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Photographers have been trying to utilize the light of the moon in their landscape photography ever since the photographic process was invented. It was not until World War II, however, that technology had improved enough to make night photography possible.
Today, despite technological advances, knowing the phase of the moon during a nighttime photography shoot is important as it will affect everything from the type of equipment that you'll need to the actual composition of your photos.
When embarking on a night photography trip, there are standard types of equipment that you will need to take with you.
- A 35mm camera that will allow you to manually set very long exposure times is a must
- A good, sturdy tripod is mandatory
- A cable release
- A good carrying case or a vest with a lot of pockets for your equipment
- Extra batteries for your camera
- Many rolls of slow or medium film (60 or 100 ISA--NEVER use 400 ISA even if it's what happens to be in your camera. Your photos will turn out much too grainy to be useful).
- Lenses with which you are already comfortable
- A stopwatch rather than a wristwatch to record exposure lengths is preferable. Stopwatches are more accurate and will give you more reliable information for future moon photography shoots.
- A notebook and several pens for recording exposure times and other important information
- A flashlight so that you can easily record your information
Remember that if this is your first
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