Digital Camera World - UK (2019-08)

Photo Active

1

Planning is everything

Landscape images of the moon

are unlikely to come about by

chance. You need to know when

and where the moon is rising and

setting and have a plan for how to

capture it. Tools like PhotoPills and

The Photographers Ephemeris

(also available in 3D) are invaluable

in helping you achieve this.

2

Full moon or

crescent moon?

The best landscape images

including the moon are generally

taken when the moon is close to

the horizon and there is a certain

amount of ambient light, generally

at twilight. This only occurs around

full moon and crescent moon.

3

Use your telephoto

If you want to create impactful

images where the moon is

physically large in the frame,

you need a focal length equivalent

in excess of 400mm. The image

above is taken at 560mm

and cropped slightly.

4

Keep it sharp

At long focal lengths, you need to

think about shorter shutter speeds,

to keep the moon from blurring due

to its own motion. Shorter shutter

speeds help to counteract the

effects of the wind on picture

sharpness as well. However, with

relatively little light to work with,

this is a balancing act – don’t

bump those ISOs too high!

5

Shoot wide for crescent

The crescent moon in particular

benefits from being shot at wider

focal lengths, because it’s generally

further from the horizon when the

light balance is right. An otherwise

empty blue sky with a small

crescent moon can give a

sense of peaceful minimalism.

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com AUGUST 2019 DIGITAL CAMERA^35

Alex’s top five tips for photographing the moon in a landscape setting