Photographing the Full Moon
Have you ever seen a photo and been inspired or dreamt of capturing something spectacular, but never done anything about it? That was me, until I got out and shot this photo.
I have always loved seeing the full moon over the horizon. I am sure you have seen it rise, and the angle of the moon and distortion of the atmosphere magnifies the moon making it look much larger. I have seen these often. Unfortunately by the time I think about grabbing my camera and then finding a good spot to shoot from, it is way too late. What’s worse it I will then set reminders or tell myself to set up the next full moon. *this never works
This month, while in quarantine, I made it my mission to get out and photograph the full moon. I planned a few days in advance, and here’s what I did:
Look up what day the moon will be fullest.
Find the exact time the moon would rise.
Download a Star app (I used Sky Walk)
Pick the camera, lens, and tripod to use.
Plan to be in your location at least 15 minutes ahead of time!
Luckily for me, one of the silver linings of this pandemic the skies are much clearer than normal, so I had a huge advantage in getting the shot. Now I just had to pray for good weather.
I chose to use the Sony a6500 with a Sony 100-400mm GM Lens. The Sony a6500 is a crop sensor camera, meaning that any lens I put on it will automatically give a 1.5x crop as compared to a full frame camera. That means my 100-400mm telephoto zoom lens will now be equivalent to a 150-600mm zoom lens! The reason this is important is that the more zoom ability I have, the closer the moon will appear to the foreground subjects, giving it that magnified look.
Once I got to my location, and used the Sky Walk app, I quickly realized that I would need to move around to find the right spot.
Watch the full video here:
Once I got back and began editing I realized what I could plan/choose to do differently next time. I will share these tips with you here on one condition: Share your photos and experience with me!
I should have been in my location a little earlier to get all of my camera settings nailed down prior to the moon rising.
I should have used a tripod. (I had one, but was using it for my video camera)
I should have tried getting a shot with my full frame camera for better noise reduction (graininess)
I should have brought someone with me. Photography is more fun when you are shooting with someone else.
So, what do you think? Are you ready to get out and shoot the full moon? Check here for the next full moon: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/
Let me know how it goes!
