How to shoot and edit a supermoon photo

Plan your shot

To accentuate the increased size of the moon, you need foreground elements. That means – shooting at moonrise. The moon will appear on the eastern horizon in a pale orange, which lasts for around 15 minutes. The PhotoPills app (www.photopills.com) allows you to see exactly when and where in your surroundings the moon will rise.

Use a long telephoto lens

By placing yourself a long way from a building or mountain and then zooming in using a long 600mm telephoto lens, you can make the moon appear much larger. Choose an iconic building and you can create a memorable shot that screams ‘supermoon’; actually, you could take the same shot during any full moon.

Use a zoom lens

A long telephoto lens is specialist kit, but most photographers will have access to either a mediumsized zoom lens or a compact or bridge camera with a superzoom. Then it’s a case of just taking a photo of the moon just after it rises in the east. Always use a tripod, and if you have trouble focusing on the moon, try the infinity focus setting.

Use a smartphone

One way of zooming in on the moon is to put a smartphone up to the eyepiece of any telescope. After you’ve found the position that puts the whole of the moon on your phone screen (it can be a bit tricky, but stick with it), hold it steady, focus, and take multiple shots. Use a smartphone camera app that allows you to capture raw files.