Creating a blog post and trying to learn more about "Photographing the Moon"

downhilltrucker · Oct 5, 2023

Hello, I'm working on a blog post about photographing the moon on my website while also learning how to get better at doing this myself. Are there any good blogs that you may have or resources that I can link to for the blog and also my own personal info? I'd much rather link to a member's page than some random company. Thanks for the help and any info as well!

Zach

wfooshee · Oct 6, 2023

All I will say about photographing the moon is that it is not a night-time photography subject; it's fully sunlit and you should use bright sunlight exposure settings, except, of course, during a lunar eclipse. You can get a great shot of the moon handheld with 1/500 or even 1/1000 second shutter speeds. For good detail you just need a really long lens. maybe a telescope to attach the camera to, but I've never had access to anything like that.

webestang64 · Oct 6, 2023

Sorry "random company" but very good info............ How to Photograph the Moon and Supermoon: The Complete Guide

downhilltrucker · Oct 6, 2023

Thanks that is some great info.

adamhiram · Nov 1, 2023

I did a write-up a few years ago on a "super resolution" technique for photographing the moon that you might find useful. The post can be found here.

Strodav · Nov 2, 2023

It took me about 5 attempts before I got what I consider an acceptable result and that after reading a few articles on how to do it. What finally got me there was reach, stability and shutter speed. I used a DX body with a 600mm f/4 prime with a 1.4x teleconverter. That got the number of camera sensor elements on the subject high enough for better detail. Stability and shutter speed are related in that at that distance, imperceptible shake can ruin a shot. So I used a heavy duty tripod with spikes and a shutter speed of 1/1000 sec with a remote trigger and took bursts of shots with the mirror up (dslr). Most of the articles said a speed of 1/250 sec to freeze the motion of the moon, but 1/1000 helps with shake. Don't forget to close the viewfinder shutter to avoid stray light.

This was acceptable to me. It was taken with a D500, 600mm f/4G, 1.4x tele at f/8, 1/1000sec, ISO 900

Taking photos during an eclipse is a whole different kettle of fish because you are dealing with a low light situation. In that case, taking bursts then aligning and averaging in post can give pretty good results.

RacePhoto · Dec 13, 2023

I know I'm late to this party but two things. No telescope I have ever owned is as good as a camera lens. Sure you can get a super close-up, but the resolution just isn't as good.

And with a long telephoto, people forget (not the posts here) the Moon is moving. Thus the points about a fast shutter speed are something that should be emphasized.

@adamhiram very interesting method, and good reading.

Original katomi · Dec 15, 2023

The advice I can give is shoot in B&W as you can loose the noise as grain as B&W is better lost than coloured noise.
you may need to clone out hot pixels
have at least two lens cloths as this time of year the evening dew can “fog” your lens

wfooshee · Dec 17, 2023

Original katomi said:
The advice I can give is shoot in B&W as you can loose the noise as grain as B&W is better lost than coloured noise.
you may need to clone out hot pixels
have at least two lens cloths as this time of year the evening dew can “fog” your lens

Not sure what you're getting at here. You can't shoot B&W digitally. Anything you produce from a digital camera in B&W has been processed, either inside the camera or on the computer, and anything the sensor picked up RAW is still there.

Original katomi · Dec 17, 2023

shot in B&W setting on digital camera The Raw image still has colour but JPG is this

Original katomi · Dec 17, 2023

when you do your blog you can talk people through how you did a shot

wfooshee · Dec 20, 2023

Original katomi said:
shot in B&W setting on digital camera The Raw image still has colour but JPG is this

That's exactly what I meant. The B&W JPG output from the camera is processed by the camera's programming, it's not shot in black-and-white.

My own 2-cents' worth... There IS color on the moon, so why throw it away?

Grandpa Ron · Dec 23, 2023

The challenge in shooting the moon, is to see how good of a shot you can get with your gear.

A simple camera to telescope adapter, works for getting good pictures of the moon. Getting better pictures, requires understanding your gear and other outside influences like sky glow, dust pollution, distance to the moon etc.

If you begin to chase the perfect moon picture, keep your wallet open. Good optics cost money, but the make for great pictures.

Have fun.