14th November is here and like we wrote earlier, the most amazing supermoon of this century is here! We haven’t seen a supermoon like this in nearly 70 years and we will not be getting an opportunity like this for another 18 years. So grab your cameras and get ready to take some amazing shots of this phenomenon. NASA’s lead photographer Bill Ingalls has some great advice for us to follow to get perfect pictures of this night.
Great tips from a great photographer
According to Ingalls, “Don’t make the mistake of photographing the moon by itself with no reference to anything. Instead, think of how to make the image creative - that means tying it into some land-based object. It can be a local landmark or anything to give your photo a sense of place.”
This is a great advice, taking pictures in comparison to something always accentuates the image and takes it to a whole other level. Ingalls suggests going to a perfect location that allows the best site of the super moon for the perfect picture. He even suggested adding friends and family in the images to create a more personalized set of pictures. These tips are not entirely fixed to the supermoon, If you are a photography enthusiast you can surely think of ways to use this in other shots as well.
So, the next question is that what is the best time to observe the moon at its full glory? Well, it totally depends on your location. At 6:23 am EST on Monday, the 14th of November the full moon will be only 356,508 km from the Earth and this is the closest it has been in a century. This distance is 48,280 km closer than when Apollo 11 was launched to the moon on the 16th of July, 1969. For people in the US the moon will have set by 6:23 am EST on Monday and hence will not be visible. You can check this moonset-sunrise calendar to check when the Moon will set in your area.
Time is of great importance
The best time for Americans to view the moon will be early morning or Monday evening. If you are using a digital SLR camera then according to Ingalls the daylight white balance setting is best for capturing moonlight. "Keep in mind that the moon is a moving object," Ingalls said. "It’s a balancing act between trying to get the right exposure and realizing that the shutter speed typically needs to be a lot faster."
With a smartphone you may not be able to get a good enough shot but if you travel to the right place you can get a great view. Being able to view something live is always better than the pictures, right? "You’re not going to get a giant moon in your shot, but you can do something more panoramic, including some foreground that’s interesting. Think about being in an urban area where it’s a little bit brighter," Ingalls said.
So grab your cameras, wherever you are around the world and use these tips to the best of your advantage before the supermoon goes back to being our ‘normal’ full moon.
