The full moon rose to welcome October, the Month of Horror. Spirits crawled out to absorb its energizing light. Its glow revealed a monster’s true face. Did you hear their violent cry?
Yesterday, if you were outside around 5pm EST, you could’ve seen the Harvest Moon. I missed it. Though, with the clouds in the sky, I didn’t see the moon at all.
I’m drawn to all things creepy. If Green-Wood Cemetery was doing something on Halloween, I would be all over that. I love photographing the moon. It’s beautiful yet haunting.
It often finds it’s way into my stories. In The Sciell, one of the main characters, Shade, draws power from the moon. She goes a little insane when she can’t feel or see it.
Why does the moon inspire so many tales of terror and magic?
Paranormal activity increases during a lunar cycle. At least that’s what a paranormal investigator told AccuWeather. They saw an increase in calls about spirits around this time. The article was pretty fascinating. Some of the stuff could be used for a good haunted story especially this- “I think again it may enhance a ghost’s ability to physically manipulate stuff better or be seen better, if you will.” Paranormal investigator: Ghostly activity increases during lunar cycle, changing seasons
Did you know there’s a moon for each month? We get a Flower Moon, Snow Moon a Full Wolf Moon. The Worm Moon sounds like they pulled that straight from a horror tale. We need a wereworm story. Those names alone could get your imagination working. Full Moon Names (and More) for 2020
During the Middle Ages, and even now, people blamed strange behaviors like sleepwalking, suicide, illegal activities and mental breaks on the moon.
“Lunacy” and “lunatic” come from Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon, who rode her chariot each night. 7 Unusual Myths and Theories About the Moon
People believed others were more likely to act odd, even criminal, during a full moon. It seems, at least from stories, the full moon also has the power to reveal someone’s true nature. At the very least, it gives power to the supernatural world.
Did you know those scars were made by the fangs of an immense creature? At least that’s what a legend from Siberia said. Alklha was darkness itself. This monster devoured the moon. But doing so, upset its stomach. Alklha threw up the moon, putting it back in the sky. Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legend
The Harvest Moon returns on October 31, Halloween Day! Do you want to photograph it? I don’t know if you can capture it with your phone. You may. I was never able to photograph it with my phone. I know someone who got a clear picture because the moon was so large.
I have a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens. It’s a fairly affordable entry-level telephoto lens. It doesn’t zoom into the moon as much as I’d like. I used a Canon PowerShot to capture those photos with more moon details like the one below. I don’t remember which model I had. I kinda wish I kept that camera instead of selling it. The PowerShot’s not a DSLR but it has an awesome zoom.
With my DSLR, I usually photograph in the early evening which means I don’t need a tripod. If I was doing a night photoshoot, I would definitely break out the tripod. As for settings, I shoot in Aperture priority mode with a low ISO. If your ISO is too high, the photo starts to look grainy. I use Manual Focus. Auto often struggles to get the moon in focus. Check out the links below for more tips.
This photo was shot at 1/500 of a second at f/10 with my telephoto lens.
How To Photograph The Moon (With 10 Great Examples)
3 thoughts on “Strange Tales about The Moon and How to Photograph it”
Auden, I have never been able to capture the moon with my micro 4/e dslr, no matter how hard I tried. Made the mistake of shooting at night and got too much camera shake, Your pix are stunning, and I appreciate the tips and settings for lunar capture!
Love the moon and always wish I could capture a great photo of it. I know special equipment is needed like what you have, Auden.
Thank you so much so sharing. This will help a lot of people out there.
I enjoyed all your fun facts and myths. Fun stuff!
~Rosie
Wonderful photographs. I have a few good pictures of the moon. I know the full moon definitely has an effect on the students at school. They tend to go crazy! ?
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