Shooting the Moon

by

  ARUNCALICUT

To shoot the Moon I have always wondered how people capture such good details of the moon. Initially I thought that I might require a telescope and somehow attach it to your camera eyepiece and take the shot. I used to wonder at what focal lengths such celestial objects could be captured on frame. Initial Experiments My initial experiments yielded very bad results. I would focus correctly and still get an overexposed moon. Here are a few of my initial shots. I ended up thinking that I would never be able to get a detailed shot at the moon. The Research continued.. Further reading and people experiences made me take the following notes before trying again. Here are some of the notes I made. 1. The moon is always in constant motion. Use a high shutter speed to achieve blur free pictures of the moon. I used a shutter speed of 1/40. 2. Choose a place with no stray light. Any such lights can further reduce the clarity of the moon. 3. Choose the lowest ISO to ensure that the best details are captured; this will also ensure that the least noise is captured. 4. Underexpose a full moon to preserve details. I bracketed my shots. 5. Use a tripod and self timer mode. Never shake your camera while taking the shot. The slightest movement can blur the moon. Use a remote if you have the option. 6. Use F8 - F11 aperture values for best results. 7. Use spot metering while shooting the moon. This is the best metering to capture the details. 8. Fill the entire frame with the moon for best results. 9. Most of the cameras crib with unusual settings of F numbers and shutter speeds is used. Use Manual mode instead. Don't worry about the settings. 10. Shoot the moon when it is closer to the horizon. At this point the moon appears larger in size. and a slightly better shot.... The Shot I set my camera on the following settings and took the shot as the moon was slowing climbing up the sky. Camera : EOS 3OOD Shooting Mode : Manual Lens : 75-300 USM Av : 11 Tv : 1/40 Exposure Bracketing : +1 2/3 ISO : 100 Focal length : 300mm Timed shot (10 sec auto timer) on Tripod Post Processing Once the moon is photographed, you have a number of options. I believe that the slightly underexposed photo is the best to revel details. Use Photoshop or other photo editing tools to increase the levels and brighten up the underexposed moon. Your first result will be a colored moon. Here is such an example. In order to show the details of the moon's surface, the black and white mode is the best option. Try changing your photo to black and white mode and see the details stand out. Finally crop the moon following the rule of thirds.