Nature Photography How To

If you’re under the impression that captivating lunar photography requires advanced skills and specialized gear, this tutorial is for you. As you’ll see, even beginning photographers can capture great images of the moon by following seven simple tips.

Serge Ramelli is a French photographer specializing in landscape and cityscape images. He’s also a very popular instructor, and in the video below you’ll see why as he demonstrates how easy it is to capture and edit great images of the moon.

Ramelli discusses how to use the requisite gear, including a stable tripod, remote or self-timer, and the best choice of lenses. He explains why manual focus delivers the best results, and how to make sure your photos are tack sharp. The tutorial also includes important tips on arriving at a proper exposure when shooting the moon against a nighttime sky.

Before moving on to a quick demonstration of how to edit your lunar images in Photoshop and Lightroom, Ramelli provides some helpful suggestions on composition. You can find more great tips on Ramelli’s YouTube channel, and in a recent tutorial we posted explaining sharpening mistakes that every landscape photographer should avoid.