Surely it has also happened to you to go out at night and observe that the moon is spectacular. So, you decide to take a photo with your cell phone, but the result It has very little to do with what you are seeing. The snapshot usually comes out blurry and with low resolution. So that it doesn't happen to you again, we tell you how to take photos of the moon with your cell phone.
A good location and good preparation are essential to obtain a good result. If you also want to achieve it, take note of everything we are going to see in this article.
Preparation and knowledge of the environment
A good photographer prepares his sessions thoroughly, and that is what you have to do if you want to take good snapshots of the moon. That's why, It is essential that you are aware of the position and phase of the moon. This will help you know when the perfect time has come to go out and take photos.
There are many astronomical applications, such as Star Walk, which They provide you with accurate information about the location of the moon in the starry sky in real time. This way you can locate the best place from which to take the photo.
To take your moon photos, try to find a dark environment away from areas with the most light pollution. Yes, besides the moon, integrate into photography land elements such as trees or buildings, The result will be even more beautiful. Also if you manage to capture the moon and some nearby clouds.
Basic equipment
Since we are talking about how to take photos of the moon with your mobile, it is clear that we do not need complex photography equipment. But yes there are some accessories that can help us to achieve better results.
A tripod should not be missing among them. Because to take good snapshots in low light conditions we have to open the shutter a lot, and any small tremor will make the photo blurry. With a tripod we have guaranteed stability while taking the photo.
If you happen to be an astronomy lover and are lucky enough to have a telescope, You could consider the possibility of purchasing an accessory that allows you to mount the phone on it. This way your photos of the moon will be much more precise and closer, they will be truly spectacular.
Camera settings, essential when it comes to how to take photos of the moon with your mobile
If your photos of the moon do not have the resolution you want, it is not a question of your mobile phone's camera being more or less good, although this can also play a role. The real reason for an unsatisfactory result is that You are not configuring the parameters correctly to take an image of this type.
To start, disable the flash. Because artificial light distorts the nuances of the moon. This is the one responsible for why when you take a photo of the satellite it always seems to have more light than what you see from your position. In some cases it even gives the impression that there are two superimposed moons.
With the flash disabled, you now have to set the white balance and adjust it to the specific lighting conditions. This is not always easy to achieve, and you will have to adjust the parameters at all times, since the lighting conditions of the environment change.
Specialized photography applications
It is true that mobile cameras have advanced a lot, but they still do not have the functionality that we can find in a digital version of a SLR camera.
An alternative to achieve greater control over camera parameters is to download one of the many specialized photography apps that exist in the application stores.
Through some of them, you can get complete manual control over elements such as shutter speed and ISO sensitivity. The more control you have over these parameters, The better you will be able to configure the way the camera will work depending on the lighting conditions. The result will be sharper photos from our satellite and with much better quality.
manual zoom
The digital zoom on the phone is of great help when it comes to taking quality photos, but if we talk about how to take photos of the moon with your cell phone, it is better to do without it. Because in this case it can make us lose quality.
Since we have adjusted many of our camera parameters by hand, we are also going to manually manipulate the zoom. For a good result, we may need to locate a location from which we can target comfortably to the satellite to photograph it.
Night mode
Many mobile phones already have a night mode among their camera options. This is responsible for enhancing the quality of images taken in low light environments.
When you activate night mode, the phone automatically adjusts the exposure and ISO sensitivity, making the photos somewhat sharper.
This is an alternative to everything we have seen, but the results you will achieve will never be as good as those you can achieve if you manually adjust the camera parameters.
How to take photos of the moon with your mobile: trial and error
With the tips we have seen, the quality of your photos of the moon should increase noticeably. Nevertheless, Don't worry if you don't get good results the first few times. Because finding the perfect parameters to take a night photo of an illuminated element is complicated.
We encourage you to take it easy and practice as much as necessary. We are sure that in the end you will get a spectacular photo, that will make all the previous efforts worthwhile.
edit your photos
Although the feeling of capturing a quality snapshot is wonderful, no photo is 100% perfect, especially not a night photo. So don't hesitate to use photo editing programs. to adjust details such as:
- Saturation to enhance colors.
- Sharpening to improve overall clarity.
Of course, try to make it as subtle an edition as possible, You don't have to turn your original photo into something totally different.
Now that you know how to take photos of the moon with your mobile, do you dare to try?