Breaking Into Astrophotography - How To Photograph The Moon

Astrophotography has become a real trend in the world of photography in recent years. As more and more people learn just how relatively easy it is, we are seeing some tremendous and fascinating photographs of the night sky being created. Even though the process is relatively easy, many photographers out there are still a bit hesitant to give it a try simply because they do not understand how to get started. We are going to take a look at how to break into this fascinating form of photography in a multi-part series called Breaking into Astrophotography. First up we will look at how to photograph the moon.

Forty Nine years ago this month (July, 1969) man first set foot upon the moon. What an adventure it was and I was fortunate enough to have been part of the generation who witnessed the birth, development, and ultimate success of America's manned space program. Every time I see the moon hovering high in the night sky, every time I watch a full moon rise slowly above the horizon, and on those summer evenings when I sit on my front porch in a rocking chair and stare at the brightness that is our moon, I am reminded of those events. Although dormant and secured away as memories, the excitement of those events still resides within me. Photographing our nearest celestial neighbor is always a fun adventure in itself. Doing so is actually quite easy, but there are some things you need to be aware of before you start.

Equipment you need:  First of all you will need two pieces of equipment; A study tripod and your camera/lens combination. The type of camera really does not matter so much, but your lens selection does. You will need to use some kind of telephoto lens. The longer the focal length the better something in the neighborhood of 400mm to 600mm will work best, however, you can use a 300mm and even a 200mm in a pinch. A basic 70 - 300 standard zoom lens works quite well. Another useful piece of equipment is a remote cable release.

Setup:  Actually there is no single way to photograph the moon, but there are some things to consider to make the process more rewarding. I usually will photograph the moon using Aperture Priority mode. The settings I select will vary, but basically I begin with ISO 100 and an f/stop of f/8. The light coming off the moon is actually reflected daylight so my White Balance is set to either Daylight or Auto, both seem to work equally well. I also will set the camera on Spot Focus using the center point within the viewfinder as the focus point. I will also set the camera metering mode to Spot Metering, again using the center point to meter from. This is important because if you use Matrix mode, the Moon being surrounded by a black sky will be over exposed because the black sky will skew the camera's meter reading into thinking it needs to alter the exposure to compensate for the dark area.

Taking the Shot:  Once you have your camera setting adjusted, it is simply a matter of pointing your camera at the moon making sure you place the center Spot Focus point and Spot Metering point squarely on the moon. Using a cable release, you depress the button halfway and hold to allow the camera to focus and set the exposure, then pause for a couple of seconds to allow any vibrations that might have been generated by the movement of the focus mechanism to dampen. Then press and release the shutter.

Post Processing:  Even with a 500 or 600 mm lens, the moon will still be rather small on the photo. During post processing, you can apply some creative cropping to enlarge its relative size and make it easier to see the various features you have captured. A 24 megapixel camera will have more than enough captured data to allow for some substantial cropping/enlarging. Simple adjustments to contrast, brightness, color and sharpness are that are required after that.

Best Time to Photograph the Moon:  Contrary to popular belief the best time to photograph the moon is not necessarily during a full moon. The best times are during one of the pre-full moon phases when there are more shadows which will make the craters and mountain ranges stand out more readily in relief. A 1/4 moon, or 1/2 thru 3/4 moon phase will offer a great deal more detail to see than a full moon. Now, photographing a full moon is still a great opportunity, but the best time to capture one is right after it rises above the eastern horizon, which is just after sundown. Doing so will allow you capture the moon in a more reddish or orange light. This is because the light reflecting off the moon must travel through a thicker part of the atmosphere and by doing so the light is shifted toward a red tint.

What to Look For:  Just photographing the moon although a fun activity, actually looking for and identifying specific features and areas on its surface adds a great deal to the enjoyment of the capture. Take notice of how many of the craters have a central peak and around their perimeters you will see high mountain ranges. Also take notice of the Maria, the dark areas of the moon and how they interact with the ridges and ranges. some craters will have bright rays spreading out in some cases for thousands of miles. With some creative cropping, you might even be able to see a single tall stand alone mountain casting a long shadow. If you are a math whiz, you might even be able to calculate the heights of those mountains.

Taking it to the Next Level:  The basic techniques of capturing photo's of the moon can be used by any photographer at almost any level. Once you grasp the basics, think about adding something in your foreground, or making double exposures.

There is little that stands in your way when it comes to creating exciting and interesting compositions involving the moon...just use your imagination and creative instincts.

Photographing the moon is an easy and rewarding way to break into Astro Photography. It is an activity requiring basic photographic equipment and you can start right in your own backyard. Give it a try sometime.