Last Minute Tips for Photographing Tonight's Supermoon

In addition to posting and tweeting links to my January video tutorial on how to photograph the Moon, I've also been answering several emails asking for additional advice regarding tonight's "super moon." The following is the most recent of one of my replies. The one thing that I think is causing some confusion are the news articles regarding the "time" of the super moon. News clips are saying somewhere around midnight. While that might be the time when it will appear brightest and highest in the sky it is by far NOT the best time to photograph it.

Thanks for your email. I'm hoping for clearing skies tonight as well. I recommend photographing the Moon just after it rises above the horizon, preferable over water if you can. This way you will have the added element of an attractive reflection. This is when it will appear largest and not so overwhelmingly bright that you won't be able to manage proper exposure while including interesting foreground elements. At midnight the Moon will be directly overhead, a bit smaller and extremely bright. The only possible foreground elements would be tree branches but they would be darkly silhouetted.


You will want to use your longest focal length possible, which in your case is 250mm. Spot meter the Moon rather than evaluative metering of most of the frame. I would recommend an ISO setting of somewhere between 200 and 400 and open your aperture wide, such as 4.0 or 5.6. This will most likely provide a shutter speed of somewhere around 1/125 or 1/250 seconds. The more you magnify a sky object with a telephoto lens the faster the object will appear to move through your frame. The good news is that a full Moon is usually so bright - and you can adjust your ISO as you shoot - to the point where you keep your subject sharp and retain detail. Bracket your images, meaning a few frames over and underexposed as well as even exposure. Most likely you will find that your underexposed images will be your keepers.


Most all have fun and move around a bit for creative angles with foreground elements. The best images of the Moon tonight are going to be those captured between 8:00 and 8:30 PM.


Best of luck, 

Hilton Head Photography Workshop | Moonrise at Sunset

This is a field photography workshop, May 5 2012, on Hilton Head Island for small group limited to first eight people who register. I will be leading the group and providing instruction on photographing the moonrise and sunset at high tide at Burke's Beach, including camera settings, composition and best lenses. Cost is $45 per person, payable check or cash the evening of the workshop. In the event of rain I will announce a rescheduled date for the program. To register please call 843-842-9200 or email jim@jimcrotty.com.

Fine Art Nature Photography of Hilton Head Island | Updated Galleries

People who visit my studio on Hilton Head are always amazed to find out that the 30"x40" canvas prints on the walls are indeed photographs. I think it's because most people are not accustomed to seeing photographic prints with such detail in that size. When it comes to fine art nature photography for the discerning buyer of art, I honestly feel I have some of the best images of nature and landscape subjects captured in and around Hilton Head Island. I'm not being boastful. That's not part of my personality. In fact those who are closest to me and know me the best are becoming more and more agitated that I'm not boastful enough when it comes to marketing and promoting my work.

Hilton Head Island is a tough market when trying to sell fine art photography. There's a "closed loop" so to say that often has more to do with factors other than the quality and originality of the artwork. But I keep going at it, chipping away. I may be more on the quiet side when it comes to sales and marketing but I do have determination.

The following web galleries were recently updated with images captured as recently as last week. It's one thing to view an impressive photograph on a computer screen. Were quality can be accurately measured as how well these images reproduce as large format prints. Anyone who has seen my prints will attest to the fact that my photography more than measures-up.

All of the images presented in the following online galleries are available as fine art prints crafted by a lab that caters to professional photographers. I've been working with this lab for over six years now, and their attention to detail is second to none, so much so that another more well-established professional photographer here on Hilton Head recently contacted me to find out the identity of that particular lab. Gee, I wonder why ?

Hilton Head Digital Art Photography by Jim Crotty

Hilton Head Fine Art Nature Photography by Jim Crotty

Discovering Texture and Form on Hunting Island | South Carolina Nature Photography

The joy of discovering the often-overlooked beauty amongst the dunes and maritime forest of Hunting Island State Park along the coast of South Carolina. Shape, texture and form. The carving hands of wind, sea, sun and sand present a wealth of subject matter for the nature photographer who enjoys going-in for the smaller details that can often tell the larger narrative of life in the Low Country.