Planning
Planning to photograph the blood moon eclipse on September 28th 2015
21/09/15 15:48
During the night of september 27-28 2015 the moon will be at its perigee which will result in the largest super moon of 2015. Because the moon will be at its closest point to the earth she will shine at her brightest. Shortly thereafter, she will begin to disappear up to a total eclipse, when the earth will be in between the sun and the moon. During this eclipse and as a consequence of the bending of the solar rays around the earth, the moon will increasingly turn red. This phenomenon is called “blood moon”. Hence, if weather permits, during the night of september 27-28 we will have the opportunity to see a “super blood moon”.
How can we prepare to photograph this phenomenon ?
There are a number of elements to be taken into account in order to plan for the photoshoot. These are:
A few websites and tools can help us to plan for the best possible photo shoot of this brief and rare “super blood moon” phenomenon. Hereafter some of my ideas:
On this webpage you can find the time of the lunar eclipse for a number of cities around the world where it will be visible. As an example, here after the time for the lunar eclipse in London. The eclipse will be visible in London from 01:11 till 6:22 and will reach its maximum (total eclipse) at 03:47. It will be a short night sleep …
On the website mentioned above and once you’ve selected a location, you can find an animation of the lunar eclipse with the altitude and the direction of the moon. “The Photographer’s Ephemeris” is a web application offering a more interactive way to obtain the altitude and direction of the moon for any location on the globe. This application is also available for smartphone and tablet (see this page).
Obviously, to take photographs of the lunar eclipse we need a clear sky with no or limited cloud coverage. Therefore consulting the weather forecast for the location of the photo shoot is an important step in the planning. The Accuweather website gives besides the weather also a forecast of the cloud coverage at night for the chosen location.
@import((WeatherForecast))
Once you’ve identified an interesting photo location with limited light pollution the application on iPhone “PhotoPills” with the function AR (Augmented Reality) will enable to simulate the circumstances of the shoot. This simulation will help in identifying the desired point of view a few days in advance.
For making photographs of the super moon we advise the following besides your basic photo equipment:
Hereafter a picture taken on september 28th of the super bloodmoon in Wannegem-Lede (Kruishoutem).
How can we prepare to photograph this phenomenon ?
There are a number of elements to be taken into account in order to plan for the photoshoot. These are:
- The moment of the eclipse
- The position of the moon versus the horizon
- The weather conditions
- The shooting location
- The photo equipment
A few websites and tools can help us to plan for the best possible photo shoot of this brief and rare “super blood moon” phenomenon. Hereafter some of my ideas:
The moment of the eclipse
The moment of the eclipse
On this webpage you can find the time of the lunar eclipse for a number of cities around the world where it will be visible. As an example, here after the time for the lunar eclipse in London. The eclipse will be visible in London from 01:11 till 6:22 and will reach its maximum (total eclipse) at 03:47. It will be a short night sleep …
The position of the moon versus the horizon
The position of the moon versus the horizon
On the website mentioned above and once you’ve selected a location, you can find an animation of the lunar eclipse with the altitude and the direction of the moon. “The Photographer’s Ephemeris” is a web application offering a more interactive way to obtain the altitude and direction of the moon for any location on the globe. This application is also available for smartphone and tablet (see this page).
The weather conditions
The weather conditions
Obviously, to take photographs of the lunar eclipse we need a clear sky with no or limited cloud coverage. Therefore consulting the weather forecast for the location of the photo shoot is an important step in the planning. The Accuweather website gives besides the weather also a forecast of the cloud coverage at night for the chosen location.
@import((WeatherForecast))
The shooting location
The shooting location
Once you’ve identified an interesting photo location with limited light pollution the application on iPhone “PhotoPills” with the function AR (Augmented Reality) will enable to simulate the circumstances of the shoot. This simulation will help in identifying the desired point of view a few days in advance.
The photo equipment
The photo equipment
For making photographs of the super moon we advise the following besides your basic photo equipment:
- Tripod
- Remote control
- Telephoto lens
The result
Hereafter a picture taken on september 28th of the super bloodmoon in Wannegem-Lede (Kruishoutem).
