With the September 2022 full moon rising, also known as the harvest moon, many people will pull out their mobile phones to try and get an Instagram-worthy photograph, but unfortunately the moon is really challenging to get a great photo of.
Two reasons: it is very far away and unless you have a telephoto lens (which makes the moon appear closer than it is) it will always appear as a very small glowing dot in the frame.
Secondly, shooting at night is really difficult. Professional cameras allow you to change your ISO or your sensitivity rating which means you can shoot in low light situations without losing the quality of the image.
So can you use your smartphone camera?
But even with these apps you might be a little disappointed with the outcome.
Aperture is not as important when shooting the moon, so aim for around f8.
So who gets the best pics of the moon?
I love this image shot by Matt Cardy at Glastonbury Tor in 2015:
Cardy has created such an impactful frame using his composition and focal length. The size of the moon in juxtaposition with the people creates an image that looks otherworldly.
