Abbott Hall

Abbott Hall

Derby Wharf

Derby Wharf

Boston Island Light

Boston Island Light

Preston Beach

Preston Beach

"Business Meeting-Nomination of Officers Followed by program Shooting the Moon Beginner Guide to Photographing the moon & it"
by Richard Simmons-MA
Monday, April 26, 7:15 PM


Shooting the moon seems like an easy capture, it doesn’t move quickly, is easy to spot and there a lot of opportunities. The moon in one form or other is in the evening sky 83 per cent of the evenings in a month -4 out of 31. The moon is also alluring- it changes in shape, changes its location, it casts a nice reflection on the water and it can be stunning when it appears near a structure.

The problem is that it is often too small and is overpowered by the buildings it is near or it is too bright and dominates the sky like a big, blinking spotlight. Its exact location in the sky, particularly at moonrise and moonset is erratic and hard to predict, and then there is the weather- just when you think you have it all figured out, you get up at 4 am and hike out in the pitch darkness to a beautifully pristine sight, only to have a cloud bank hanging in the east, hiding the crescent moon as it rises and then you have it bleached out by the rising sun. It is so frustrating- then what do you do when that happens, go home with nothing and sulk. I’ll be the first to admit, I am new to moon photography, but this last year, with nothing else to do- has allowed me time to explore, capture and practice.

There are a lot of sites on line and software for your smart phone that can help you in making plans for a moon shoot and improve your chances on capturing an image that you can be proud of, show to friends and perhaps put into competition. Let’s spend an hour talking about moon photography and what makes things work and the planning that goes along with a good successful shoot.

Our speaker is GLPA member Dick Simmons. Dick has been a member of the club for several years. He has competed in both prints and projected images winning several awards. Past Chairman of GLPA’s Field Trips he took many club members on fun outings where photography was just a part of the trip-being with other photographers and having fun were also a big part of the trips that always finished with a meal and a swapping of stories by the attendees. He also enjoys riding his bicycle going on long rides with his camera. In his youth he did a cross country trip through Europe on it. He loves to travel and visit our national parks and can't wait to get back out in his camper when we allowed to go state to state again.