The combination of reasonably clear skies, light winds, and the July 2022 'Buck' supermoon was a set of events I could hardly ignore as an outdoor photographer!
So I spend the afternoon of the 13th pondering where to base myself to capture the moonrise with maximum impact.
With the moon rising to the southeast, the north facing beaches near my home in North Wales weren't going to be much use, but with the help of my Photopills app and some local knowledge I hit upon the view from New Brighton on the Wirral, looking down the river Mersey in a southeasterly direction, over the iconic skyline of the Liverpool waterfront and office tower blocks.
So after tea I made my way over the border into England and headed to New Brighton, parking up by the somewhat strange Fort Perch Rock, with its rather squashed looking fortifications and dramatic lighthouse.
With plenty of time to spare till moonrise I amused myself photographing the lighthouse against the setting sun before moving to my chosen spot for the night, looking down the Mersey from the New Brighton promenade.
I wanted to shoot a time lapse that told a story, so I started photographing well before actual moonrise, capturing dusk falling over the towers and famous buildings along the Liverpool waterfront, adjusting my exposure setting accordingly as the natural light faded away and the artificial lights of the buildings and streets became more prominent.
Then, with a yellow glow appearing in the sky behind the skyscapers heralding the approaching moon, I adjusted my composition to give a larger view of the moon rising behind the wonderfully lit Liverpool skyline.
And I wasn't disappointed, as the moon rose exactly where my Photopills app had predicted, tracking upwards and southwards behind the tall office blocks before clearing the buildings and climbing through light clouds in a most beautiful and dramatic fashion.
I kept on shooting this composition until the moon disappeard out of the frame, and then zoomed fully out to the maximum on my 100-400mm zoom lens to capture the final stage of story as the bright moon cleared the wispy clouds close to the horizon and continued to rise through the clear night skies.
It was close to midnight when I finally finished taking the 1,800 odd still images needed to create this three part time lapse video, which was time well spent in my opinion.
Now I wonder when the next supermoon will occur, and where could I film it from?
Filename - liverpool supermoon timelapse 01
Camera - Canon EOS 6DMK2
Lens (1st clip) - 100-400mm zoom @ 160mm
Lens (2nd clip) - 100-400mm zoom @ 250mm
Lens (3rd clip) - 100-400mm zoom @ 400mm
Exposure (1st clip) - 1/25 sec @ f/5, ISO100 at start to 1 sec @ f/5, ISO100 at finish.
Exposure (2nd clip) - 1 sec @ f/5, ISO100 throughout.
Exposure (3rd clip) - 1/60 sec @ f/5.6, ISO100 throughout.
Filters - None.
Shooting interval (1st clip) - 6 seconds
Shooting interval (2nd clip) - 4 seconds
Shooting interval (3rd clip) - 2 seconds
Software - Adobe Lightroom and Premiere Pro
Music - Night Snow - Asher Fulero
Location - New Brighton, Wirral, Merseyside, England
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K and 1080p HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 56 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2023 unless otherwise stated.