How do I photograph earthshine on the Moon?
Asked 9/6/2013
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2 answers
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I’m planning a photowalk to photograph earthshine—the dimly lit part of the Moon visible by sunlight reflected from Earth. I’ve read that a thin crescent Moon is best. What shooting settings and timing work best, and what practical tips help capture the darker lunar surface without losing too much detail to motion or vibration?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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The best time to shoot Earthshine is when the Moon is practically new, because the illuminated portion of the Moon's arc must be completely and utterly blown out in order to capture detail in the part of the Moon not illuminated by the Sun.
You will need to use a tripod and cable release. Mirror lock up may not be a necessity depending on your shutter speeds. If they are longer than 1-2 seconds mirror vibration won't be enough of an issue to require it. Use the longest focal length lens you have available.
Canon 5D mk II, ISO 400, EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II @ 120mm and f/3.2 exposed for 3.2 seconds. Exposure +.33 in post. The sky was considerably darker than it appears when this exposure was taken. Notice Comet PAN-STARRS about to be lost in the atmospheric haze.
The moon five minutes later. Same camera/lens. 5 2/3 stops less exposure: ISO 100, 200mm (heavy crop), f/4 for 1/2 second. Exposure pushed +2 in post. As you can clearly see, you can not get details from both sides of the terminator on the Moon using the same exposure settings. The directly illuminated limb of the Moon is blown, yet the Earthshine illuminated part of the Moon is still fairly dark. I normally shoot the moon at ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/125th second to properly expose the illuminated part. That is six stops darker than this exposure and 11 2/3 stops darker than the first image! I do usually also shoot the Moon when it is higher in the sky which means less of its light is absorbed by the atmosphere.
Another five minutes. Same camera/lens. ISO 400, 200mm (moderate crop), f/2.8 for 1 second (net exposure increase 4 stops). Exposure -.17 in post.
Canon 7D, ISO 1600, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II @ 105mm, f/2.8, 2.5 seconds. Exposure +.17 in post.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Earthshine is easiest to capture when the Moon is very close to new, with only a thin crescent illuminated. The challenge is extreme dynamic range: the sunlit crescent is very bright, while the rest of the Moon is much darker, so expect the crescent to blow out if you expose for earthshine.
Practical tips:
- Use a tripod and a cable/remote release.
- Mirror lock-up or live view can help reduce vibration, especially at shorter shutter speeds.
- Use the longest focal length you have for more lunar detail; 100mm+ is a good start.
- Keep shutter speed reasonably short because the Moon moves faster than many people expect. One answer suggests staying around or below 250 / effective focal length.
- Raise exposure enough to reveal the shadowed portion of the Moon; ISO 400 and a multi-second exposure can work depending on focal length and aperture.
Example from the community: full-frame camera, 120mm, f/3.2, ISO 400, 3.2 seconds.
In short: shoot a very thin crescent Moon, stabilize the camera carefully, use a telephoto lens, and expose for the dim earthshine rather than the bright crescent.
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