Photographers have been trying to utilize the light
of the moon in their landscape photography ever
since the photographic process was invented. It was
not until World War II, however, that technology had
improved enough to make night photography possible.
Today, despite technological advances, knowing the
phase of the moon during a night time photography
shoot is important as it will affect everything from
the type of equipment that you'll need to the actual
composition of your photos.
When
embarking on a night photography trip, there are
standard types of equipment that you will need to
take with you.
A
35mm camera that will allow you to manually set very
long exposure times is a must
A good, sturdy tripod is mandatory
A cable release
A good carrying case or a vest with a lot of pockets
for your equipment
Extra batteries for your camera
Many rolls of slow or medium film (60 or 100
ISA—NEVER use 400 ISA even if it’s what happens to
be in your camera. Your photos will turn out much
too grainy to be useful).
Lenses with which you are already comfortable
A stopwatch rather than a wristwatch to record
exposure lengths is preferable. Stopwatches are more
accurate and will give you more reliable information
for future moon photography shoots.
A notebook and several pens for recording exposure
times and other important information
A flashlight so that you can easily record your
information
Remember that if this is your first attempt at night
photography by moonlight, you will largely spend
your time experimenting. The resulting photographs
and your records will help you plan your next
venture more effectively.
The
best times for landscape photography without
additional light sources, or looking at it in a
different manner, away from city lights, is either
when the moon is full, the two days before the full
moon and the two days after the full moon. Any
clouds in the sky will also affect the amount of
light available for your night photography, just as
they would if you were shooting during the day.
You
will have to experiment with your exposure times as
so many elements will affect the outcome. The degree
of available moonlight; any other light sources;
clouds; rain; light reflective surfaces; each of
them can make a huge difference to the amount of
exposure time needed.
In
general, during night photography, one can say that
on a night of full moon, with optimum conditions, 8
seconds at f/8 using ISO 100 film will be about
right. If there’s a crescent moon and conditions are
also optimal, you’ll need as much as 10 hours on one
shot! So you see, experimentation while
photographing the moon is really the only way to go.
Repeat your shots with different exposure lengths so
that you can get a feel for what your camera will do
for you.
A
very nice composition for a moonscape might include
the moon with beams bouncing off of a river, stream
or creek.
As
the moon moves through its different phases, you can
still enjoy landscape photography at night although
you may have to bring some "extras" and move
locations.
Different moonscape compositions to experiment with
during your moonlight photography shoot include:
A
waxing crescent, or a small portion of the moon,
hanging in the sky over sparkling city lights.
Bring a flash or a flash unit to your moon
photography shoot in order to illuminate an
abandoned house, use colored gels to get different
color effects and have a muted last quarter moon
lurking in the background.
As the moon goes from full to new, you can play with
light effects from the stars or allow car lights to
streak through your composition.
When photographing the moon, be sure to record not
only the length of time that you exposed your film,
but also general weather conditions and what phase
the moon was in. This will help you to produce
better photos in the future.
Night photography becomes easier when you're able to
plan properly so knowing how much natural light is
likely to be available will help you pick the right
time to go out and what kind of equipment to take.
Nighttime landscape photography is a creative,
rewarding challenge that every keen photographer
should try.
About
The Author
David Rose is a nature
photographer and creator of the popular moon
software, QuickPhase Pro, the fun and easy way to
view the phases of the moon. To learn more, visit
http://www.quickphase.com.
