Tuesday, March 26, 2024

How To Photograph The Moon With iPhone

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What Settings Should I Use To Photograph The Moon

How to photograph the moon with iPhone 11 pro |2020

Now to the most crucial question in moon photography: How do I set my camera to take a picture of the moon?

A lot of people end up with overexposed images because they think the moon requires long exposures. But the truth is that you need to photograph it using daytime settings.

So what does that mean?

First, you set your ISO to 100. Next, adjust your aperture between f/11 and f/16 for maximum sharpness. And finally, use a shutter speed of about 1/125th of a second or faster. Its that simple.

To get the best results, you should always shoot in RAW. Take a test shot and check;the histogram that you have not clipped the highlights and that the Moon is not too dark. The sky will probably be pitch black, but that is not a problem.

If you dont have a remote shutter, use the built-in 2-second timer to avoid camera shake. When checking the exposure, be sure your moon is sharp.

How To Take A Good Supermoon Photo

May’s “super flower moon” is almost here and everyone’s had that feeling. Looking up at a moon that looks like it can’t be real. You take your phone out and snap a photo. And it just looks like a little blob. That’s because moon photography is hard.

We’ll get to see the last full supermoon of the year on May 7. This one’s dubbed the “super flower moon” and if April’s “super pink moon” was any indication, it should be a real barn burner.;

Last month, I went up to my roof with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, iPhone 11 Pro;and my first ever DSLR, the Canon EOS 60D;to see if I could capture the pink moon in all its glory. Watch the full experiment here:

With just a few easy adjustments you can really enhance your moon photography.;

The day after the Pink Moon. Taken with my first ever DSLR, the Canon 60D with an 18-200mm lens.

How Do You Shoot The Moon Landscape

To begin, the first and most important DONT is: Dont assume that photographing the moon is going to be easy.

  • #1 Do use a tripod.
  • #2 Dont use a slow shutter speed.
  • #3 Do use a telephoto lens.
  • #4 Dont use any filters on your lens.
  • #5 Do try the Looney 11 rule.
  • #6 Dont touch the camera to start your exposure.
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    Best Tips For Star Photography

    Like any photography technique, your Milky Way and star trail shots will improve with practice. Here are some pro tips to help you get there faster, no matter which iPhone youre using:

  • Always use a tripod. In order to take long exposure shots, you need to keep your camera as still as possible. The best way to do this is with a tripod and a self-timer so you arent touching your phone when shooting.
  • Find the darkest sky possible. Light pollution can be a huge problem when trying to capture the night sky. The Dark Sky Finder app will help you find great spots for star watching and night sky photography.
  • Use a timer or a shutter release. When taking a picture, either set your self-timer on your phone or use a remote shutter release to eliminate camera shake. Check out this guide to iPhone camera accessories to pick the best shutter release and tripod.
  • Never use digital zoom. Newer iPhones include several lenses that change the focal length of your camera. These are great tools for finding the right composition. But do not use your iPhones digital zoom, which uses internal software to zoom in on a scene. This will drastically reduce the quality of your image.
  • Implement noise reduction. Low-light photography will almost always introduce noise into your images, making them appear grainy. You can reduce noise with Lightroom by tapping Detail and scrolling down to the Noise Reduction slider.
  • How To Take A Pic Of The Super Blue Moon With Your iPhone X

    Picture of the moon shot through regular binoculars with ...

    Try all you want, your iPhone’s moonshot will never look like this.

    – Corrected for the fact that the Blood Moon was actually Wednesday morning.

    Heading out tonight for a run? If so, you’ll be greeted by an astronomical wonder.;The moon is going to be, well, extra moon-ey tonight. Not only is it a supermoon, where its;orbit is the closest it can get to the Earth, making it appear larger, it’s also a blue moon .

    That’s right, it’s a Super Blue Moon and it’s going to be gorgeous!

    Your first tendency is going to be to whip out your iPhone and start snapping pictures because it’s going to look amazing. Unfortunately, instead of looking something like this:

    Moon-kissed perfection

    It’s going to look like this.

    The most beautiful blur in the world.

    Anthony Karcz

    Why is that? It’s because, ;unlike your eyes , the camera sensor on your iPhone X just isn’t equipped to handle that magnitude of light and definitely isn’t equipped to faithfully;capture objects that are hundreds of miles away, hanging in the night sky.

    It’s not impossible to get a better;shot with your iPhone, but it’s still not going to be of the same quality that you see;from DSLR cameras. Here are a few things to keep in mind to get the best possible shot.

    1. Shoot;the Moon When It’s Low

    2. Don’t Take a Pic of;Just the Moon

    The brightness slider displays when you use AF Lock.

    Anthony Karcz

    3. When All Else Fails, Use AF Lock

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    How To Take Photos Of The Milky Way With Slow Shutter Cam

    Slow Shutter Cam is a premium iPhone app that lets you capture an array of slow shutter speed effects previously only available on a DSLR. Slow Shutter Cam features unlimited shutter speed and ISO control, a real-time preview, and a Low Light mode for night sky photography. The app is available for $1.99 on the App Store. In addition to the Slow Shutter Cam app, you will also need a tripod to keep your iPhone still while shooting.

    Heres how to capture the Milky Way using your iPhone and the Slow Shutter Cam app.

  • Open the app on your iPhone and give it permission to access your camera and photos.

  • Choose a location

    Find a location with good visibility and low light pollution to begin shooting. In the Northern Hemisphere, the best time to view the Milky Way is between April and July. Dark Sky Finder is a great app for locating dark-sky shooting locations near you.

  • Adjust the settings in Slow Shutter Cam

    Set the shooting mode to Low Light, then slide the Noise Reduction slider to High, the Shutter Speed to 25 seconds, and the ISO to 1600.

  • Mount your iPhone on a tripod

    This is the best way to eliminate camera shake for long exposures.

  • Set the camera timer

    Tap the menu in the lower-right corner and set the timer for 3 seconds. This will further reduce camera shake.

  • Take a photo

    Tap the shutter button. A white bar will appear around the shutter button to indicate your progress. Do not touch the camera until it is finished.

  • Capturing The Moon In Low

    What about photographing the Moon in low-light conditions? Thats when things get a bit more challenging. The main reason is differences in exposure. The Moon gets quite bright, especially when it is full, while the rest of the scene is too dark.

    If you expose for the Moon, you will be able to see all the features of it, but the landscape will look too dark. If you expose for the foreground, the landscape will appear too dark and the Moon will be very overexposed.

    The solution is to take two or more images, exposing separately for the Moon and the foreground, then merge the two in post-processing, as I have done in the image below:

    If your goal is to capture the Moon with the night sky, things could get a bit more challenging, since the exposure time for the sky is vastly different compared to the Moon.

    If the Moon is not full and appears relatively small in size compared to the rest of the landscape , you could end up getting a shot like this:

    However, attempting to shoot and then blend such images can be quite difficult in post, since the Moon can do all sorts of damage to your photograph from visible signs of ghosting and flare, to huge parts of the sky appearing too bright. If the Moon is full or near full, you might not even be able to capture most of the stars, especially if there is dust, moisture, or other particles in the atmosphere.

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    How To Photograph The Supermoon

    As I have already pointed out, a Supermoon occurs when the Moon is new or full, and it is at its closest proximity to our planet. If the skies are clear and you are lucky to see the Supermoon, why not photograph it?

    The process of photographing the Supermoon is identical to photographing regular Moon. In fact, since the Moon is a bit larger and brighter than usual, it should be easier to photograph.

    For the above photograph, I used the shutter speed of 1/250th of a second at ISO 200, which was fast enough to yield a reasonably sharp image of the Moon . I used the Nikon 500mm f/4G VR super telephoto lens with a 2x teleconverter, which resulted in a 1000mm f/8 setup. Since the lens sharpness suffered greatly due to use of a 2x teleconverter, I had to stop the lens down to f/13 to improve sharpness.

    How To Take Better Photos Of The Moon With Night Mode

    How to take photos of the moon with your iPhone 12 Pro Max

    Night Mode on the iPhone is designed to work automatically when the lighting conditions deem it necessary. To capture the moon, use a tripod to frame your shot and follow these instructions:

  • Open your iPhones Camera app.
  • In low-light settings, Night Mode will be enabled.
  • Tap the moon icon in the upper-left corner of your screen.
  • Use the slider to adjust the length of your exposure. One to two seconds is great for shooting the moon, but dont be afraid to experiment.
  • Use the self-timer or a remote shutter to take your photo.
  • Ready to jump-start your night photography? Invest in a tripod and a few of the apps weve mentioned, and get ready to explore the fascinating world of iPhoneography after dark.

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    How To Photograph The Moon: Plan Your Shot

    Lets start with the bad news: Stumbling across a beautiful moon and expecting to capture it with your smartphone is extremely unlikely to happen. In fact, youll probably end up with something like this mess.

    Bad moon photo

    Gross, right? Thats because your smartphoneat least on its ownisnt designed to snag a shot this kind of shot. The lens is too wide, the sensor generates too much digital noise, and the lens is often smudged with goop from your pocket that streaks the frame. Its not pretty. So, its worth it to visualize the shot you want, and that will help determine the gear and technique youll want to use.

    Sites like In-the-sky.org are a good reference for planning lunar events, or just tracking regular moon activities.

    Stellarium Plus Star Map

    Explore the night sky with the Stellarium star map.

    This app labels objects in the night sky. It also allows you to see the stars at any point in history and as other cultures view the heavens.

    Stellarium has an easy-to-navigate interface. Point your iPhone anywhere in the night sky and constellations appear. Tap on a star or constellation, and more information will appear. Stellarium lets you zoom in for a closer look or zoom out for a 360-degree view of the sky.

    Stellarium doesnt have augmented reality, but this isnt a deal-breaker. Where this app shines is the ability to find deep space objects. It will even pair with your telescope.

    Stellarium is also available for Android.

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    How To Photograph Star Trails With Slow Shutter Cam

    Once youve practiced a bit with night sky photography, youll be ready to experiment with photographing star trails. Capturing star trails requires that you leave your shutter open for at least 30 seconds. This is enough time to capture the movement of the stars or, more accurately, the movement of the earth. Stars will appear as trails curving across the sky, making for an incredibly striking image.

    Ready to give it a shot? Heres how to photograph Star trails using Slow Shutter Cam.

  • Tap the settings icon to open the camera settings.
  • Set your Capture Mode to Light Trail, set Light Sensitivity to Full, and adjust Shutter Speed to 60 seconds. ISO can be set to Auto.
  • Tap the menu icon and add a self-timer set to 3 seconds to reduce camera shake.
  • Attach your iPhone to a tripod and frame your shot.
  • Tap the shutter button and wait for the camera to finish capturing the scene.
  • Choose Clear, Edit, or Save based on your preferences.
  • Planning For Moon Photography

    How to photograph the moon on an iPhone: One possible ...

    Before photographing the moon decide on when you want to shoot the moon and how you want to shoot it close-ups or moon in a landscape. Once you have decided on this, the next step is location scouting.;

    If you are in a relatively dark area and if you are looking for close-up shots, you can do it easily from your backyard, but if you are looking for a landscape along with the moon, then you need to scout for locations and choose a favourable one. Moonrise and moonset times are the best for moon photos with landscapes.

    To accomplish a great moon shot, let’s first look at the basic gear you’ll need.

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    Why Is It So Hard To Photograph The Moon

    Smartphone cameras have very small sensors and very little magnification, meaning that they cant zoom in far enough or in enough quality to capture the moon. Alas, this just means that there is a lot of glare, which distorts the picture still more, so you need a camera with which you can control the exposure settings.

    Keep Your Camera Steady

    Using a tripod while shooting the moon is definitely a must to help reduce camera shake or vibration. Since you are photographing in the dark, you will need a slower shutter speed which means that you will have to spend a longer than usual time shooting an image. But, the thing is, keeping your camera still or free from any movement and vibration would be difficult. That is why investing in a good quality tripod is worth it in most situations.;

    If you do not have a tripod or you do not have the budget to buy one right away, what you can do to keep your camera steady is to lean against something while shooting or better yet, shoot the moon in a lying position and put something to support your both hands.

    The point here is you have to keep your camera as steady as possible to get better images of the moon which is impossible even with just a small camera shake.

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    How To Photograph The Super Blood Moon With Your Camera

    If you can tolerate the late night in some places , youll be rewarded, because unlike a lot of night-sky photography, getting a decent snap is actually pretty straightforward.;

    With the Moon reflecting the maximum amount of light possible, you can forget about worrying about the 500 rule, which is an astrophotography formula where you divide the number 500 by the focal length of your lens to give you your maximum exposure time. You also don’t really have to worry too much about star trackers or blended exposures either.

    In many cases, the moon will actually be so bright that youll be shooting exposures fast enough to not need a tripod. But if you have one, it’s well worth taking one to your chosen spot to give you that extra leeway.

    A telephoto lens Photopills app TripodSnacks

    If youre hoping to get a spectacular, fill-the-frame shot, youre going to want a long lens. Probably a very long lens even 300mm will leave our closest galactic neighbor looking a little lonely, if you’re not planning to include any foreground interest.

    You’ll certainly get more impressive results if you have a lens in the 500-600mm range, though today’s high-resolution cameras mean that you can always compensate by cropping in a little if not.

    You also get bonus points if you can get somewhere with minimum light pollution from nearby towns and cities. But again, with the moon so bright this isnt like Milky Way photography, where every photon counts.

    Understand The Moon Phases

    How to Take a Picture of the Moon with an iPhone

    So you have your camera, lenses, tripod and knowledge of camera settings. Next, its time to know what youre looking for in the night sky and how to identify each moon phase.

    Before you head out to capture images, its essential to know what the moon phases are and when they occur no point heading into the woods with no moon in the sky.

    The moon rotates around the Earth on a 30-day repeating cycle or a 29.53-day cycle, to be precise.

    • New Moon; This is the start of the moon phases. The moon is between the Earth and the sun as a result, no light hits the surface of the moon facing the Earth.
    • Waxing Crescent; The Earth mostly hides the new moon. A crescent-shaped sliver of light appears.
    • First Quarter; More of the moon reflects the suns light- lighting up half the moon while the other half is in darkness.
    • Waxing Gibbous; As the shadow recedes from the moons surface, almost all the surface reflects light.
    • Full Moon; The Earth is between the moon and the sun. As a result, light falls on the moon surface facing the Earth, and we see the whole surface lit up.
    • Waning Gibbous; After the full moon, a shadow starts to cover part of the surface. Its similar to Waxing Gibbous but on the other side of the surface.
    • Third Quarter; As the moon hides more behind the Earth, half the surface is lit, with the other half in darkness.
    • Waning Crescent; Only a sliver of the moons surface reflects light while the rest is in darkness. A New Moon follows this phase.

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