How to Photograph the Moon in Landscapes

Landscape Photography  •  Photography Tips

Our closest outer-space neighbor, the moon, can be a great subject to include in our landscape photos. The moon can act as a beautiful element of a photograph specially when it’s down low. For this, you need to know where to look and where you need to be with your camera. This requires a good deal of planning and some technical knowhow. In this video, photographer Tony Northrup takes you through everything you need to know about doing landscape photography with the moon:

Planning is key when it comes to including the moon in your landscape photos. You might be surprised to know that the moon-rise time varies every day by about fifty minutes. Similarly, it doesn’t always rise from the same location. Throughout the year, you’ll notice that there’s a big variation in the area that it rises from. And yeah, don’t forget that its shape and luminosity change on a daily basis. All this is to say, if you aren’t well-prepared it’s very easy to miss out on your opportunity. And you may have to wait an entire year for your photograph.

In the video, Northrop goes through some great, and freely available, tools that you can use to plan your shoot with the moon. He also takes you through the gear and camera settings that you can use to take the best photos of the moon. Additionally, there’s some insightful information on the various natural factors that can affect the quality of your final images. Make sure that you pay attention to those details as you’ll need to factor them in when you’re out taking photos.

One challenge you’ll face is how easily you can overexpose the moon while the landscape remains dark. Northrup demonstrates how you can handle this dynamic range issue in post.

Have you tried including the moon in your landscape shots? What was the biggest challenge that you faced? Let us know in the comments.