RadiantView PhotoBlog

One of the joys of living in Northern Virginia is the access you have to capture the “routine” events like a full moon against a wonderfully scenic backdrop such as the D.C. skyline.    This is especially important since while the moon is full every 28 days, it only rises in alignment with the monuments to create the postcard type shots once, maybe twice, a year.  One of those times is coming up this week on September 4th.   Here are a few tips from my own experience to help you make the most of this once a year opportunity.

The full moon over Washington D.C., Sept 2009

1. Location: The best place I’ve found to capture the full moon over D.C. is in front of the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial (a.k.a Iwo Jima Memorial), or the Netherlands Carillon.  I actually prefer the Netherlands Carillon as the street signs and lights are more obtrusive from the Iwo Jima Memorial.  Make sure you get there at least 30 minutes before sunset as you will find literally hundreds of your fellow photographers joining you for the event.  On September 4th of this year, the moon rises at 1921 (that’s 7:21 pm in civilian time).  The moon will rise at 93 degrees (north is 0 degrees, east is 90 degrees) and will move south as it rises.  By 2030 (8:30 pm) it will be 12 degrees above the horizon and and will be at 103 degrees, or 13 degrees south of due east.    For reference, when the shot to the left was taken about 15 minutes after moonrise — assuming the clock on my camera was fairly accurate — the moon was around 88 degrees (2 degrees north of due east) and around 4 degrees above the horizon.  So, as you can see, you have to work fast and be in position when the time strikes.

2.  Camera Settings: From this location, you will want somewhere between a 150 and 200 mm focal length lens to crop in on the three main monuments and the full moon.  Make sure you use a tripod to steady your camera at the long focal lengths.  The image to the left was taken at a focal length of 200 mm.  If possible, shoot in RAW format as you will likely need the extra latitude during the post production stage (at least I do).  Since the moon is reflected sunlight, I usually use daylight white balance.  For those of you with point and shoots, zoom in as far as you can and use a tripod.  I will use a cable release to trip the shutter so that I don’t accidentally move the camera while taking the picture.  If you don’t have a shutter release, try using the self-timer feature.

3.  Exposure: Getting the right exposure on these type of images is tough.  You are trying to simultaneously balance three light sources: 1) the moon, 2) the lights on the monuments and 3) the sky.  That’s why it often takes several years of trying to get a good exposure.  The general rule of thumb for full moon photography is F/11 and 1/ISO.  So if you have ISO 100, set your exposure to 1/100 of a second.  Unfortunately, to get a good exposure on the monuments from the Iwo Jima memorial, I’ve found the settings are usually F/11 and 1 sec.   That’s about a 7 stop difference!   I would recommend starting with ISO 100, F/11, and 1/2 to 1/8th of a second.  Check the LCD screen for “blinkies” that indicate over exposure and adjust accordingly.  This is why its important to shoot in RAW if your camera offers this feature.  For those with the point and shoot variety, use the night photography setting and learn how to add plus and negative exposure compensation.  If the image looks too dark, add plus exposure compensation.  If you see “blinkies”, add negative exposure compensation.

4.  Reminders and a few must:

Full Moon over Washington, DC, Sept 2008

• Get there early. You’ll need the time to stake out your place and get the camera set up.
• Use a tripod to get tack sharp images.
• Turn off your flash.  The flash on your camera is useless for this type of photography and will only serve to annoy those around you.
• Take all the images you can.  You’ll never know which one will be the best and you can always delete when you get home.
• Have fun.

If this time doesn’t work out, the next best opportunity appears to be Feb 28th, 2010.  The moon will rise at 1821 (6:21 pm) at an angle of 87 degrees.   Happy Shooting!