Between New Moon and 25% Illumination

I have been finding that imaging the Moon when it simply appears as a thin crescent in the early evening sky is surprisingly difficult for a number of reasons. Trying to capture earthshine—the glow of the unilluminated side of the Moon from reflected sunlight off the Earth—is impossible without overexposing the illuminated areas of the Moon’s surface. Images often lack contrast. Poor seeing at low altitudes cause the Moon to appear as a boiling mess. And so on.