LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Residents in the US will have a chance to see the full moon turn blood red (or burnt red) late Thursday night or early Friday morning—depending on where you live—as the earth passes between the moon and the sun. And if luck is on your side, there will not be any clouds covering this celestial phenomenon.
It’s one thing to see it in person, and it’s another to be able to take a good photo of it happening.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you will be photographing daylight reflecting from the moon’s surface (even during the eclipse). If you do not take this into account you will end up with a bright fuzzy ball of light in your photo that will not look like the moon.
Best time and what direction to look to photograph the lunar eclipse
The eclipse is set to begin at 11:57 p.m. ET/8:57 p.m. PT on Thursday and continue until 6:00 a.m. ET/3:00 a.m. PT on Friday. It is recommended you find a place facing the horizon in the southwestern sky where the moon will be visible.
| Eclipse Stages Worldwide | Eastern Standard Time | Pacific Standard Time |
|---|---|---|
| Penumbral Eclipse begins | March 13 at 11:57:28 p.m. | March 13 at 8:57 p.m. |
| Partial Eclipse begins | March 14 at 1:09 a.m. | March 13 at 10:09 p.m. |
| Full Eclipse begins | March 14 at 2:26 a.m. | March 13 at 11:26 p.m. |
| Maximum Eclipse | March 14 at 2:58 a.m. | March 13 at 11:58 p.m. |
| Full Eclipse ends | March 14 at 3:31 a.m. | March 14 at 12:31 a.m. |
| Partial Eclipse ends | March 14 at 4:47 a.m. | March 14 at 1:47 a.m. |
| Penumbral Eclipse ends | March 14 at 6:00 a.m. | March 14 at 3:00 a.m. |
Photo of moon appearing oversized
To capture an image showing what appears to be an oversized moon behind an object or building, you need to be far away from the foreground object, sometimes miles away.
You might need a camera with a large zoom capability so that when zoomed in or cropped, the moon appears extra large behind the foreground objects.
Phone Cameras
While it is possible to photograph the moon using a cell phone camera, you are unlikely to get the results you want. The phone camera’s sensor is physically small, and unless you adjust the setting in a ‘pro’ mode, the camera’s auto settings will not give you the desired outcome.
If all you have is a cell phone, it is still worth trying, but you will need to adjust the settings manually. Android phones have a camera mode called “PRO,” while on iPhones, you can pull down from the top of the camera screen to see adjustments. The settings you choose will be similar to the suggested settings below, but remember, test out your settings; if one doesn’t work, make a change and try it again.
DSLR Cameras
If you have a Digital Single-lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, there’s a good chance you already know about different settings. The bottom line when it comes to shooting the moon is that the more control you have over your camera, the better chance you have of taking a fantastic photograph.
The first thing to consider with a DSLR is what type of image you are trying to capture; knowing this will facilitate choosing the correct lens. If you want to capture the moon as your main image, select a lens with a large zoom, like 300mm. If you’re going to include another object in your shot, like a building or a tree, a wider lens is better. A person’s field of view is considered to be around 50mm.
Using a tripod or something you can set your camera on the top is another helpful tip as it will help minimize shaking. If your camera or lens has built-in image stabilization, it can help, but if you have your camera on a tripod or something solid, turn the image stabilization off and use a timer for your shutter.
Focusing on the moon
Change your camera and lens focus setting to “manual” to get the best focus of the moon. Then, use the LCD screen on the camera to focus. To do this, zoom in as far as you can on the moon, and if you can, use the digital magnification available on some cameras to see a closer shot and manually focus with this screen.
Suggested Settings
When shooting the blood moon, set almost everything in “manual” mode for the best chance at a crisp picture you’ll want to share.
- Set a timer on your shutter for at least 5 seconds, as it helps get rid of extra shake.
- Be ready to adjust the framing of your shot in between shots. Remember, the moon is moving.
- Start by setting your camera to ISO 100, f/10, and 1/125sec. However, your settings will depend on your lens and the quick-changing light.
- Change your image quality to the highest setting. In some cameras, this is called “RAW” and gives the most data to your image files, allowing you to make adjustments when editing your photo.
- Contrary to what you might think, you will want to use a quick shutter speed of at least 1/100sec. Remember that even though it’s the night where you may be, you are photographing daylight or reflected sunlight on the moon.
- Set your white balance to “auto,” but if you want to change it, try daylight or sunlight because you are shooting daylight on the moon.
- For more advanced setting adjustments, you can use specialized apps or websites like this Lunar Eclipse Exposure Calculator, which will help you figure out base settings for your lens. Bracketing either side of your target exposure is the way to go.
