"Shooting the moon" has long been used as an example of something impossible. However, with a camera you can shoot the moon to your heart's content, creating brilliant results. To make the moon dramatic in the sky, use the longest focal length of your zoom lens or a different lens with a long focal length. This will make it appear larger in the sky.
A great thing to do with moon shots is to have something silhouetted against the moon. If you can find the proper angle, putting a person, a tree or anything between the camera and the moon will create great, moody silhouettes. However, this will probably have to be used in conjunction with a telephoto lens from a long distance away to make the subject small enough and the moon large enough to create the effect. The most challenging part of shooting the moon is getting the proper exposure. There is a general rule to follow if you have a manual-exposure mode on your camera:
- Set your aperture to f/11
- Figure out what the speed of your film is (eg. 100, 200, 400) or set the film speed in your digital camera.
- Set the shutter speed to 1/film speed. For example, if you are using a 100 speed film, or have set your CCD to ISO 100, you would set the shutter speed to 1/125.
This is based on a full moon, but will vary depending on what stage it is in. Remember that no formula is perfect and that a variety of conditions can affect this. A good insurance plan is to bracket your exposure, which means taking a series of shots, with more light and less light than your original shot. This can guarantee you will find the right exposure.
