Blue Super Moon Eclipse Madness

Probably not so much when it comes to normal people, but photographers go mad when it comes to something like a blue super moon lunar eclipse that only comes once every 150 years.  It's blue because it is the second full moon of the month, super because it's rotation brings it very close to the earth making it appear bigger and of course the eclipse when the earth's shadow falls over it, making for some amazing orange colors.

For those who want to photograph something like this, here's how to do it.  First off, you need a tripod.  Try to set it up when there is still light outside so you don't trip over it or yourself when it's dark.  Flashlights are a good thing.

Set your camera on that dreaded M for Manual setting.  I know, that's scary, but trust me, it will work out just fine.  Set the lens opening (your F stop) to F-8.  Set your shutter speed to around 160.  Don't forget your ISO should be at 100-200.  Take a picture.

If it's very bright and you can't see moon detail, raise the shutter speed.  It's all about controlling the light.  Faster shutter speed = less light.  By the way, a flashlight is your friend, so you can actually SEE the camera settings in the dark.

Here's the thing about eclipses ... there is less and less light ... which means you have to take slower and slower shutter speeds in order to see the moon at all.  You might even have to raise the ISO number to 250 like I did (letting in even MORE light).  Now you know why I took 85 images in all.  Last time it was 124 ... I'm getting better!!!

As the last little bit of moon was barely showing, I really slowed down the exposure to 1.4 seconds.  That's why you have your tripod set up.  It helps tremendously if you have a remote shutter release.  The slightest touch of the camera (or breeze blowing by) can shake it just enough to blur the image.  Mine was safely stashed someplace where I couldn't find it. 

Speaking of which ... it is always good to turn OFF your auto focus.  That tiny whir of the motor will blur a picture.  Set your lens manually to infinity and you're set to go.  Unfortunately, the lens I was using is so touchy, I had to manually focus every single image.  A big pain in the patou, which is why this image is a tad fuzzy!!  

Longer and longer shutter speeds while everything else remains the same lets in more and more light so you can actually see the entire moon.  By how I had on three shirts and my levi jacket.  I was definitely NOT prepared for the cold.

Finally ... the full eclipse of the blue super moon.  It's amazing just how dark it got, unlike the eclipse of the sun where everything stayed bright, kind of like a cloudy day.  This was shot at a full two second shutter speed.

All together now ...................

So YOU TOO can get up at O-Dark-Thirty, freeze your fingers off, trip and fall in the cold dark morning, only to shiver all day because you never could warm up, and get images just like these!!  It's a hazard of the trade ..... OR you could sleep in your nice warm snuggly bed and miss the whole thing, but what's the fun in that??

So get out there tonight and practice on a regular almost full moon.  Control the light and you'll get some amazing photos.