Capture A Moon Shot

Mike Harris shows you how to take one giant leap towards taking stunning moon photos in just six small steps

You don’t need to be a keen astrophotographer with specialised gear to capture stunning images of the moon like this one – you will, however, need the longest lens you can lay your hands-on, and you’ll need to do a little planning.

Kit-wise, a superzoom bridge camera is one option – these offer focal lengths that match and often exceed those of the lenses available for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, and we’re using the Nikon P1000, which has a 125x optical zoom that equates to mammoth 3000mm focal length in 35mm. A telephoto lens on a DSLR or mirrorless camera will also do the trick, and if your lenses aren’t long enough, teleconverters are an economical way of boosting your reach.

Like all forms of astrophotography, the success of an astro shoot hinges primarily on planning. Clear nights are a must, and you’ll find plenty of resources online, such as Clear Outside (www.bit. ly/ClearOutside), that can tell you when conditions will be favourable.

You’ll also need to consider the moon phase, and here you can be creative – for example, we chose not to shoot a full moon, as we felt that some shadow added extra definition, and helped to make the moon appear less flat.

1 CHECK THE CONDITIONS