Today is my birthday and what a gift it is that today's prompt is night.  One of my favorite things to photograph is the moon.   Tonight's moon is a waxing gibbous, which means that the moon is brightly illuminated, roughly 60%.

Maybe you were lucky and got a new tripod for Christmas.  If so, tonight is a great time to give it a try as we are going to photograph the moon in the night sky.  If not, be creative and do the best you can with what you've got.  

Here are some tips:

• First decide whether you want to take a closeup of the moon or a landscape photo of which the moon is only a part.  With the latter, it can be difficult to get the exposure correct for both the moon and the foreground.  You may want to try taking two photos, exposing one for the foreground and one for the moon.  Then merge them in post processing.
• Use a tripod!  Whether you are shooting a close-up or a landscape, you'll get better results by using a tripod.
• Shoot in manual mode
• Camera settings: ISO 100, Aperture f11, SS 1/100.  This combination is referred to as the "Looney 11" settings.  This said, you may need to adjust these settings based on your particular circumstances.  If you adjust your ISO to 200 to allow more light, you will also need to adjust your SS to 1/200.  DO NOT change your aperture!
• Use a shutter release cable to avoid camera shake.
• Use a telephoto or zoom lens of at least 300mm
• Have fun!