how to photograph a total eclipse of the moon (lunar eclipse / blood moon)
see also:
Lunar eclipse Melbourne April 2014 - see my blog post
Lunar eclipse Feb 2018 with the Olympus mZD 300mm f/4 lens - see my blog post
Introduction
Suggested settings
capture in RAW file
white balance set to sunny day
manual exposure
manual focus unless your camera will reliably autofocus on a nearby star
tripod unless you have a really good image stabiliser and a wide aperture lens
high quality lens of the focal length desired for the type of image you wish to achieve
consider using the best aperture for sharpness, exposure duration (keep it relatively short to avoid earth rotation blur at high magnifications) and if including landscape or seascape, sufficient
depth of field (DOF)
if using a tripod, use a self timer to reduce camera shake with shutter mode in 1st curtain electronic, and if using a dSLR you should also put it into mirror lock up and Live View mode
actual exposure will be determined by the degree of eclipse and the altitude of the moon:
partial phase:
if exposing for the bright area, ISO 200, f/8, 1/250th-1/500th sec but may need ISO 400, f/4, 1/40th sec if cloudy,or low in the sky
ISO 1600 at f/4, 1/8th sec if exposing for the shadow area and blowing out the sunlit area
turquoise phase:
totality