Over the past month or so I've freely given out information on Facebook and via Skype, to those that have asked, of how to photograph the Moon. I start with all the usual advice of: use a tripod, a remote release (or the camera's self timer) and to focus and expose manually, but it occurred to me, as I stepped out of the house and spied Earth's satellite: damn it, man, can you actually do it yourself?
It's been some time since I've made any serious attempt so I thought it was about time I brushed up on the technique. Now, the moon is brighter than most people think, especially now that it is nearly full (that occurs tomorrow) so pretty fast shutter speeds can be employed to help capture sharp images under high magnifications.
One other invaluable tip I can offer is to use the mirror lockup feature if your camera has one (we are generally talking SLR bodies, here). Once that is up and out of the way a few moments can be allowed for all vibrations to die down before the shutter is fired. Despite advanced damping engineered into modern camera bodies, the mirror is still capable of taking the edge off images such as these as it clatters up before the shutter blinds open. Some camera bodies also cause the mirror to be locked up when the self timer is activated, but I prefer to judge the exact moment of exposure myself.
300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 1/800 second at f/6.3. ISO 320. Tripod and remote release. Mirror locked up. Time: 16.46 GMT
© 2011
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