Face the Moon

Tom Welsh shows you how to use the moon to capture a fun portrait with a creative twist – all it takes is a bit of careful planning…

Playing with perspective – making large objects appear small or small objects appear large – can result in some fun and very creative images. The moon is ideal for this; using silhouetted people to interact with the moon enables you to create very graphic photographs that make the most of shooting from a very specific perspective.

The key to a successful shoot involving the moon is mostly in the planning. The time of year makes a big difference to how large the moon appears in the sky – the larger the moon seems, the better the final result will be.

At the planning stage, it’s essential to research when moonrise will be at your location, what stage the moon will be in, and where it will be in the sky. Though the moon is up there all night, the optimum window to shoot is just as the moon is rising. Within an hour it will probably be too high to capture effectively (unless you have a very steep hill to stand below). You also need to consider the weather and your location, and be aware of other possible light sources and obstacles.