SOLUTION #1: Photograph the Night Before the Full Moon

Using online calendars and mobile apps, it’s simple to determine when the full moon will be rising, so you can scout your scene in advance. But here’s a tip: It’s typically best to shoot the moonrise the night before the full moon. On that evening, when the moon is almost full, the eastern sky and the landscape below are almost the same exposure value. This makes metering and exposing much simpler. Also, an almost-full moon has a yellow cast that provides striking contrast against a dusky blue sky.

Typically, my composition will dictate where and how I set my exposure. When shooting the full moonrise as part of a larger landscape or cityscape, I first determine my aperture choice. Do I need a deep depth of field, such as f/16 or f/22? Or is everything at the same approximate focus distance, in which case f/8 or f/11 will work? With my aperture set, I point the camera toward the eastern sky, to the left or right of the rising full moon, and adjust my shutter speed until a correct exposure is indicated. Note that your shutter speed should not exceed 8 seconds. Anything longer and you will record the motion of the earth as it revolves, resulting in an egg-shaped orb in place of your moon.

As you will quickly discover, these longer shutter speeds require a firm support or tripod, unless you choose to shoot with a high ISO, such as 3200. High-ISO images used to come with a lot of digital noise, but that is no longer the case. Still, high ISOs continue to produce images that are flat in both overall color and contrast. I am sure that the day will come when we will see these higher ISOs produce amazing color and contrast, but until then, it’s best to call upon the lower ISOs (and your tripod) for the best possible shot.

If, on the other hand, your goal is to shoot only the moon, you’ll need a different set of exposure settings. The three most popular settings are: f/8 for 1/125 sec. with ISO 100, f/8 for 1/250 sec. with ISO 200, and f/8 for 1/500 sec. with ISO 400.