How to photograph a lunar eclipse?
1. Use a sturdy tripod, and cable release or remote.
2. Use your longest lens with the lens hood.
3. Set the camera on daylight white balance.
4. Place camera on manual mode, and use the spot meter to meter the moon.
5. Set the camera to manual focus, and ensure the focus spot is lined up with the moon.
6. Turn off the Image Stabilization or Vibration Reduction on the lens.
7. Use mirror lock up to minimize vibration.
8. Focus moon with your eye by looking through the view finder, or set the focus ring to infinity.
9. Preview the image. Zoom in with the preview to ensure that the moon appears sharp.
10. Because the earth is rotating, the moon appears to travel quickly through the sky. Check the position of the moon in the frame between shots.
One of the advantages of photographing a lunar eclipse is that over the course of the evening, you have the opportunity to photograph different phases of the moon. Let's look at shots taken at different phases of the eclipse to give you exposure guidelines.