April 8, 2020 Super Moon Photo Preplan
On April 8, 2020 a Supermoon is coming! I have a photo plan!
We’ve all seen photos with a huge moon behind a mountain peak or behind a group of people silhouetted on a hillside. These photos are stunning to look at but capturing one isn’t easy. On the morning of April 8th a super moon will appear in the sky. Below is my plan to try and capture a big moon photo.
Photo Objective: Capture the super moon setting over & behind Middle & North Sister Mountains near Bend, Oregon, USA.
Date & Time: April 8, 2020 in the early morning hours before sunrise.
Location: Tumalo Reservoir near, Bend, Oregon, USA.
KNOWLEDGE TIP: A Supermoon simply means the moon is closer to the earth (perigee) and therefore its size is larger than usual. In this case the moon will be about 14% larger than normal.
RESEARCH REFERENCE: Use the StarDate website to see a calendar of moon phases & moon events. Use PhotoPills or The Photographer’s Ephemeris mobile apps to gather data & create a pre-plan.
PhotoPills screen print for April 8th super moon event. Red pin standing location, black pin mountain top, blue pin moon, light blue connected dots represent moon path with clock time.
Ideal Photo Conditions:
Clear or mostly clear sky, and
A standing location a good distance away to exaggerate the size of the moon.
RESEARCH REFERENCE: Use the National Oceanic & Atmospheric & Administration (NOAA) website to get specific weather information for a specific date and location. The site provides; sky cover percent, temperature, precipitation, wind mph & direction, and a whole lot more.
TECHNICAL TIP: What makes the moon appear large in a photo has less to do with the lens focal length and much more to do with your distance from the target. Generally speaking your standing spot must be equal or greater than 10 times the width of your target. In this case 10 times the width of the mountain top (miles).
Position yourself slightly below (in elevation) your target and choose a location that gives you plenty of space to move right and left and forward and backwards to adjust your composition in real time.
Pre-Plan Overview
My Expectation
My hope is to capture the moon just above the mountain top before it descends out of site. I hope to capture a series of images as the moon descends. With the camera mounted on a tripod I will frame the shoot with the moon in the left top and the mountain just below the vertical midpoint of the frame. Once focused I will not move the tripod, camera or change my focal length. Then during the moonset I’ll take a series of images. Depending on the results I may edit a single exposure and/or I may merge several together simulating a time lapse scenario.
Pre-Plan & Research
I began my pre-plan and research process by determining where and when the moon would set. Then I began virtual location scouting using Google Earth. Finally I physically went to my planned standing location and used the augmented reality feature of PhotoPills to confirm my plan.
Data Gathering & Review
Timing is everything. Take a look at the information below. To make the moon appear as big as possible I need to be a good distance from the mountain with a clear view. I’ll be 17 miles away with an unobstructed view. The immediate foreground is a flat high desert space. The mid-ground is forest setting leading to the distant mountains.
Below is a list of pertinent data I gathered from a few resources. Most data was obtained from the PhotoPills & TPE apps.
Notice the moon’s elevation. Between 04:30 and 06:20, the time it’ll be over mountain, the moon will be high in the sky but it will quickly descend right behind the mountain. I’ll be using a 70-200 mm lens and plan to frame the image so that the moon appears in the top left corner and the mountain somewhere in the middle of the frame. Then, without moving the tripod, camera or changing the focal length I’ll take a series of images every few minutes as the moon descends.
Notice that astronomical twilight begins at 04:50 am and sunrise is at 06:35 am. This means beginning at 04:50 the sky will begin to brighten. In this case that is a plus for two reasons. First, the light from the rising sun should indirectly add dramatic light to moon. Second, as the sun rises the foreground of the image will begin to brighten. This will add some depth and interest to the photo.
Important Logistical Details:
Standing location is 17 miles from the mountains
Moon set 06:48 am
Moon azimuth (direction on compass) 260º to 270º (reference North 0), East 90º, South 180º & West 270º)
Moon elevation at 04:30 = 6 miles at 06:20 = 1400 feet
Sunrise 06:35 am
Astronomical twilight (12-18º below horizon) 04:50 to 05:30, nautical twilight (sun 6-12º) below horizon) 05:30 to 06:05 am & civil twilight (sun 0-6º) below horizon) 06:05 to 06:35 am
Plan Execution
Equipment:
Nikon D850 & D800
70 - 200 Nikon f/2.8 lens @ between 80 - 150 mm
Really Right Stuff tripod
Nikon wired interval timer
Ideal Photo Time: Between 04:00 & 06:20 am
Ultimately the goal is create a balanced exposure with a moon that is sharp. It is critical to make sure the exposure is not too long allowing the moon to move or blur.
Exposure Process & Settings:
Take a test photo to determine exposure settings
Test settings: f/2.8, ISO 3200 at 5 seconds
Take a test image and check;
Moon blur from movement
If the moon shows signs of movement, decrease the exposure time 3-5 seconds & repeat test until the moon is stationary
(NOTE: Be sure the moon is in sharp focus before beginning the test photo process. Moon blurriness due to travel over time is different than out-of-focus sharpness).
If the moon is sharp but;
Histogram indicates the exposure is too dark, increase the ISO
Image is too bright, decrease the ISO
Re-test & recheck
Once a balanced exposure is achieved;
Choose an equivalent set of exposure setting using an aperture of f/6.3 or narrower
It will be dark to start the session. Because the sky will be getting brighter as time passes, I will need to adjust the exposure frequently to compensate.
I hope this pre-plan is helpful. Please send feedback, questions or comments.
Happy supermoon!
Cheers.
Steve
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