On Sunday, September 7, there is a full lunar eclipse and you have the chance to capture the blood moon with your iPhone. We show how that works!
Lunar eclipse and blood moon
There is one lunar eclipse Visible when the earth comes between the sun and the moon. The moon is then in the shade of the earth. You might think that the moon is not visible as a result, but there is still a little bit of sunlight that reaches the moon. Because this light is bent when it goes through the atmosphere of the earth, the moon gets a red glow. This is called a blood moon.
The phenomenon is visible on Sunday evening 7 September. You should not miss that, because the next blood moon is only visible on December 31, 2028. The lunar eclipse on Sunday starts at 7.31 pm and ends at 10.57 pm. The highlight of the blood moon is at 8.12 pm. Then the moon is completely in the shade of the earth. Because this coincides in part with the sunset, the blood moon may not be clearly visible at that time. The best moment is therefore probably round 8.55 pmbecause it is only dark enough.
Photograph
So you now know at what time you have to be ready to photograph the blood moon. For the best result there are a few things you should pay attention to:
1. Find a dark place
A great danger to photographing the blood moon or the moon in general is light pollution. The less ambient light, the better your blood moon photo becomes. Therefore, avoid street lamps, buildings and cars, and look up a dark and quiet environment instead.
2. Put your iPhone on a tripod
You cannot escape to put your iPhone on a tripod. If you try to photograph the blood moon from your hand, then is almost doomed to fail. Only on a tripod do you know for sure that your iPhone will really stand still.
3. Photograph in maximum quality
The cameras of the iPhone 12 Pro (Max) and newer Pro models have the Proraw function. With this feature you record many more details and color information, but then you have to switch on Proraw. To do this, go to ‘Settings> Camera> File structures’ and turn on the switch behind ‘Proraw and resolution inverter’. Photos are then taken in the highest resolution with the 48-megapixel camera.
4. Use the night mode
If you have an iPhone 11 or newer, use the night mode. Your iPhone uses longer shutter speeds in night mode. That comes in handy when photographing the blood moon. Please note that you really keep the iPhone silent when taking the photo, to prevent noise. For example, you can use the Timer function, or use your Apple Watch as a remote control.
When you are in a dark environment, a moon automatically appears at the top of the camera app. Tap this to set the night mode on ‘car’. In our case that worked well. The institution ‘Max.’ is probably too much, but it remains a matter of trying out what works best in your case.
5. Set focus
Focusing the camera is of course extremely important when photographing a blood moon with your iPhone. Therefore, tap the blood moon once on the screen and hold the screen briefly to switch on the AE/lock lock. With this lock, your iPhone remains focused on the blood moon and the exposure does not change during photography.
6. Make multiple recordings
The circumstances when photographing a blood moon are always difficult. Even with a tripod and the right camera settings, these types of photos remain sensitive to noise. Therefore take several photos in succession. You can later combine them in an editing program for a photo with less noise. Moreover, it is not a disaster in this way if one has failed.
More handy photography tips
Did you find this tip handy and do you want to know more about photographing natural phenomena in the sky? Then view here how to take the best photos of the full moon and the northern lights:
Northern Lights Photographing
