens doesn't have enough depth of field to fix focus errors, especially at the f/8 aperture you might be shooting at. An aperture of f/8 is a popular choice for night photographers because it offers a wide depth of field and comes close to the sharpest image quality most lenses can deliver.

Shooted in RAW, looking at the histogram

Anytime you shoot the moon it takes some trial and error to get the right exposure. It's best to always shoot raw when shooting the moon. Raw files give you more flexibility to adjust color, tone, and exposure, especially if you plan on compositing. A great way to speed up this process is to use the camera's histogram so you can see where the highlights are overblown (make sure to turn on the highlight warning) or the shadows are too dark.

How to make the moon look big in photos

• Use long focal length shot
• Shoot from far enough to bring some foreground into the frame
• capture the moon as it approaches the horizon
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• The telephoto lens creates the effect of compressing perspective, making the moon appear larger in the scene

Planning before shooting

You can check the moonrise time online before shooting, or download one of the many apps available for Android or iOS. Another is to consider whether the moon you are photographing is full or new. Both will produce different types of emotions, and the state of the month will take on different looks at different times. Avoid light pollution ruining your moon. In addition, you must wear clothes according to the weather when shooting at night.

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