Moon Phase Photography Blog

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

​I’ve done occasional moon shots. But as a special project I wanted to follow it through all the major phases. I missed only the waning crescent on September 16 because of cloud cover. 

​​Wednesday, September 6, 9:25 PM – the cloudy day cleared to reveal a big full moon that seemed to travel along with us just above the horizon as we drove home from church. I set up my tripod in the driveway pointing east. I was amazed at how quickly the moon moved through the viewfinder while using the 600mm lens. 

​​Saturday, September 9, 6:21 AM – dropping off my daughter for an early morning bus ride to her cross country meet, the waning gibbous (88% illumination) was still in the sky. It hung large and bright in the clear dark sky to the southwest. Moonset at 10:29 AM. 

​Wednesday, September 13, 6:38 AM – the persistent clouds overnight had me thinking I’d miss this last quarter moon. I stepped out to my driveway after waking but the sky was still veiled. But while at the church for morning prayer meeting, the fast moving cloud layer began to reveal breaks. Having no tripod, I steadied the camera against the hood of my truck, aimed nearly straight up into the air, and waiting for a clearing. According to the Moon Giant website, I was born during a last quarter moon many moons ago! 

​​Monday, September 25, 8:36 PM – the moon today, a waxing cresent (26% illumination) hangs in the western sky just after sunset. Although just a crescent, it has brightened the clear sky to a deep, deep blue rather than pitch black. 

​​Thursday, September 28, 9:17 PM – shot the first quarter moon right off the back patio of my home. Moonrise 2:53 PM; moonset 12:34 AM. 

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​Sunday, October 1, 9:08 PM –The moon is a large, bright waxing gibbous (77% illumination). So much detail can be seen along the shaded edge through my 600mm lens; craters, pits, plains. The word “gibbous” first appeared in the 14th century and has its root in the Latin word gibbosus, meaning ‘humpbacked’. 

Friday, October 6, 6:15 AM – the moon has come full circle through its phases back to a Hunter’s Harvest Full Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest to the Autumnal Equinox. Most years it occurs in September, but around every three years makes an October appearance. The October full moon is also called the Hunter’s Moon. It rises in the sky about 30 minutes earlier than normal thus allowing more time to hunt and prepare for the coming winter. I shot this spectacle from my truck in the church parking lot as it hung big and bright over downtown Athens, Georgia.