Have you ever tried to take a photograph of the moon? Inspired by the film Gravity and by a current spate of TV programmes on star gazing and the night sky, I have developed a fleeting obsession with the moon. This weekend I took my camera and a very wobbly ladder out into the garden and attempted to photograph it. I waited till my husband was distracted; he is very safety-conscious, which is one of the reasons we are so well-suited. My first attempt looked like this;
So I rapidly retreated indoors to arm myself with a warmer jacket, a flask of hot chocolate and a spot of google-generated advice on how to actually photograph the moon. Well, it seems that for a really good shot you need a professional camera with astonishingly good lenses which can then be attached to a telescope, and stabilised to await the one night a year when the moon is perfectly visible. OR, for a perfectly impressive amateur shot, it seems you just need to flick your DSLR to ‘manual’ and adjust a few settings. And once you start snapping, it becomes very addictive; you find that you are awaiting clear, dark nights with all the appetite of a werewolf. Within 10 minutes of skimming online advice, my second shot looked like this;
This article gives some fantastic tips, as do many others, but for those who have the attention span of, well, a busy mum – I’ll summarise. You’ll get your best results by;
- Choosing a clear night with lots of visible stars, little ambient light (no streetlights, few houses, etc) and no cloud cover.
- Getting as close as you safely can to the sky. If you can drive to the top of a hill, do so. Don’t do what I did and set up a ladder on the lawn in the dark; really, it’s not something I’d recommend.
- Use the zoomiest lens you have. I have a 70-300m lens which came with my Canon DSLR. The moon will always seem very far away – naturally – but a zoom lens will help.
- Then follow the stages below. Even if you never use your camera’s manual settings, now’s a good time to find the handbook and try it just this once;
And then finally tweak the exposure and shadow to maximise the result;
I love that you can see the craters and actual surface of the moon; it makes it seem so close and attainable, somehow. Like most of my posts, this is the result of an evening dabbling at something new, with very few technical skills. I used the basic iPhoto software inbuilt into my Mac. Picasa, which you can download free online, would do the same. For those proficient in Photoshop, you can get even more technical. The results are gratifying (and will make a cool picture for Harry’s bedroom wall). If Harry was a little older, I’d be dragging him out in his sleeping bag to do this with me, and we’ll certainly do some star-gazing on the long Summer nights to come. The night sky is mesmerising and very, very addictive. Here’s a few other fun celestial links if you’re as captivated as me;
This site tells you when the International Space Station will be visible where you live. It moved over the UK skies on Christmas Eve around 6pm, and made a nation of children ecstatic at the thought that they’d caught a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh.
This duvet cover made me smile, and is on my list of things Harry would love when he’s older
This projector was the first gift I ever bought my husband and we still love it; it soothed Harry as a tiny baby when he lay awake in my arms in the wee small hours, has provided a very cool backdrop for various parties and is the best thing to have beaming onto the bathroom ceiling when you settle down for a long soak in the tub.
Happy star-gazing…
Kate
n.b. The first photograph at the start of this post - shown again below – I took at 4pm, just as dusk was falling and the moon first visible (although the sky looks pitch black in contrast, it was actually only dark blue/grey; the kind of darkness that would make you think about switching your car headlights on). It was much harder to get the focus right, but once I did, the definition was even greater. Have a play at different times and see what gets the best result.
Melissa
That is beautiful. I’d have thought that was a telescopic lens had you not told me. So impressive!
Margaret
This IS mesmerizing! Thank you for the inspiration. I have a dabbling kind of interest in all things space and you have just reignited it
Claire
Beautiful! I am always snapping at the moon unsuccessfully! I will have a go on manual. It was so useful how you showed how to edit too. I love your photography so would love to see more posts like this. I have just bought a new camera and am trying to teach myself manual. Thanks xxx
Patricia
Thank you for another interesting, helpful and beautiful post. I enjoy them all! We will be on the lawn at 7:05 a.m. watching for the Space Station tomorrow here in Kentucky!
CMN
Wow. That’s all I can say… Wow! Might be some moon-shoot photography in my future after all…
nickirocky
Oooooh, can’t wait to try! Fab post, thanks!
Raven Corwin, aka Meggie
Amazing! Hard to believe it’s “so easy” to get a REAL shot of the moon.
thehouseofjones
Amazing photos! You make everything sound so easy, Kate! I’d like to try it though, perhaps The Bert will let me use his snazzy camera, I’m not sure that my point and shoot is up to the job!
Jones x
Gillian
This is just amazing. It looks like something a professional photographer would produce. I saw the moon shining brightly about 5.30 this evening from the car and thought of you and this post, but by the time I pulled up at home ten minutes later it had clouded over. I am now on moon watch all week! I don’t think my lens has the long range yours does but I’m very determined to have a go. x
Ali
Amazing! I’ve never tried to photograph the moon, but I do remember the husband (when he was still the boyfriend) wasting about 2 hours trying to do it one night and producing nothing good whatsoever. Perhaps I should show him your guide…
Jill
Wow, an amazing post with incredible photos. I love the astronaut duvet cover too, what a fab idea! X
Brandy @ The Prudent Homemaker
Awesome! I just came in from doing it. I did, however, take them in the garden. I’ll have to see how well they’ll sharpen, because I can see they aren’t perfectly sharp. I haven’t downloaded them yet as I need to make dinner. It is twilight here and the moon is full so I went out to try!
When I saw your post come in in my feed, I read it and then sent it to a friend who was asking me if I knew how to photograph the moon. I had no ideas on what we needed. This was perfect. I sent it to her straightaway and she was delighted.
thefolia
Impressive. I love star gazing and dozing off into dreamland…something so mesmerizing.
Beatrice
I love your blogg. I have been reading it for about a year and a half now and just love it. I of course try to imagine your home behind all the lovely stuff you make. You have showed some things but I long for more. What does your rooms loke like. What does the outside look like, and the garden. You said that it was on top of a hill. I would like for you to show more of your lovely home. I understand if it is about privacy but how about detail pictures .
gaetano pesce
When I look at the moon, I find serenity and I think the man was on it.Put it on your most secret dreams for no one can ever find.