Photographing the Thunder Moon - East Bay - Oakland

There are many ways to create a great moon photograph, but a full moon is one of the most visually arresting and unique.

You will learn how to balance your moon exposure with the rest of your composition and learn some secrets on how to get a big moon. I will also share my secrets on how to calculate the best locations and prepare for your own future full moon shoots.

In July the best days will be one day before the actual full moon and on the full moon. There will be two events in two separate locations: one in the East Bay and one in San Francisco. Come to one or both. Both locations are being selected for their picturesque composition possibilities.

Moonrise will be at 7:25pm and 8:10pm respectively and sunset will be at 8:32pm. While we wait for the moon to rise, the bonus session will be on practicing how to balance ambient with flash for portraits. If you’re lucky you'll get a beautifully lit portrait with a nice background and a rising moon - all naturally balanced.

Bring your camera and a tripod. If you want to practice balancing ambient with flash, bring your strobe, a light modifier or reflector and a plan for how to trigger your flash (infrared (CLS), slave, cable, or radio).

Any experience level welcome. However, you should be familiar with your particular camera. If you are not I recommend you bring the camera manual to this event.

Side Note: The name Thunder Moon was given to July's full moon by Native Americans. They kept track of the passage of time by observing the waxing and waning of the moon. Names were based on occurrences they recognized in in their natural surroundings. Thunderstorms are at their most frequent in July.

Exact meeting location will be emailed to paid YES rsvps.