It’s very clear tonight, and there’s a full moon. I’ve tried photographing the moon many times before, but I think this is the best attempt so far. It’s probably due to bits of experience that I’ve gained, such as:
- mirror lock-up to ensure a shake-free picture
- stopping down to increase sharpness
- spot metering to ensure a well-exposed heavenly body (if you’ll excuse the pun ;))
- exposure bracketing to cover my back
- and a better general understanding of the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. This helps in finding the optimal combination for a given scene. In this case, low ISO to reduce noise, small aperture to increase sharpness and let the shutter speed sort itself out 🙂
None of the above is particularly complicated on its own, but put together, these assorted pieces of knowledge can produce a fantastic picture. I’ve been using “proper” cameras for about a little over two years now and in many ways I’m still a beginner. But looking back over my older photos, I can see a great progression with time. I recommend that anyone else who wants to take good photos should read about the basics, and in no time you too will have a better understanding of the fundamentals that you can readily apply to every photo you take. It’s good to jump in at the deep end and try going manual!
Incidentally, at some point today I shot my 5000th picture on my 450D. Yay! Not bad going since I bought it in March – it works out at about one photo per hour, on average.
Jonathan Gazeley 
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