Secret Trick: How to Take Pictures of the Moon with iPhone

Learning how to take a picture of the moon with iPhones of any model is easy once you know a few simple rules. I’ll teach you how to use the tools you have to take the best photos of the moon. I’ll also teach you a few tricks and ways to tweak your settings to improve your night sky photography.

Jump To:

• How to Take Pictures of the Moon with iPhone
• Try the Secret Video Mode Trick to Get Better Moon Photos
• FAQ

How to Take Pictures of the Moon with iPhone

Taking photos of the moon with your iPhone is not exactly intuitive, but with eight simple steps, you’ll get the hang of it. Here’s how to photograph the moon:

1. Start by adjusting your Camera app settings to turn HDR on and flash off.

Certain settings are known to be the preferred iPhone Camera app settings, but moon photography requires a few specific changes. While the flash can be useful for various types of photos, it will absolutely ruin your moon shot. So make sure you turn it off before you hit the shutter button. To turn the flash off:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the flash icon in the corner of your screen and make sure you see the lightning icon crossed out with a white line.
3. Another option is to tap the caret to see more controls.
4. Tap the flash icon.
5. Select Flash Off.

Unless you have opted to Preserve Settings in the Camera app, every time you close the Camera app and reopen it, everything will return to the default settings. However, you can make sure that flash is off by default, which I personally prefer. Next, let's turn HDR on, and the good news is that newer iPhones will have it on by default. iPhone 12s and iPhone SE (2nd generation) and older iPhones, have a setting for you to toggle it on or off manually. To do this, open Settings, tap Camera, and you should see a toggle for HDR in the list of settings. For more Camera app tips, don’t forget to check out our free Tip of the Day newsletter!

2. Make sure you are using the best photo quality.

Before we take the perfect photo of the moon, we have to make sure we are using the best settings. Depending on the model of your iPhone, the options will vary, but here's how to make sure you are using the best photo quality settings:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Camera.
3. Tap Formats.
4. Under Photo Capture tap Photo Mode.
5. Make sure the higher number is selected, in my case that is 24 MP.

While you are in your Camera settings, you might want to toggle on Grid and Level under composition, this will help you position the moon or whatever subject you photograph exactly where you want it and make sure that your horizons are leveled.

3. For best results, use a tripod or prop up your iPhone to ensure that it doesn’t move.

Image courtesy if Insta360 Store.

Newer iPhones are especially good at stabilizing photos, but it can be more challenging in low light. Using a tripod or resting your iPhone against a fence or whatever items you have around you can make a huge difference. I definitely recommend buying a compact tripod to use for your photo shoots, but sometimes even a rock can work if you are in a pinch. Sometimes even the light tapping or pressing of the shutter can move your iPhone, if this is happening to you, try using the built-in Camera app timer.

4. Take full advantage of Night mode by adjusting it manually for better results.

Night mode is a great tool that automatically detects low lighting and lowers the shutter-speed to take a better photo. Once Night mode is detected, you can manually change Night mode's shutter-speed by tapping the yellow moon icon and swiping to increase or decrease how many seconds it will take to take the photo. The maximum possible seconds is 30, but it will only be offered if the conditions are perfect, usually the max seconds offered is 5. During the count down, you cannot move your phone without blurring the photo, which is why we recommend using a tripod or a makeshift way to stabilize your iPhone.

5. Never zoom in or out by pinching your fingers to avoid image quality loss.

Unlike traditional cameras, most iPhones have two types of zoom: digital and optical. When you tap the different numbers such as 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x represent the different optical zoom options - each tied to a specific lens. The options differ based on what iPhone model you have and your camera settings. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, for example, has a digital zoom of up to 25x! Unfortunately, when you zoom in digitally, by pinching your fingers on the screen, you get the same effect as cropping the image. For this reason, tapping the 5x (or whatever the highest number is on your model) will give you the best zoom without compromising quality.

6. Avoid overexposure; instead, manually adjust it to lower it.

Getting the exposure right is really important in photography, but it can make or break a photo of the moon. When you are taking a photo of the moon, tap on the moon to set the focus on it, then drag down over the sun icon to manually lower it. Try taking the same photo with various exposure levels to see what looks best. Over time, you will get the hang of manually adjusting the exposure on your photos, whether you are taking them during the day or after dark.

7. Edit or enhance your photo to make it pop.

Most, if not all, impressive moon photos involve editing. That doesn't necessarily mean that the resulting photo is fake, although it can be. There are lots of filters, photographic styles, and even AI features within the Photos app and third-party apps that can enhance your moon photo. I like to try the auto-adjust edit option in the Photos app, but it doesn't always give me the results I want. I recommend playing around with the different controls, especially adjusting exposure, shadows, contrast, and black point. You can duplicate the original photo if you're worried about over-editing and want to save a copy, but you can always revert to the original photo if you wish.

8. Use a different camera app that has more adjustable settings.

The native Camera app may not be your best option for taking the best possible photos with your iPhone. There are many to pick from, but several members of the iPhone Life team like the ProCam 8 - Pro Camera - ($14.99) because it has many adjustable settings that make it feel like a more professional camera. Plus, you can more easily select which lens you are using to take the photos with.

9. Plan your photos to consider the time, place, and surrounding scenery.

You could have the best equipment and know the ideal settings, but there's more to taking a magical photograph. The best moon photos are taken when the moon is full in a clear sky or with well-positioned clouds. Taking the photo in the middle of the night might not have the best results, try seeing if you can spot the moon during golden hour, twilight, or dawn for a better-lit photo with a more interesting background. Also, consider what else you want in the photo, a zoomed-in photo of just the moon might not be what you're going for. Consider finding a lake, pond, or puddle to capture the reflection, or take a photo of the moon through tree branches, in between buildings, or even with people's silhouettes .

Honestly, the best way to get a great photo of the moon is to keep practicing and experimenting! Like with anything artistic, sometimes the best photos happen when you break all the rules. For example, my husband broke my no digital zoom rule and got a surprisingly amazing shot of the moon. So while the steps above are the officially agreed upon “how to take moon photos on an iPhone” rules, just have fun with it and see what happens!

Try the Secret Video Mode Trick to Get Better Moon Photos

If you want to try something a little different, social media influencers swear by this moon photography trick, although it can be hit or miss:

1. Open the Camera app and navigate to video mode.
2. Make sure you have the best quality selected; on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, this will be 4K 120fps. If you need to zoom in, tap one of the options on the screen to zoom optically. Keep in mind that if you select 4K 120fps as the quality, you will not be able to zoom in 5x, so you can experiment by trying these steps using 4K 120fps at 2x zoom or 4K 60fps at 5x zoom to see what looks better.
3. Frame your photo and make sure your iPhone is stabilized, a tripod works best. Tap on the moon to focus on it, then press and hold your finger over the moon to activate the AE/AF Lock (focus lock). Tap on the sun icon and drag down to reduce the exposure. Then press the shutter button to start recording. Press it again after a few seconds to end the video.
4. Open the Photos app and select the video you just recorded so that it starts autoplaying. Tap the pause button. Tap the preview at the bottom of the screen to expand the visible frames and slowly move your finger over it until you see a frame that you like the best.
5. Tap the middle of the screen, making the controls disappear. Take a screenshot by tapping the Volume up and Home buttons simultaneously. Finally, crop and edit the screenshot as needed to get your perfect moon shot!

Now you know how to take photos of the moon on your iPhone! Obviously, the newer your iPhone model, the better quality image you’ll be able to take. Next, learn how to open the Camera app in several different ways to make sure you never miss the shot.

Top image credit: wk1003mike / Shutterstock.com