The rare Super Blood Moon that occurred on Sunday offered sky watchers with an amazing sight and many could not resist the urge to reach out for their smartphones and cameras to document the celestial event and share it on social media.
While there are many spectacular photos of the big, red moon, many can attest that they have taken photos that were not able to capture the beauty of the lunar event. In many pictures, the moon looked very small compared with how it really looked to the naked eye.
It can be very difficult to photograph the moon and this is for a number of reasons. One is that the moon is very far away and many cameras are not equipped to take good photos of distant objects. One may need to hook a smartphone to a telescope to take better photos of the moon.
The camera in smartphones also has very small sensors and very limited magnification, which means that it cannot zoom far enough to capture the moon. A DSLR and a long-zoom lens or a mirrorless camera, could do the trick.
The moon is also being lit by the sun and this means that one would have to contend with a lot of glare that could distort the picture. It will be easier to take a photo with a camera that allows the user to control the exposure settings.
Of course, it isn't just the camera that can affect how you take photos of the moon. Layers of clouds, for instance, could get in the way of getting a clear picture of the lunar disc so it best to take photos of the moon on a clear night.
Pollution particularly in big cities and during hot summer days can also play a role on how the image would turn out. Experienced photographers recommend traveling to a remote location where there are no light or air pollution that might affect taking better photos of celestial objects at night.
Taking photos of the moon is also preferable at higher elevations because the pictures are likely to turn better if there is less distance between the photographer and the glowing blob.
Amateur photographers may get disappointed when they compare the photos they have taken with those taken by professional photographers. Practice makes perfect though.
Those who would like to capture better photos during the next lunar event can start to learn how to take better photos of the moon starting tonight.
Photo: Dan Scott | Flickr
