Pink Moon 2022: 5 tips to capture astronomical spectacle with your phone

The full moon in April, called the "Pink Moon," will light up the sky for the whole weekend, making it one of the year's most popular celestial spectacles. Here are five tips one can keep in mind to capture astronomical spectacle with their phone.

Aim on focus and exposure:

Smartphone cameras have gone a long way in a short period of time, and most smartphones now allow you to customise the focus and exposure of your photo. If manual focus is enabled, it is normally triggered by tapping the screen at the location where you wish the camera to concentrate.

Then there's the exposure, which determines how much light enters the picture. You can modify the exposure in the default iPhone camera app by tapping once to focus and then holding and dragging.

Avoid flash, use natural light:

Light is one of the most critical aspects of any photograph. You don't need to utilise your phone's built-in flash if you can take use of the available natural light. However, switch off the flash because the moon is 384,400 kilometres away from the earth and the flash will have no effect. Instead, it will detract from your photo by highlighting the dust particles and surrounding area.

Use HDR mode: 

High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is now a standard feature in smartphone camera programmes. Simply told, it pulls out detail in the darkest and brightest areas of your image and produces a better overall colour balance. HDR typically improves image quality, which might help you obtain better moon images.

Have a stable shot, use a tripod: 

One area where smartphone cameras continue to fall short of specialised cameras is their sensitivity to movement. Even a tiny movement may cause a smartphone shot to seem like it was taken on a rocking boat. As a result, it's critical to keep camera shaking to a minimum. Using a tripod might be a better option.

Apply rule of the grids: 

This is an ancient photographic trick that has been around for a long time, but it can still be used with cellphones. The rule of thirds divides a picture into nine equal pieces that create a three-by-three grid. The most intriguing aspects of your image should be towards the corners of these segments, where the imaginary gridlines intersect. Try the rule of thirds to enhance your photo composition.