Moon Photography Tips
For quality moon photography you will need:
Sturdy Tipod: You will be using a telephoto lens at a probable maximum zoom and will need to be paying close attention to the focus point. The last thing you need to be worring about is holding the camera steady.
Quality Zoom Lens: The longer the telephoto the better. 300mm plus.
Timing: Dusk and Dawn tend to work the best. The moon often appears bigger and there is light in the night sky. In the detail text below you will learn more about knowing when is the best time to shoot.
Good Lcation: If you live in a city take a drive. Atmospheric dust will take away from the location. If possible, find something for the foreground or to frame the moon. By itself, the moon is kinda exciting, but with something to add depth to the photograph it will be more dramatic.
Technical Notes for Moon Photography:
EXPOSURE: Manual settign work best. The Sunny 16 Rule is a great starting point. Set your aperture to f/16, set your shutter speed and ISO to 400. When in doubt use bracketing to help bring out other objects in the frame and make sure that you have not over exposed, or blown out, the moon.
FOCUS: You will need to make sure that your focus on the moon is correct. My approach is to set a focus point on the focus matrix and make sure it is on the moon.
White Balance: Here you might need to do some experimenting. My two common choices are sunlight and cloudy day. Atmospheric conditions can create very different colored moons. If you shoot in raw this is one you can skip and change later.
Planning your Moon Photography Expedition
Knowing when to take moon photographs will save you some wasted trips. Moon photography has an interesting twist in that the schedule changes daily. The US Navy has a site which may help you know when to set the alarm. Navy Site Another site with useful unformation is Full Moon Calendar.net., This site will give you information on when you will find the moon phase that you are looking for.
Many regular Moon Photographers refer to the best time to take photographs as the "Golden Hour". As mentioned earlier these times are dusk and dawn. The best time to capture the moon is near the horizon when there is still light in the sky. Photographing the moon long after the sun has set means that there is very little light on the foreground and the sky will be stark black.
Picking the Best Moon Shooting Location
An awesome photograph of the moon by itself is great, placing something else in the frame will give a point of reference and add depth to the image. Catching the moon right as it comes over a mountain, barn, or a structure will add to the image.
Whatever the object try to be far away enough from it to have it in focus and so that it does not overshadow the moon. The keep is to show the moon as dominate as you can.