by Mike Carroll
Photographing the moon can be quite challenging, but if you plan your vantage point ahead of time the end result can be the key to your success! A lot of photographers dream of getting that “huge moon” at moonrise. Now we can accomplish that by using telephoto lenses and planning with apps that are available on your mobile device.
Planning Your Moon Shoot
Plotting your location ahead of time as well as using different techniques will improve your final result. It’s best to go to the location ahead of your shoot so you can get your bearings with parking, to make sure your view isn’t obstructed by trees, etc. None of these images are composites—they are single exposures! Using apps such as Photo Pills or Planit Pro will be an essential part of the puzzle when you’re trying to align moonrise or moonset over your favorite subject.
Think Tank Camera Bags
As a photographer, choosing the right camera bag is essential when you’re carrying big glass. When Think Tank announced the BackLight Long Lens backpack, I was very excited to get my hands on one!
This camera pack fits my Sony Alpha 1 attached to the Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS Sports lens including the lens hood! The bag can also hold an extra camera or a lens on its side with the included Think Tank divider.
The BackLight Long Lens pack is fully customizable too!
Your Gear
Checking your gear is important before you head out on a shoot. I always test my cameras and lenses before I leave.
Extra Batteries — I always pack a couple of extra batteries while shooting the moon. This is useful in case your camera was left on inside the camera bag! Extra is always a plus.
Sturdy Tripod — It’s vital to have a sturdy tripod, especially while shooting with a telephoto lens. There’s a lot of weight to a telephoto lens — such as a Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS | Sports. It can get windy — especially by the water.
The Right Lens — What is the right lens? If you want that “big moon” I would suggest using a 60-600mm, 150-600mm, 100-500mm or even a 70-200mm + 2x extender. Using a 2x extender is very helpful when you’re shooting far away from your target.
Avoiding Blurry Images
Do you own a DSLR or mirrorless camera body? This part of the article is very important—stay with me!
DSLR Camera Body
Are your photos blurry? If you’re using a DSLR camera body, make sure all of the legs on your tripod are evenly pulled out and that you tighten everything on your tripod and ball head. Remove your camera strap and turn off image stabilization on your lens. Turning off your lens stabilization while your DSLR camera body and lens are on a tripod prevents the stabilizer from correcting non-existent movements.
Mirrorless Camera Body
If you own a mirrorless camera body—the IBIS is usually on by default. Today’s camera bodies are smart enough to detect that the camera body is on a tripod—so there’s no need to worry about turning off your IBIS.
Metropolitan Life Building Full Moon, New York City, USA
Check the Weather
Does your next shoot have cloudy skies or wind in the forecast? Sometimes you can get a nice shot in those conditions. Don’t give up hope and head out just in case! An example is this image of the moon rising onto the Edge platform, NYC!
The Edge at Hudson Yards Moon, New York City, USA
Techniques
Sometimes it can be really windy while I’m shooting. The first thing I do is raise my shutter speed, raise my ISO and adjust my aperture to the fastest f-stop possible which is usually between f/5.6 - f/6.3. The digital cameras these days can handle high ISO’s very well. Always shoot in RAW as you will have more control to edit your files. It’s certainly ok to shoot RAW + JPEG. The JPEG can be opened on almost any platform and takes up less space.
Challenges — Hazy and windy conditions can cause issues with my image. I always review an image after I’ve taken it to make sure my settings are on point. We all run into challenges while shooting. I find myself moving around! If I see things in my way, I move very quickly because there’s a very small window of time I have during moonrise.
Here’s a hazy moonrise as seen next to the Empire State Building, NYC, USA captured from over 13 miles away!
How I Get the Shot?
It’s important to have patience while shooting. Sometimes things will go wrong, such as your camera not focusing correctly, windy conditions or mechanical shutters that cause motion blur. If you’re shooting on a DSLR camera body, it’s best to shoot in live view and in manual focus. Use the magnifier on your camera to make sure you’re in focus. Typically, I under-expose my shots and sometimes I’ll run a time lapse so I can have a bunch of shots to choose from. You never know what you may keep!
About the Author
Mike Carroll is a professional landscape and night sky photographer who has a passion for moon photography, astrophotography, concert photography, long exposures and cityscapes.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike is a former musician who started his craft by photographing live music performances. His dedication towards photography has taken his journey from the sun to the moon and even the Milky Way. It’s all about getting that once in a lifetime shot!
Mike will plan his shoots a couple of weeks in advance. Preparation is key to capturing that big moon or that lightning shot. Even if he finds himself running in a thunderstorm to a location or navigating in the dark to shoot the moon.
He was recently featured on PetaPixel for his image of the Flower Moon. Mike was also featured on News 12 NJ for his time lapse of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket over New Jersey. In addition, the rocket was also published on Accuweather, Yahoo and MSN. Other TV stations where his work was featured include WPIX & NY1. Mike is an author for the Sigma Photo Blog.
His awards include:
- 2025 NASA Astronomy Picture of The Day - The Jenga Moon
- 2025, 2021, 2020 & 2019 PhotoPills Award Book
- 2024 Empire State Building Photo Contest Category Winner (1st place ESB x City Wide)
- 2019 & 2023 Empire State Building, NYC Photo Contest Finalist
- 2020 NJ Monthly Magazine First Place
- 2021 NJ Monthly Magazine Runner Up
- 2022 Printique Weekly Photo Contest Winner
- 2023 World Trade Center - featured inside 7 WTC Art Exhibit - Silverstein Properties