As an one-time avid player of the card game Hearts, I was lucky to shoot the moon rather often. However, once I began seriously aiming for the real moon in my photographic pursuits, I found the task a bit more challenging. Today was another attempt, since this full moon-on March 19, 2011, is a super fullmoon because it is at its closest point in its orbit near the Earth.
Mother Nature was not as cooperative as I would have liked. When the sky was still light enough to show detail on the ground, there was a heavy bank of clouds blocking the orb. But I am always one to look for the silver lining, and this time I did indeed find it. Check out the photos below. The moonglow on the clouds made for images that were much more interesting and dramatic than a clear sky and orange globe would have ever been, don’t you think?
When you venture out for your own moon shots, remember these tips:
- Bring a tripod and plan to use it.
- Set your f/stop to f/8 or higher
- To capture detail on the ground/horizon, use a long shutter speed-around 1 second. Test it out and check the image review
- To capture detail on the moon’s surface, use the sunny 16 rule: f/stop at 16 with shutter speed around 250
- Bracket exposure to find the best
- Keep shooting!
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