I’m stoked – a total lunar eclipse blood moon is set to grace our skies on Thursday evening / Friday morning this week (March 13 / 14, depending on where you live) and I know in advance that it’s happening.
I don’t know about you, but I plan to set the alarm early to find a view and soak in this special celestial event: a total lunar eclipse and full moon last took place three years ago where I live in the UK.
Naturally, as TechRadar’s Cameras Editor, I’ll be packing my big camera with a telephoto lens, plus a flagship smartphone with a telephoto camera to get some snaps.
Sadly, folks like me in the UK will only be able to see a partial eclipse before the moon sets. However, the position of the moon in the sky during the partial eclipse could still make for spectacular photos that I’m excited to try for.
In the US and Canada, however, night sky gazers will be able to see the eclipse at its maximum point, depending on visibility.
Thankfully, where I am, the weather forecast looks like it could be favorable, and I’ve got everything crossed it stays that way. So, I’ve been hatching a plan to ensure I’m prepped to get my best-ever shots of a (partial) lunar eclipse.
In this article I cover the basics – what the celestial event is and what time it’s occurring where you are. Then I explain how you can get set with a phone or camera to get the best possible shots where you are, with the gear you have.
What is a blood moon?
There’s a full moon on the evening of March 13 and the early hours of March 14, and because it coincides with a lunar eclipse, the moon will also turn a vibrant shade of red, hence the term ‘blood moon.’
An eclipse occurs when the Earth sits almost perfectly between the sun and the moon, which blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon and, therefore, refracting its light through our atmosphere.
The last time this celestial event occurred was almost exactly three years ago where I live. In other words, it’s an astrophotography jackpot, especially if the position of the moon and the weather conditions are favorable where you are during the total eclipse.
When and where can I see the blood moon?
Where the blood moon will look its biggest and reddest depends on where you are on planet Earth during the lunar eclipse. The total eclipse lasts for around 65 minutes, with the maximum eclipse in the middle of that period.
The cities of New York (US) and Toronto (Canada) will be able to see 2025’s lunar eclipse at its maximum point, when the moon is at its reddest, during unsociable hours in the middle of the night, while in San Francisco (US) the event is earlier, of course, sneaking in on Mar 13.
Meanwhile, in London (UK), the moon will have already set once the total eclipse begins, meaning the full moon won’t be seen in its ‘blood’ form.
Thankfully, for astronomy enthusiasts in the UK, there will still be the chance to see a partial eclipse pre-dawn as the moon sets, which could, in turn, provide excellent photography opportunities, including points of interest in the surrounding landscape.
This eclipse path map can help you determine exactly what time the total lunar eclipse takes place where you are, while NASA’s eclipse website is also very helpful. That NASA website link maps out all of the total lunar eclipses between 2021 and 2030 – click on the 2025 Mar 14 option for info about this week’s eclipse.
For quick reference, I’ve listed a few key places in the US / Canada where the eclipse is visible below. If you’re in the UK, the best possible time to see as much of the eclipse as possible is at 6:19AM.
|
City |
Partial eclipse begins |
Total eclipse begins |
Maximum eclipse |
Total eclipse ends |
|
San Francisco, USA |
22:09PM (PDT, Mar 13) |
23:26PM (PDT, Mar 13) |
23:58PM (PDT, Mar 13) |
00:31AM (PDT) |
|
New York, USA / Toronto, Canada |
01:09AM (EDT) |
02:26AM (EDT) |
02:58AM (EDT) |
04:47AM (EDT) |
|
London, UK |
05:09AM |
06:26AM but moonset is 06:22AM and max visible eclipse is 06:19AM. |
06:58AM (not visible) |
07:31AM (not visible) |
How to photograph the total lunar eclipse blood moon
To get your best-ever blood moon photos, you need to plan the best location, pack the right gear and execute using the most suitable camera settings. Let’s take a whistle-stop tour of each of those elements.
Planning
It’s easy enough to point at the white orb as it turns red in the night sky and snap a photo. However, if you want next-level moon shots, I’d consider its position in the sky in relation to the landscape around you.
Are there points of interest that you can also include in the frame? Can you even see the moon from your desired location? That’s where my favorite night sky app, PhotoPills, comes in.
Made especially for astronomy fans, Photopills (available for iOS / Android for $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$14.99) is my most used photography app. For the total lunar eclipse, its augmented reality mode will be particularly handy. It can project precisely where the sun and moon will be in the sky at any time and day (down to the minute – like for the maximum eclipse), which can help you compose next-level shots that include points of interest.
On a basic level, you’ll need to know if you can even see the moon during the lunar eclipse. In the UK, the maximum visibility is during moonset, so you’ll need an unimpeded west-facing view.
For a deeper dive on how to plan, check out the supremely helpful video from the Photopills team, below.
The gear you need
Pack list
A telephoto lens (ideally 300mm or longer, or a 10x optical zoom)
Photopills app (optional)
Tripod (optional)
Headtorch and snacks
Technique-wise, getting decent snaps of the moon is surprisingly straightforward, provided you have the right gear.
You’ll want to get close enough to see details of the total eclipse and/or include points of interest in the surrounding landscape for perspective. That necessitates a telephoto lens.
I’m packing a full-frame Sony A1 II mirrorless camera with Sony’s FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 OSS lens, which, for me, is the ideal zoom range to experiment with composition, whether that’s filling the entire frame with the moon at the telephoto end, or including surroundings at the wide end.
The A1 II (below) has a 50MP sensor, which will give me plenty of pixels to play with should I want to crop in further. If you have more than one camera, I’d suggest going for the one with more pixels.
If you’re using a phone, you’ll want to try the telephoto camera. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra packs a 10x optical zoom, while most flagship handsets include a telephoto lens with a 5x optical zoom (approx).
Those optical zooms will feel a little wide, especially if you simply want a close-up of the moon. The alternative is extending that zoom digitally, but be aware that image quality is worse using a digital zoom. I suggest trying both – clever computational processing applied to images taken with a digital zoom can make for acceptable results.
The moon is so bright that you’ll be shooting with shutter speeds that are fast enough for going handheld, and you should still get sharp detail. However, if you have a tripod, I’d still advise packing one because it’ll take the strain and can make precise composition easier.
If you are venturing far and/or hiking somewhere dark, pack the basics to make your life easier and more comfortable: snacks, a flask of something hot, and a headtorch.
Camera settings
If your camera can shoot images in RAW + JPEG, select this option. You might get great photos straight out of the camera, but the RAW file format gives extra leeway for recovering detail, like if the moon blows out.
I will use the Sony A1 II and 200-600mm lens for some compositional flexibility between moon-only shots and those that include surroundings.
Manual exposure mode gives you complete control over aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. At the same time, you might also want to select manual focus if your camera’s autofocus struggles to nail sharp focus or regularly focus hunts.
Exposure settings will change during the lunar eclipse cycle. The full moon will be particularly bright before the total eclipse starts and appear much darker (and red) during the maximum eclipse.
A good starting point for the partial eclipse, shooting handheld, is an f/8 aperture, 1/500sec shutter speed, and ISO 200 sensitivity. You’ll need to push the camera’s capability further when during the total eclipse.
You won’t need to use a tripod outside of the total eclipse because the moon is so bright, but I’d recommend one when the eclipse is in full swing.
If you’re using a tripod, you can use a slower shutter speed than 1/500sec, even as slow as 1/8 sec even with a telephoto lens, if the support is stable and you avoid camera shake with a self-timer.
A ‘proper’ camera is what I will rely on for my best lunar eclipse shots, but I’ll also give it a go with my Pixel 8 Pro smartphone’s 5x optical zoom. That means the moon is small in the shot, but I can include the surroundings.
Night mode increases the amount of perceivable detail in dark scenes, which is a must, given the high contrast between the bright moon and the dark landscape.
I’ll also have the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which features a Pro mode that gives me the option to shoot in RAW format and manually adjust the brightness using exposure compensation.
If your smartphone lacks any of those features, it could be worth downloading an iOS app like Halide Mark II or an Android app like Open Camera, both of which allow for manual control of the camera.
I will also apply the same techniques with a phone that I do my camera, that is using a sturdy support and a self-timer.
Bring on the total lunar eclipse – I can’t wait!
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