The most common moon photo is a disappointing white blob, and the reason is a surprise: the moon is brightly sunlit, so it needs a fast shutter speed, not the long exposure that night scenes suggest. The moon is a daylit rock, and metering it like the dark sky around it overexposes it into a featureless disc. Expose it as the sunlit object it is and the craters and seas appear.
A useful starting point is the Looney 11 rule, the lunar cousin of the Sunny 16 rule: set the aperture to f/11 and the shutter to the reciprocal of the ISO, so at ISO 100 you start near f/11 and 1/100 of a second. From there, check the result and adjust, because the moon’s brightness varies with its phase and how high it sits.
Lens, focus, and support
The moon is small in the sky, so reach matters. A telephoto lens of 300mm or more renders the moon large enough to show detail, and longer is better. Use a tripod, switch to manual focus and focus precisely on the moon’s edge using magnified live view, since autofocus struggles on a bright disc in black sky. Keep ISO low for a clean, detailed file.
The moon moves faster than you think
At long focal lengths the moon visibly drifts across the frame, so a shutter speed that is too slow smears the detail. Keep the shutter reasonably fast, which the bright moon allows anyway, and reframe between shots. A remote release or the two-second self-timer prevents the tiny shake that a long lens magnifies.
Moon with a landscape
A big moon hanging over a landscape is striking but hard to capture in one frame, because the moon and the foreground need very different exposures and the moon is smaller than it looks. Many such images combine a correctly exposed moon with a separately exposed scene, or are shot at moonrise when the moon is low, large to the eye, and close in brightness to a dusk landscape. Plan the moonrise direction and time with an app, and shoot from far back with a long lens to make the moon loom large behind a distant subject.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using a long exposure, which turns the moon into a blown-out white blob. Use a fast shutter.
- Letting the meter expose for the dark sky, which overexposes the moon.
- Relying on autofocus on the bright disc. Focus manually with magnified live view.
- Expecting a wide lens to render a big moon. You need 300mm or more.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my moon come out as a white blob?
Because it is being overexposed. The moon is sunlit, so it needs a fast shutter, not a long exposure. Try the Looney 11 rule: f/11 and a shutter of one over the ISO, then adjust.
What lens do I need to photograph the moon?
At least 300mm to show real detail, and longer is better. A crop-sensor body adds effective reach. A tripod and manual focus are essential at these focal lengths.
How do I get a big moon behind a landscape?
Shoot at moonrise when the moon is low and large, stand far back, and use a long lens to compress the scene. Often the moon and foreground are exposed separately and combined.