Photographing the Moon: Settings, Gear, and the Wonder Above Us

Few subjects grab photographers' attention quite like the Moon. It hangs silently above us, shaping tides, marking time, and inspiring myths and science alike. Despite being a constant presence in our night sky, the Moon is anything but boring to photograph. Its phases, textures, and changing brightness offer endless creative and technical challenges - and rewards.

What makes lunar photography even more fascinating is the sheer distance involved. The Moon sits at an average of 384,400 kilometres (238,855 miles) from Earth. When you press the shutter, you’re capturing reflected sunlight that has travelled across space to reach your camera. That sense of scale alone makes moon photography feel a little magical.

Understanding the Moon’s Light

A common misconception is that the Moon is a dim object. In reality, it’s quite bright - especially during a full moon - because it reflects direct sunlight. The challenge isn’t usually a lack of light, but balancing exposure while preserving detail, especially craters and surface texture. I find this particularly hard when the moon is full.

Because the Moon moves relative to the Earth, shutter speed also plays an important role. At longer focal lengths, even slight movement can cause blur.

Recommended Camera Settings

Crescent Moon Photography 🌙

Crescent moons are dimmer than full moons and often photographed during twilight or early night, which can introduce slower shutter speeds.

Suggested starting settings:

• ISO: 100–400

• Aperture: f/8 to f/11

• Shutter Speed: 1/30 to 1/60 sec

• Focal Length: I always shoot at 600mm

Why these work:

• A slightly higher ISO helps maintain detail without introducing excessive noise.

• A narrower aperture keeps the moon's sharp edge-to-edge.

• Shutter speeds may slow down depending on ambient light, especially if you’re including landscape elements, which I never do

Because shutter speeds can drop, a tripod becomes very useful, particularly when shooting at long focal lengths, with slow shutter speeds, or when composing carefully.

Full Moon Photography 🌕

The full moon is surprisingly bright - often bright enough to photograph like a daytime subject.

Suggested starting settings:

• ISO: 100/200

• Aperture: f/8 to f/11

• Shutter Speed: 1/250 to 1/400 sec

• Focal Length: Again, I always shoot at 600mm, but have used a 400mm lens too

Why these work:

• The Moon’s brightness allows for faster shutter speeds, reducing motion blur.

• Lower ISO preserves maximum detail and contrast.

• These settings help avoid an overexposed “white disc” and instead reveal surface features.

A full moon doesn’t require a tripod in my opinion, but using one still helps with precision framing and consistency.

Essential Equipment for Moon Photography

• Telephoto Lens: The longer the focal length, the larger the Moon appears. Lenses from 400–600mm are ideal.

• Tripod: Highly recommended, especially for crescent phases, slower shutter speeds, or very long lenses.

• Remote Shutter Release or Timer: Minimises camera shake.

• Manual Focus: Autofocus can sometimes struggle; manually focusing on the Moon often produces sharper results, but just have a play around and see what works best for you

Why the Moon Never Gets Old

Despite being one of the most photographed objects in history, the Moon never loses its appeal. Its craters tell a story billions of years old, unchanged by wind or weather. Each phase reveals different textures, shadows, and moods. Photographing it connects us to something far larger than ourselves - a reminder that even from nearly 400,000 kilometres away, we can still capture stunning detail with the tools in our hands.

Whether you’re shooting a delicate crescent at dusk or a glowing full moon rising over the horizon, lunar photography blends science, patience, and wonder into a single frame. And that’s what makes it endlessly fascinating.

Examples (I seriously have 100s)

I managed to capture the moon almost every day from new to full in May 2025 - these are displayed here: https://www.philhargreavesphotos.com/portfolio/space.

But if I had to pick one that is my ultimate favourite, it would be this one:

22% - 1/30s - f8 - ISO 200 - 600mm

Good luck, and I hope this helps!