Chasing the Blood Moon – A Night of Planning, Waiting, and Wonder
The Idea
When I heard about the lunar eclipse on September 7th – also known as the “Blood Moon” – I immediately knew I wanted to capture it in a unique way. My vision was to photograph the moon as it rose in the Earth’s shadow, behind an illuminated castle ruin in the foreground.
Planning the Shot
To make this possible, I used the app Planit Pro (Android). It helped me find the perfect spot where I would have a clear line of sight to both the castle and the rising moon. The location turned out to be a hillside opposite the ruins, offering not only the right perspective but also pleasing proportions between the moon and the castle.
The weather forecast was promising: thin, high clouds, but with at least a chance to see the moon. That was good enough for me.
On Location
On the evening of the eclipse, I drove to the chosen spot. Questions were racing through my head:
Would the clouds break up?
Would the castle lights be on?
Would the moon even be visible in the sky during blue hour?
I set up my gear: a Sony A7RIII with the Sony FE 70–300mm F4.5–5.6 G OSS lens, mounted on a Benro Tortoise 35C tripod. The camera was set to aperture priority, f/5.6, with a maximum shutter speed of one second, ISO floating, stabilization off, and manual focus on the castle. To capture the transition, I started a time-lapse: one photo every two seconds.
Waiting for the Moon
The wait was intense. Would my carefully planned position actually work out? At the predicted time, no moon was visible. The high cloud layer was thicker than expected, and the sky was still too bright.
But then, five minutes later, a faint outline of the moon appeared. Relief. The alignment was spot on – exactly as I had planned.
The most magical moment came about 20 minutes later, when the moon emerged from the Earth’s umbra and quickly turned into a glowing crescent. Watching the transition in real time, with the castle below, was simply unforgettable.
The Result
The effort was absolutely worth it. Careful planning, a bit of luck, and plenty of patience all came together. I’m thrilled with the final image.
As a creative touch, I composed the best shot of the castle and sky together with the moon from a later phase just before it left the Earth’s shadow. A little artistic freedom to enhance the memory of that night.
