I was so excited when the clouds cleared for me to
photograph the super eclipse blood red moon last week!
Unfortunately, the clouds moved back in during the dramatic
blood red stage and I was swearing loudly in my backyard
because I could NOT get a proper focus through the clouds.
Sorry, neighbors!
But it's ALWAYS a SUPER thrill when you capture the splendor
of the moon for the first time!
You probably saw lots of photos like this next one online
after the super moon.
They're all gorgeous...but they are composites! (Two photos photoshopped together.)
It's impossible to capture a photo like this with one shot.
The exposure settings for the moon and a lit skyline are
entirely different.
Photographing a lit skyline at night requires a certain
amount of light entering the camera.
It's too much light for the moon.
See how the moon is totally blown out...over-exposed?
When the moon is exposed properly, the background will be dark.
To Photograph the Moon
You will need a DSLR camera and a zoom lens that zooms to
at least 200 MM. 400mm is better.
Set camera on a tripod and click the button on your lens to
manual focus. Now manually set the focus ring to infinity
I start with these settings:
ISO: 100
Aperture: f.11
Shutter: 1/125
I know what you're thinking...that won't let in much light and
it's dark night after all!
But the moon is bright and if you want to capture
the detail with proper exposure...start with those settings.
Practice and adjust your shutter accordingly.
You will be OVER-the-MOON when you
photograph your first moon correctly!
Try adjusting the contrast a tad in post processing.
You can also have fun changing the color of your moon in editing.
Once in a BLUE MOON!
Save your moon photos in a folder you can find again
and add them to night photos.
I show you how to composite a moon into a night landscape in this
Challenge yourself to photograph the moon at least ONCE
and you will have the photos forever to dazzle others!
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