Moon Shoot – The Cheater Method

Let me start by saying, in no way do I have the best lens for getting the best detail for a moon shot – I would love to have a nice 400mm+ Canon L lens, but, I’m sure you must realize by now, that these types of shots are not my specialty :D  That said, I just thought I would pass along one of the fastest ways to get a shot like this.  First, set up your tripod, put your camera on manual settings, and be prepared to use either a remote, or in my case, I used the camera’s timer.  My settings were 400mm lens on my camera, 1/60  F29  ISO 320.  Yes, you read correctly, 1/60 F29 ISO 320.  Seems like an awfully fast shutter speed and small aperture for a moon shot doesn’t it?  Well, the fact is, you don’t have to wait until it’s pitch black outside to make this shot; a matter a fact, according to my metadata, I took this picture at 7:37pm at dusk.  So why does it look like it was taken at 10:30 or 11 o’clock?  I simply shut out the majority of my ambient light by using a very small f-stop.  By doing so, I was able to use a low ISO setting and average shutter speed – which also removes  a lot of the grainy look you would get otherwise.  So, if you see the moon up in the sky, but it’s not quite dark out – head out for the shot anyway. You may wish to start with the settings I have listed, and then just tweak them to what works best in your situation – have fun!  I’d love to see your shots!