Full Moon and Eclipse Photography: Your Guide to Where They Are in 2019 and How to Capture Them Effectively

By: Caz Nowaczyk

Jongsun Lee
#Eclipses#Fullmoons#Solareclipses 

Full moons and eclipses are a unique time to capture some interesting photographs.

Full Moons

Full moons usually happen once a month, with the occasional second full moon falling in the same month. This second full moon is called a Blue Moon.

Solar and Lunar Eclipses

A solar eclipse happens when the new moon passes between the earth and the sun, casting a shadow over the sun.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth passes between the full moon and the sun, causing the moon to fall into earth’s shadow. Lunar Eclipses occur only at the full moon.
To give you the opportunity to shoot the moon, below is a calendar of Full Moons and Eclipses for 2019, followed by some articles that will help you to capture the moon or eclipse effectively.

Full Moon and Eclipse Calendar

Full Moons

New York, N.Y (US/Eastern)

Date	Time
Jan 21	00:17
Feb 19	10:53
Mar 20	21:43
Apr 19	07:12
May 18	17:11
Jun 17	04:31
July 16	17:39
Aug 15	08:31
Sep 14	00:35
Oct 13	17:10
Nov 12	08:37
Dec 12	00:14

Eclipses

Date	Type
July 2	Total Solar Eclipse
July 16	Partial Lunar Eclipse
Nov 11	Mercury Transit
Dec 26	Annular Solar Eclipse

Full Moons

Sydney, Australia (AEST)

Date	Time
Jan 21	00:17
Feb 20	02:53
Mar 21	12:42
Apr 19	21:12
May 19	07:11
Jun 17	07:38
July 17	17:38
Aug 15	22:29
Sep 14	14:32
Oct 14	08:07
Nov 13	00:34
Dec 12	16:12

Eclipses

Date	Type
July 17	Partial Lunar Eclipse

Full Moons

London, England, UK

Date	Time
Jan 21	05:16
Feb 19	15:53
Mar 21	01:42
Apr 19	12:12
May 18	22:11
Jun 17	09:30
July 16	22:38
Aug 15	13:29
Sep 14	05:32
Oct 13	22:07
Nov 12	13:34
Dec 12	05:12

Eclipses

Date	Type
July 16-17	Partial Lunar Eclipse
Nov 11	Mercury Transit

How to Achieve Better Full Moon and Eclipse Photography

 

20 Dos and Don’ts for Shooting the Moon

By: Bruce Wunderlich

The moon is a very popular subject for photographers of all skill levels to shoot. But if you’ve ever tried to photograph the moon, you’ve probably discovered that it’s not that easy to accomplish. In this article let’s look at some dos and don’ts to take your moon shots from snapshot to artwork.

The April moon called the “Pink Moon” rose over Marietta, Ohio. The setting sun lit the city in a warm glow.

To begin, the first and most important DON’T is: Don’t assume that photographing the moon is going to be easy.

#1 Do use a tripod

One of the most important pieces of equipment for any low light photography is a good tripod. Since the moon is so far away, it is very important to have a sturdy base as even the smallest movement of the camera will cause your image to blur. You might be tempted to think that if you use a fast enough shutter speed you can hand-hold the camera, but you need to realize that your subject is 238,900 miles away and even the slightest movement will be exaggerated.

#2 Don’t use a slow shutter speed

The moon is actually moving very quickly around the earth at a speed of 2,288 miles per hour (3,683 kilometers per hour). The moon is so distant, it doesn’t appear to be traveling very quickly to the naked eye. Because of the moon’s speed and the long focal length necessary to capture an image of the moon, you need to use the fastest shutter speed possible. A good rule of thumb for tack sharp moon photos is nothing slower than 1/125th of a second.

#3 Do use a telephoto lens

To successfully shoot any kind of detail of the moon in your image, you need at least a 300mm telephoto. For a full frame image, you will need around an 800mm lens.

#4 Don’t use any filters on your lens

Remove ALL filters from your lens! To prevent any chance of distortion, don’t use any filters. Yes, even remove the UV filter. This may sound scary if you never remove the UV filter from your lens, but it’s best to remove to do so in this case. Some may suggest using a neutral density (ND) filter for moon photography to cut back the bright light of the moon. But, all this will do is require you to use a slower shutter speed, and you want to use the fastest shutter speed possible to get that crisp, tack sharp, image.

#5 Do try the Looney 11 rule

The Looney 11 rule is similar to the Sunny 16 rule. Set your f-stop to f/11, then match the shutter speed to your ISO. For example, if your ISO is set at 100, set your shutter speed to 1/125 of a second. (This is not an exact science but will give you a good starting point.)

#6 Don’t touch the camera to start your exposure

Do not manually press the shutter release or even touch your tripod when initiating your moon shot. Remember that even the slightest touch could add enough vibration motion to blur the image. Using a cable release or remote trigger is the best way to start your exposure. If you don’t have either of these gadgets, use the self-timer feature on your camera to begin your shot.

#7 Do use Mirror Lock-up

If your camera gives you the option to lock up your mirror this can greatly increase your chances of getting a tack sharp image. Even the slightest shake of your camera’s mirror can be enough to blur your image. If your camera has this option, use it! Lock the mirror up and wait a few seconds to allow any vibration to settle before beginning your exposure.

#8 Don’t use Image Stabilization

Canon’s IS (Image Stabilization) or Nikon’s VR (Vibration Reduction) must be turned off anytime your camera is on a tripod. Turning on any vibration reduction feature with your camera mounted on a tripod will actually create blur in your image.

#9 Do know the cycles of the moon

Use The Photographer’s Ephemeris app to predict the location of the moonrise.

There are 29.5 days between full moons. There are many online and smart phone applications that can help you track the phases of the moon. One must- have app is The Photographer’s Ephemeris which will not only give you the phases of the moon, but also show you when and where the moon will appear in the sky. This is especially useful when planning your moon shoots in advance. By far the most photographed stage is the full moon, which is also the brightest and the most difficult to expose correctly. The side lighting of the Gibbous stage produces some interesting shadows which may allow you to capture craters and mountains. The crescent moon is, of course, the darkest stage, but one which may create some interesting effects when added to a nighttime landscape.

#10 Don’t always place the moon in the center

While you can use all the usual rules of composition for your lunar photography, don’t be afraid to break the rules if the shot calls for it. Don’t just put the moon in the center of your image with nothing else –  it’s been done a million times before and there is nothing exciting about this. Try to include other objects in the frame with the moon.

Don’t just place the moon in an empty sky. Including a foreground object will create a more dramatic image.

#11 Do switch to manual focus

There are a couple of different methods you can use to focus on the moon: First, try using your camera’s autofocus, and once you have a desirable focus, turn off the autofocus and switch to manual focus. Alternatively, you can set your camera on manual focus, and with your live view feature turned on, zoom in on the moon and turn the focus ring until the moon becomes sharp. Then do not touch the ring again.

#12 Don’t just shoot the moon at night

The best time for photographing the moon is just after it rises or just before it sets, when it is very low in the sky. When the moon is near the horizon, it will appear larger in your images (a trick of the eye). Also, as the full moon rises the sun will be setting, and as the full moon sets the sun will be rising. This may give you great lighting to include or accentuate foreground or landscape objects. Shooting the moon in the day time will give you opportunity to include foreground objects, and you also may be able to capture some craters on the moon’s surface.

The June full moon, called the “Honey Moon”, captured as it sets at sunrise.

#13 Do use exposure bracketing

Once you have found the exposure that you feel happy with, it is best to bracket around that setting. The view of your images in the dark, on the back of your camera, can often be deceiving. In the dark, images always appear brighter on the LCD of camera than they actually are when opened on your computer. After you are satisfied with the exposure you have dialed in, bracket two stops under and two stops over, just to ensure that you get an exposure you will be happy with later.

#14 Don’t use Auto White Balance

Using auto white balance will give you very inconsistent results. What is the source for the light of the moon? That’s right, the sun! So try daylight white balance, but if you are looking for a different effect, try tungsten or cloudy. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but also remember that if you are shooting in RAW you can change the white balance in post-production.

#15 Don’t depend on your meter

Most likely your camera’s light meter will be fooled by the amount of light reflecting off the moon. Also it is important to note that as the moon rises, the exposure will continual change. It gets brighter as it rises, so you need to keep adjusting your shutter speed.

#16 Do shoot in RAW mode

Shooting in RAW will allow you to capture more details of the moon’s surface, and also give you more latitude for adjustments in retouching. So, unless you are not at all comfortable with using camera RAW software, always shoot the moon in RAW.

#17 Don’t be afraid to crop your image

Unless you are shooting with a very large telephoto lens, you will want to crop your image to display the moon at a decent size. But remember, the more you crop, the smaller the final image can be printed at high resolution.

#18 Do tweak and sharpen

Most moon photography is going to require some post exposure retouching in Photoshop or other photo editing software. Adding clarity and contrast will help bring out details which will enhance the craters and mountains of the moon. As mentioned above, white balance and exposure may also be tweaked to finish your optimal image, as both are somewhat difficult to perfect in camera.

Be creative: two images are combined to create this final image.

#19 Don’t be afraid to be creative

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your images of the moon. Most great moon images have been manipulated in post-production because of the difficulty of capturing a great moon shot in one image. HDR or exposure blending are great methods to enhance the captures of otherwise impossible moon images. A popular method used by many photographers is to combine two exposures: one set to bring out the best of the foreground landscape and a second exposed for the moon only. When combining these two images, try enlarging the moon slightly to achieve a more dramatic effect, but don’t overdo it to the point that it looks fake. It needs to look believable unless you are going for a science fiction affect (which isn’t a bad idea, creatively speaking!).

Two exposures were combined to make this final image. One image was exposed for the landscape and the other for the moon. The moon was enlarged slightly for dramatic effect.

 #20 Do Practice, Practice, Practice

 

How to Photograph a Solar Eclipse

By: Simon Ringsmuth

Note: This article was written for a previous eclipse but is still relevant for the next one too!

On the afternoon of August 21, 2017, an event will take place in the United States that has not happened in almost 100 years. A total solar eclipse will be visible for a huge swath of the mainland population. While total solar eclipses aren’t an entirely uncommon phenomenon, it is highly irregular for one to be seen by such a large portion of the country and it won’t happen again anytime soon.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

In 2019 a total eclipse will be viewable for people in Chile, Argentina, and Uraguay and after that, the next one will not happen until June of 2020 which will be visible for a large chunk of Africa and southern Asia. This means that anyone who wants to get some good photographs of the upcoming event will need to spend time preparing, getting some essential gear, or even traveling to the USA if you live in another country.
Fortunately, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get a good shot of the eclipse. This guide is designed to give you a good idea of what you will need without breaking the bank.

What is a solar eclipse?

To understand a bit about photographing a solar eclipse, it’s important to know just what it is you will be looking at on the afternoon of August 21st.
The moon orbits the earth once every 28 days, but the plane of the moon’s orbit is not quite even with the plane of earth’s orbit around the sun. Because of this disparity, the moon does not usually block out our view of the sun, except for once every few years. If the earth gets between the sun and the moon it’s called a lunar eclipse, but if the moon scoots between the earth and the sun it results in a solar eclipse which is rarer and, in my opinion, more spectacular to watch.
The fun part happens when you are lucky enough to be in the path of totality, which is where you will experience a complete blackout of the sun during the middle of the day. Keep reading to find out what gear you will need to photograph the eclipse, and how to locate the path of totality so you know where to be on this eventful day.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth. This diagram is

 most definitely NOT to scale.

How can I see the eclipse?

The most important thing to remember when viewing the eclipse of 2017, or any solar eclipse, is that you do not want to look directly at it unless you are in the path of totality – that is, unless the moon is completely covering the sun.
I need to make this abundantly clear: do not look at the solar eclipse with your naked eyes!!
Even if most of the sun is covered up by the moon, the light streaming out will be much too bright for your eyes to handle. NASA’s website has more detailed information, but suffice it to say if you want to watch the eclipse unfold in real time you will need something to protect your eyes like these solar eclipse glasses or a strong piece of welding glass. Sunglasses are far too weak to be effective and don’t ever just try to squint.
Protect your eyes properly, they’re the only ones you’ve got.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

How do I take pictures of the eclipse?

Here’s where things get a little tricky since you will probably need to spend a bit of money, though hopefully not as much as you think. If you want to get the kind of close-up images you’ve already seen in this article, you will need the following camera gear:

• A zoom lens, preferably one that has a focal length of at least 400mm.
• A solar filter to protect your lens and camera.
• Solar glasses so you can watch the eclipse unfold as it happens.
• A tripod to hold your camera steady.
• A place to view the eclipse, free of obstructions.

Here’s a bit more information about each of those so you can make sure to get the best photos possible.

Lenses and Cameras

Most consumer-level zooms such as the Nikon 55-200mm lens or Canon 18-200mm do a good job at covering a variety of focal lengths. But shooting at 200mm isn’t going to handle an event like the solar eclipse with as much resolution and detail as you may want.
That’s where a longer lens such as the Tamron 150-600mm (or the Sigma version) really comes in handy. It will allow you to get a much closer view and to take the kind of pictures you might see on blogs and magazine covers. The downside is that these longer lenses are quite expensive.
Fortunately, there are several places online where you can use to rent lenses from for a few days at a time, which I highly recommend. BorrowLenses, LensRentals, and LensProToGo are popular sites that all carry a similar lineup of lenses, but it’s also a good idea to check with your local brick-and-mortar camera shop too. Many of these stores will let you rent lenses for a very short period of time, which is good since you only need one day to photograph the eclipse.

Tamron’s 150-600mm lens is ideal for shooting a solar eclipse, and you can find it online at places 

like Amazon.com or  B&H Photo Video.

Alternatives

Another alternative is to look into buying or renting a teleconverter that will increase the focal length of your existing lenses. A 2x teleconverter can be rented for about $35 depending on your location. While the resulting images won’t be quite as sharp as if you were using a dedicated zoom lens it should be more than adequate to give you enough reach to photograph the eclipse with a lens you already own. (Note: Some point-and-shoot cameras have impressive zoom lenses but I would advise against using these for the eclipse because there’s not a good way to attach a solar filter to them, which I describe in the next section.)
Finally, it’s worth noting that crop-sensor cameras such as the Canon Rebel T6 Series or Nikon D3400, D5500, and D7200 are ideally suited for this type of event because they will give you more reach out of your lenses. A 200mm lens on a Nikon crop-sensor camera effectively becomes a 300mm lens, and the same holds true for Canon. Micro-four-thirds models have a 2x crop factor so shooting with a 200mm lens on the Olympus OM-D EM-10 is like using a 400mm lens on a standard full-frame DSLR. So for shooting the eclipse, if you have both crop-sensor and full-frame cameras you will be better off using the former instead of the latter.

You don’t need an expensive camera to get good shots. Even an older crop-sensor model like the 

Nikon D3200 will work great, provided you have a telephoto lens or a teleconverter.

Solar Filter

You wouldn’t look directly at the sun during an eclipse without proper protective equipment for your eyes, and the same holds true for your camera. If you are lucky enough to be in the path of totality you can look at, and take pictures of, the eclipse without needing any special gear. But if you are anywhere except the line of the complete blackout, or want to take pictures of the eclipse as it begins and ends, you will need certain equipment to keep your camera safe.
A special solar filter that attaches to the end of your lens is a great way to protect against damage to your camera. Not to be confused with standard neutral density filters, which are not at all strong enough for this type of situation, solar filters are specifically designed to photograph eclipses and other solar events. Make sure to find one that screws on, or fits over, the end of your lens and not one that goes between your camera and the lens. If it’s the screw-on kind it needs to actually fit your lens too, so double check that the thread size of the filter you get matches the thread size of your lens (look inside the lens cap for your lens, that is the filter size).

You will need a solar filter like this one from Amazon if you plan on pointing your camera at the

 eclipse at any point other than when the sun is completely covered by the moon.

Solar Glasses

These function much in the same way that a solar filter does, but are designed to protect your eyes instead of your camera. They are not expensive and look like the old style of 3D glasses you might have used in a movie theater decades ago, except these block out virtually all light except what comes from extraordinarily bright objects like the sun.
While wearing solar glasses won’t help you take better photos of the eclipse, it’s good to wear them as the Eclipse waxes and wanes so you can see it with your own eyes instead of through your camera’s viewfinder.

Solar glasses like these are required if you want to look directly at the eclipse as it begins and ends.

Tripod

Unless you have very steady hands or an impressive image stabilization system on your camera, a tripod is essential for shooting an eclipse. While you don’t need anything fancy or expensive, it will help to have a larger one that can keep your camera and lens rock steady. This is why I would recommend against small mount-anywhere tripods that you can find rather cheaply online.
If you are using a zoom lens with a built-in tripod mount, make sure to attach your tripod to that instead of your camera. Otherwise, you will put a great deal of stress on the mount where the lens attaches to the camera. Finally, any time you use a tripod make sure you disable your lens’s vibration reduction system because it can backfire on you and actually make your images more blurry when mounted to a steady surface.

A place to view the Eclipse

If you have all your gear ready, solar glasses on your face and your friends and family gathered to witness this historic event, it could all be for naught if you don’t put yourself in the proper location. The best spot to view Summer 2017’s Eclipse is by finding a location along the path of totality–the geographic line where you will see an entire blackout of the sun for as much as two full minutes. Places not on the path of totality will still see part of the eclipse, but the effect will not be nearly as pronounced.
Many towns and cities located on or near the path of totality have been taking hotel reservations for August 21st and are planning community events to promote the Eclipse. So if you haven’t started looking for lodging yet I would recommend making those plans now. This site has an interactive Google Map with all the information you need to get a good viewing location. Try to find a park, field, or another open area free of obstructions so that you can have a clear view of the eclipse. Though of course, weather plays a big role in this too and it’s entirely possible that your best-laid plans will result in rain or even just a lot of clouds.

Image via NASA’s Eclipse Map site.

Shooting Techniques

Finally, it’s important to keep a few essentials in mind so you can actually get the kind of pictures you are hoping for when the eclipse happens. Here are some tips that can make the difference between a blurry almost-had-it shot and a brilliant glowing halo that you would be proud to print and hang on the wall.

• Use a fast shutter speed. It’s not about stopping the vibration of your camera, which is what a tripod is for, but freezing the motion of the moon as it travels across the sun. 1/125th of a second will be more than adequate, and going faster than that won’t really give you much of an advantage. Once again, make sure you have a solar filter or else you will damage your camera, and get a pair of solar glasses for your eyes too.
• Use a small aperture, but not too small. Each lens is different, but in general f/8 or f/11 is going to give you a sharp image without much diffraction or chromatic aberration. Go much larger than that (i.e. f/4, f/2.8) and you risk getting an image that isn’t as sharp as it could be. Much smaller than that (i.e. f/16, f/22) will likely result in weird optical artifacts that happen as the light enters such a small opening and is reflected throughout the glass elements of your lens.
• Shoot in RAW, not JPEG, and correct your white balance afterward in Lightroom, Photoshop, or another similar program
• Use a two-second delay timer (if you’re shooting with a tripod) so you don’t get any vibration from your finger pressing the shutter, which can cause the image to appear blurry.
• Use Live View to check for focus. Alternatively, you can use autofocus but make sure to check your pictures on the LCD screen right away to make sure they are properly in focus. However…
• …Don’t spend all your time chimping, or looking at the LCD screen on the back of your camera after you take photos. You will only have a few minutes at most to take pictures of the total eclipse, and you will have plenty of time to admire them after it’s all done.

If you want to know more, PBS has a fantastic short video about the upcoming eclipse and you can find all sorts of information by searching online including NASA’s page dedicated to the event.
Do you have any other tips for getting photos of the upcoming eclipse? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to revisit this article after the eclipse to share your photos!
For those of you on Pinterest – here’s a pinnable image to share this post with others.

Tips for Photographing a Lunar Eclipse

By: Phil Hart

While some obscure astronomical events get over-hyped, a total lunar eclipse is always a crowd-pleaser. It is easy to observe and photograph, even among the bright lights of the big cities.
Note: This article was written for a previous eclipse but is still relevant for the next one too!
A lunar eclipse occurs when the alignment of the moon’s orbit is just right, taking it inside Earth’s shadow at the time of full moon, when the moon is opposite the sun. The lengths of an eclipse can vary from event to event (as can the brightness and colour of the eclipse) depending if it’s a full eclipse or not

Visit in-the-sky.org for eclipse event times in your part of the world. Change your location on the right hand side if the automatic selection is incorrect.

Photographing a Lunar Eclipse

There are two main approaches to photographing a lunar eclipse using just a DSLR and a tripod, excluding more complex approaches with telescopes and tracking mounts.

1. You can get in as close as possible with a telephoto lens to capture detail of the changing partial, and total phases of the eclipse.
2. Create wide-field and composite images showing the stages of the eclipse as the moon moves through the sky.

Wide-field Eclipse Composites

Partial phases of a lunar eclipse over Maryborough Station.
Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm lens at 82mm.
Nine exposures of the moon each 1/90 sec, f/8, ISO 200.
Images stacked is PS using lighten blending mode with one 2 second exposure of the foreground.

The moon moves across the sky at approximately 15 degrees per hour or 50 degrees over the full duration of the eclipse. You need a wide angle lens around 18mm focal length (28mm on a full frame camera) to capture all the stages of the eclipse in one field of view. An alternative is to frame up part of the eclipse with a longer focal length about 50mm (80mm on a full frame camera) like the image above which shows the partial stages in more detail.
In the northern hemisphere, the moon (like the sun) moves from left-to-right through the sky. So at the start of the eclipse, position the moon in the left side of the frame leaving it room to move across the image during the eclipse. Reverse that advice in the southern hemisphere. Night sky planetarium Apps such as Stellarium and SkySafari (iOS only) allow you to visualize the path of the moon through the sky to help plan your framing.

Telephoto Eclipse Images

With a moderate telephoto lens you can get nice detail of the changing stages of a lunar eclipse. During the partial stages the brightness of the moon allows for very short exposures, so trailing it should not be a problem, although you will need a sturdy tripod and use mirror lock-up to reduce vibration.

Lunar eclipse partial phases composite.
Canon 1100D, 300mm lens with 1.4x teleconverter, 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

During totality, the Moon’s brightness greatly reduces, however this eclipse will be a little brighter than usual. Aim for exposures of around one second with the aperture wide open, and push the ISO as much as you need to, being careful not to blow the highlights on the brighter edge. You should be able to capture images like this one below, which is an example of what you can do even with regular affordable cameras (although nice lenses do help).

Totality during a lunar eclipse
Canon 1100D, 300mm lens with 1.4x teleconverter, 1/2 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200

Eclipse at Moonset

In the eastern United States and Canada, and the western half of South America, the moon will set during the partial stages before total eclipse. Through central areas the moon will set while totally eclipsed which will make it much dimmer than a normal moonset and potentially hard to see amongst bright city lights. In the western half of North America you get to enjoy the partial phases leading up to, and including the total eclipse, then capture the moon setting as the partial phases reverse at the end of the eclipse.
You can use apps and software like The Photographers Ephemeris (Android/iOS) and Photo Pills (iOS only) to plan the alignment of the moon against landscape features as it rises or sets. Australian photographer Colin Legg captured this shot of the moon rising during an eclipse last year. An astronomer would immediately recognize the unusual configuration – a crescent moon can normally only appear in a twilight sky in the same direction as sunrise or sunset. Here the crescent moon appears amidst the beautiful shading of Earth’s shadow and The Belt of Venus, opposite where the sun set about 15 minutes earlier. Similar images before sunrise will be possible across North and South America during April’s lunar eclipse.

Lunar Eclipse over Lake Ballard, Western Australia – image courtesy of Colin Legg

Will you get out and give it a go?

 Share this article.