Updated January 31, 2018 20:17:32

If you don't get a photo of tonight's super blue blood moon lunar eclipse, did it even happen?

The celestial event last took place more than 35 years ago in Australia, so it's the perfect opportunity to capture some stunning insta-worthy photographs.

But it's not just a matter of point and click. Expert astrophotographers Paean Ng and Michael Goh offer their tips for how to capture the perfect shot of tonight's supermoon.

Photo: Astro photographer Paean Ng says to shoot tonight's moon in colour, as it should be an impressive dark red. (Supplied: astrordinaryimaging.com)

Planning

Both experts agree planning is crucial, and that starts with timing.

Mr Ng recommended stargazers find the local moonrise charts on the internet, so you can check exact times.

The view of the moon will be best in Western Australia, where tonight's moon will rise about 7:00pm, while the peak of the eclipse should be between 9:00pm and 10:00pm.

Mr Goh recommended downloading a smartphone app such as SkySafari, which allows you to slide forward the time to see the moon as it gets more eclipsed or where the Milky Way will be, or Photo Pills, for general astrophotography planning.

Location, location, location

The moon will be in the sky wherever you are, but where should you be to get the best vantage point? Whether in the city or country, both experts agree your geography does not matter.

Mr Ng said the best shots often came from the right vantage point, so a lookout over a city worked well if you want the moon and a city skyline in a single frame.

Photo: Both astro photographers recommend having something in the foreground to illustrate the size of the moon. (Supplied: astrordinaryimaging.com)

In the west, Perth's King Park is a popular spot, while the eastern-most point of Australia — Byron Bay on the NSW north coast — offers an iconic shot over its lighthouse.

Mr Ng said people should try find a nice foreground interest, such as hills or a city skyline.

If your backyard is your only option, Mr Goh said to try include something for scale.

"Find something in the foreground to show the moon, because if you just have the moon by itself up in the sky it just looks like a moon. You don't see a large moon"

He said people should position themselves towards the west, pointing towards the eastern sky.

Light up the sky

If you're shooting in your backyard, turn off all the lights as the moon will be extremely bright.

"The supermoon means the moon is 10 per cent bigger than usual but also 10 per cent brighter than usual," Mr Ng said.

"When the moon rises (about 7:00pm WA time), it'll be brighter than normal but at 9:00pm-10:00pm it'll be darker than normal so you get two hours to play"

Mr Ng said as the moon will be bright, "light pollution" from surrounding light sources, particularly in cities, would not be an issue.

Photo: A supermoon rises at North Mole in Fremantle. (Supplied: astrordinaryimaging.com)

Using a smartphone?

For the average Australian using their smartphone, a really good moon shot will be a tough task.

Mr Goh said it would be difficult to get a good shot as mobiles are automatically a wide-type lens, which will make the moon look small.

"It'll only look slightly larger if you have it with some juxtaposition … so you actually have a building there or tree that basically makes it look a little bit larger," Mr Goh said.

"A smartphone will struggle to make [the moon] look like anything you'll see in the professional photos."

He said one alternative would be to attach your smartphone to a telescope, as you should be able to take a photo through it in theory.

If a smartphone is all you have, Mr Ng recommended zooming in as much as possible as the moon will otherwise be very small.

Photo: Mr Ng says there is a lot of personal satisfaction in capturing the perfect photo of the night sky. (Supplied: astrordinaryimaging.com)

For DSLR and professional photographers

Both experts agree the longer your lens, the better.

"You want to use the most telephoto lens that you can use, something with 200 millimetres and above would be able to get the moon to a significant size in your frame," Mr Ng said.

"If you have a 600mm lens, that's going to produce much better results.

"However the moon is going to be pretty high during the eclipse so you want to use somewhere between 200mm and 400mm."

But Mr Ng said make sure you have a steady tripod, as the longer your lens, the more shake you will get from wind. He also recommended finding a windbreak, such setting up behind as a wall, to avoid shake in photos.

Everything you need to know about tonight's lunar event.

As for shutter speed, Mr Goh said that was a very tricky topic.

"When the lunar eclipse starts happening, the light on the moon will start changing quite rapidly so you'll therefore actually be exposing a little bit more as its gets darker," Mr Goh said.

"You'd still keep the shutter speed fairly fast, it might even go to 1/50th of a second to avoid the motion of the moon moving through your scene."

Mr Goh recommended DSLR users shoot on mirror-locker or live view modes to avoid shake from the shutter moving.

"You'd be underexposing slightly on the moon … if you were to shoot on what the camera thought was a normal exposure, it would overblow what the moon actually looks like so you lose all of the details on the moon."

Mr Goh expects he will likely use a tracking mount, which rotates with the rotation speed of the earth — allowing astrophotographers to take superior photos.

They cost around $500 but he said it is possible to make one yourself.

Photo, time-lapse or video?

You've got your location, lens and watch set — but what do you actually do when the moon appears?

Mr Ng said taking a time-lapse is preferable over a video, as you would otherwise need to film and track it for an hour to capture the entire eclipse.

He said he preferred to take a still-shot.

Photo: The Largest Supermoon in the past 70 years captured rising over the Perth Hills in November 2016. (Supplied: astrordinaryimaging.com)

"Get the highest clarity, the best image quality and after that you can do significant post-processing on your photos," Mr Ng said.

Mr Goh is considering doing a time-lapse of the moon changing colour, which could see him take anywhere from 400-1000 photographs.

He said modern cameras meant there was no limit to how many photos you could take, so be creative and experiment with settings — especially given the two-hour window.

Post-processing and beyond

Once the supermoon is over, there are plenty of post-processing options — but some you should avoid.

"Tonight is the blood moon, we expect the moon to turn dark red, so don't use black and white," Mr Ng said.

"I would recommend shooting in colour, just don't go overboard with post-processing and too much saturation or anything like that.

"You want to make the moon look as natural as possible. This is a rare event — try to get it scientifically accurate."

Photo: Astrophotographer Michael Goh encourages amateurs and professionals to be creative and experiment with tonight's sky. (Supplied: astrophotobear.com )

Mr Goh said "stacking" was one technique to improve quality of an image.

"Some people also take a wide landscape and do another with a long-zoom," Mr Goh said, but this technique can appear quite fake.

"You can play around and shift sliders back and forth, and whether you're using a light room or Photoshop, or another software program, there's an awful lot of opportunities."

If you think you have a winning shot, Curtin University in Western Australia hosts the annual Astrofest photography competition next month.

Otherwise, Mr Ng said photography is also a personal hobby — there is a lot of satisfaction in just capturing the moment.

Topics: astronomy-space, photography, perth-6000

First posted January 31, 2018 15:21:15