For quite some time I had been captivated by the idea of photographing the Moon’s trail.
Whenever I came across those mesmerising images, where the Moon leaves a smooth trail of light across the sky, I felt inspired to try it myself.
One day, I finally decided to make it happen.
I turned to the Stellarium app to plan my session, and noticed that the Moon would rise above the horizon at the exact time of sunset the following day.
An ideal scenario for a long exposure shot.
I didn’t need to travel far. Just behind my house, there’s a high spot with a clear view of the sky.
I arrived a few minutes early, set up my tripod and camera and waited patiently. As soon as the Moon started to peek above the horizon, I got to work.
How to capture a Moon trail
There are two common ways to capture a Moon trail: by stacking multiple photos or by using a single long exposure shot.
I chose the latter. To avoid overexposing the Moon during the long exposure, I used an ND1000 filter.
There was no wind and after starting the exposure, I stepped away from the tripod to avoid any camera shake.
The result was a clean, elegant trail of the Moon gently rising into the twilight sky.
To complete the composition, I used a foreground image taken during a recent visit to the Berlengas Islands, also captured at sunset and using the same focal length.
This allowed me to create a visually balanced and harmonious image, contrasting the celestial motion with the stillness of the terrestrial landscape.
Editing was done using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, which allowed me to align and blend the two images seamlessly.
Equipment
- Camera: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lens: Fujinon XF 55–200mm
- Filter: K&F Concept ND1000
- Tripod: K&F Concept
Moon trail shot settings:
- Shutter speed: 15 minutes (900 seconds)
- Aperture: f/14
- ISO: 80
- Focal length: 200mm
Foreground shot settings:
- Shutter speed: 1/750 sec
- Aperture: f/6.4
- ISO: 160
- Focal length: 200mm
This was my first attempt at capturing a Moon trail and I was genuinely pleased with the outcome.
Astrophotography is a continuous journey of trial, learning and improvement.
Each session teaches you something new and leaves you eager to try again with a sharper eye and more refined technique.
If you’re thinking of capturing a Moon trail yourself, my advice is simple: plan carefully, be patient and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
The night sky is full of stories waiting to be told, one long exposure at a time.
See more of Ricardo's work via his Instagram account @ricardo.ad.santos
