Last night we all enjoyed the “super” full moon – ok a lot of us did- as the moon came close to the earth as it passed its perigee in its orbit making it appear about 18% larger than normal. Now here by Lake Michigan I went down to Lighthouse Beach to shoot the full moon over an old pier that is at the north end of the beach. Much to my surprise, and disappointment, I was not the only photographer there and sadly not the first even though I was a good 40 minutes before moonrise. If you have followed along on the blog and the Great Lakes Project you know this is one of my favorite places to shoot, partly because it is less than a mile from my home and partly because it is a great place to make images.
I took my time getting there and thought it was not going to be a great night because it seemed very cloudy and the chances of seeing the moonrise seemed slim to none. Some friends were also there and we talked as I made a couple of snaps of the old pier. Then as it got closed to moonrise time it just seemed really impossible. I packed up the equipment and we started to walk off the beach. I mentioned to my friends Donna & John that this went against every rule I go by – leaving before the event because you don’t think it is going to happen. As we started up the hill I stopped and said to them, hang on I’m going to wait a few more minutes. And sure enough just then I heard someone say, “Look at the glow!” I quickly made my way to a plot of sand which had an unobstructed view and started to shoot.
It did seem bigger, and more golden in color. Because it was about 40 minutes after sunset it was truly dark out by this time and trying to get a good image was almost impossible. The full moon should really be shot the day before it is officially the full moon. Then it rises about 20 minutes before sunset so you have enough daylight left to illuminate the setting without over exposing the moon. But last night was even cloudier.
As the night took over and the clouds moved back in I also thought, hey, there’s always a full moon next month. In the average lifetime we see about 1000 moons. So here’s to next month…and being the only photographer at the old pier!
Happy Spring!
Richard
Hello Richard, I just bought my first “big girl camera” a cannon T2i. I went to the planetarium to shoot the city at night and the full moon rising over the lake. I was frustrated because the shot of the moon was good when I focused on just the moon but when I tried to get the water with the moon I just got a white blob for the moon. I went to find shots of the moon and came across your blog and the fantastic shots you took. should I have focused on the moon and held the button down while I moved it down to get the water also or do I have to do something in photoshop to get a shot like yours? What kind of settings do you use? I was freezing and the wind was howling so I gave up after 45 min. I will try again in the summer. I live up in Vernon Hills so I will try a beach closer to me. Does Lighthouse Beach have parking for non residents? I live closest to Lake Forest beach but I can not park there since I am not a resident. I may have to go to Ft. Sheridan. Anyway I looked at your entire blog and website and look foreward to seeing more. Sue
Sue, to get sharp shots of the moon I use a tripod and a small f/stop such as f22 or more. You don’t want to go much past 1/2 second because the moon will move in that time. I shoot the moon the day before the full moon so you have enough light as it rises to give enough light to the evening landscape. By using a small f/stop for depth of field you should be able to get both the water and the moon. Yes I think you could park at Lighthouse Beach, you may not get on it without paying since Evanston does charge a fee for using the beach – but when you need to be there they might have already closed. Thanks for looking at my website – also take a look at Quiet Light Workshops as I give workshops in many places where you can learn more photographic techniques and have a great vacation!