subject: Find Out How To Take the Perfect Lunar Pictures [print this page] Find Out How To Take the Perfect Lunar Pictures
Lunar photography is one thing most of us have tried at some point. Often the result is a blurry image as well as a bright speck on the film. However, getting great Lunar pictures is straightforward once you know a number of tricks to this issue. Many photographers have already got the kit to successfully take great Lunar photos. To reliably get good Lunar photographs you will require: a camera that permits you to control shutter speed and aperture, and also a zoom capacity to about 300mm, or 10x on some point and shoots, That's it, no tripods, no lenses with no professional training.When you should Shoot.
Night-time isn't always the optimum time to photograph the moon.Sunset and Sunrise often yield the top Lunar images. Find a time of your day when the sky retains just a slight blue tint to it and you could see where you are walking with no flashlight. Because the moon has it's own cycle as it rotates around the earth there'll be several days every month when the moon rises or sets before dark night. Also, because of the atmosphere distorts the picture of the moon, it will appear largest just after rising. The initial Thirty minutes after moonrise is the better time to get close-up images of the moon because it appears bigger in the sky than later in its orbit.
Shutter Speed
The Moon doesn't stay still. Since the moon rotates about the Earth because Earth is moving, slow shutter speeds can cause blur on your own Lunar photographs, even if the movement is imperceptible to you personally, your camera will pick-up every tiny motion, particularly if focused on an object that far away. Make use of the maximum shutter speed with a relatively small F-Stop to get a good exposure (in this instance slightly underexposed) image. With the desired slight underexposure, you ought to be able to get a fast enough shutter speed to hand-hold your camera. With the zoom tuned in as much as we mentioned earlier you might need a shutter speed of at least 350 for a clear image.
Exposure
The main problem most people have with Lunar photography is that they think of the moon as a "night subject". Due to this they turn their cameras to the night preset or automatically start with a slow shutter speed to improve light. The moon, however, can be so bright the opposite is valid. It is basically like taking a photo of an lit bulb inside a dark room. If you use the exposure reading the digital camera gives you with its built-in light meter, the image will be overexposed and a bright dot without any detail. To get a clear, detailed photograph of the moon you will need to underexpose the image. It is fine to use a large aperture for this application as the distance between us and the moon increases the effective depth of field considerably.
So, follow these few simple tips and be prepared to take some stunning, incredible images of the moon in all it's glory.
If you want to see some of my work, or you just want some more inspiration for your photographs, take a look at my website: Photographer Doncaster
