There is a special occurrence happening next week starting late on the evening (or night) on April 14th or early in the morning on the 15th (depending on your location. It is a lunar eclipse! This is where the earth comes in between the sun and the moon casting our shadow on the moon temporarily for a few hours.
Unlike a solar eclipse it is safe to look at and photograph and even encouraged that you get out and try to capture some images of this. So I brought in a special guest who has specialized in astronomy and night photography for over 20 years, Phil Hart to give us some tips for photographing the lunar eclipse.
“Engineer by day, astronomer and photographer by night.” – as he puts it!
Watch this interview as we go over such tips as:
- Equipment to use (you can use whatever you have now, no special telescopes or adapters needed) including a sturdy tripod
- Details of the eclipse and what hours you will be able to see in in your part of the world
- Exposure and camera settings
- Focusing on the moon and potential issues and things to watch out for
Below the video I’ve shared links to all the pages and resources we mention in the interview and links where you can see more of Phil’s work, find about his ebook or workshops, and connect with him online.
As promised here are the links to pages where you can get more information about the eclipse, times and locations. I’ve also listed a few other articles here on Digital Photo Mentor with tips on night photography if you want some more technical help.
- Total Eclipse of the Moon: April 15, 2014 – intro, diagrams, phases, times to view it in North America – everything you need to know in one place
- Times to see the eclipse in Australia
- My photos and timelapse of previous lunar eclipse in June 2011
- Observing details from Sky and Telescope
- Easy Guide to Night Photography article
- Three Special Effects for Night Photography article
- How to do Night Phtography article
About Phil Hart
Phil Hart is an engineer by day and an astronomer and photographer by night. He has been enjoying and photographing the night sky for more than 20 years so fully appreciates the amazing photos that DSLRs make possible now. He is the author of the Shooting Stars eBook and runs Night Sky Photography workshops in Melbourne, Australia.
Find more information and connect with Phil online here:
- Under the Stars – PhilHart.com – Phil’s website
- Night Sky Photography Facebook page
- Phil on Google Plus
- Shooting Stars – Phil Hart’s ebook on How to Photograph the Moon and Stars with your DSLR
- Phil’s Night Sky Photography workshops in Melbourne, Australia
If you can’t make it to Australia for Phil’s workshop, you might want to join me for a Night Photography Workshop on the Oregon coast at the Sitka Center for the Arts, June 30th-July 1st.
Enjoy, practice, and get out there and shoot the moon!
Please share in the comments if you give this a try and do show us some images!
Cheers,
