The Harvest Moon is used to describe the full moon that comes closest to the autumnal equinox - the Super Harvest Moon is when the full moon coincides with the night of the equinox (which was in the early hours of September 23 this year). Unfortunately, I missed out on that one. I got this photo at 9:15 pm on September 23:
A low-hanging moon will appear larger than one that is higher in the sky - it will also have more of an orange color because of the way light travels through the atmosphere. Here's a photo taken the next night at 7:15 pm:
Want to try this yourself? It's easy!
- Use a long lens (the one I used was only 200mm, but a longer lens will result in even better images)
- Use a tripod - while the shutter speed isn't all that slow (the moon moves fairly fast), it's best to minimize any movement.
- Use a remote release - again, to minimize any camera movement.
- Crank down the ISO - if you're using a tripod, there's no need to go higher than ISO-100. A lower ISO will give you a clearer shot.
The rest of the settings I used are completely different from those recommended in various articles, so I'll let you experiment with f/stops and exposure settings. Here are links to a couple of articles that might be helpful:
I also had to do some Photoshopping to bring out the detail and colors (if you're using a 300mm or longer lens, you should be able to skip this).
Now, go shoot the moon!
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