How to photograph the full moon

The best time to photograph the full moon is at moonrise on the night of the full moon, when it clears the horizon within a few minutes of sunset. The moon is low, large to the eye, and lit by the same warm light as the landscape, so you can hold detail in both. This guide covers when to be there, where to point, and the settings that work.

When is the best time?

Shoot at moonrise on the evening the moon is full, or the evening before. On those nights the full moon rises close to sunset, so for a short window it hangs low over the horizon in the golden hour. That low angle is what makes the moon look huge and lets you frame it against buildings, hills, or trees for scale.

Avoid shooting the moon high in a black sky. Once it climbs, the sky goes dark, the contrast with the bright disk becomes extreme, and the shot flattens into a white circle on black.

How do I find moonrise for my location?

Moonrise time depends on where you are and the date, and it shifts about 50 minutes later each day. Look up the exact moonrise, moonset, and the golden hour for your spot, then get in position 15 to 20 minutes early. Gibbous shows all three for any place you save, plus a read on whether it is a good night to shoot.

A quick rule: the full moon rises in the east as the sun sets in the west. Scout an eastern view with something interesting on the skyline.

What camera settings work?

Start here and adjust:

Low moon, bright sky (golden hour): you can often expose for the scene and keep moon detail. Aperture f/8 to f/11, ISO 100 to 400, shutter to taste.
Higher moon, dark sky: expose for the moon, not the sky. The moon is a sunlit rock, so the “looney 11” rule applies: f/11, shutter near 1/ISO (for example f/11, 1/125, ISO 100). Bracket around that.
Focal length: the longer the better for a big disk. 300mm shows a clear moon; 600mm and up fills the frame. A wider lens is fine when the moon is one element in a landscape.
Support: use a tripod, turn off stabilization on the tripod, and trigger with a timer or remote to avoid shake.

How do I get a big moon behind a subject?

Stand far back and zoom in. The moon looks largest relative to a foreground object when you are a long way from that object and using a long lens, which compresses the distance. Plan the alignment: pick a subject, work out where the moon will rise, and position yourself so the two line up.

Quick checklist

Full moon or the night before.
East-facing view with a foreground for scale.
In place 15 to 20 minutes before moonrise.
Tripod, long lens, remote trigger.
Bracket exposures as the moon rises and the sky darkens.

Plan the whole thing in Gibbous: moonrise, moonset, transit height, and the golden and blue hours for the exact place you are shooting from.