Amazing half moon just over the horizon. I brought out my (trusty) Tamron 270mm lens on my trusty Nikon and got some ridiculous detail of the moon’s surface. (Oh, yeah, that fuzzy black line running through the moon’s image? That’s the power line in our backyard. See that part below where it recommends waiting until the moon is high in the sky…)

The only things I didn’t do that I will try next time:

(Advice from Popular Photography):

• Remove all filters, even the UV filter.
• Use 1/125 shutter speed; moon moves quickly.
• Use a shutter release and even mirror lock: Especially when using longer focal lengths. Just the vibration caused by clicking on the shutter button and the mirror flipping up can result in having a not so sharp image.
• Photograph the moonrise a day before full moon: It’s a lot easier to expose for both the moon and landscape etc, as there will be enough light around just before sunset to give you a nice balanced shot.
• Shoot when the moon is high in the sky: if you are after a shot of the moon with great sharp detail on it’s surface, you are best to wait until the moon is high in the sky. When the moon is low at moonrise and moonset, it is being distorted by atmospheric refraction, and even though you may be focused perfectly on the moon, the detail on the surface will look slightly blurry and out of focus.