Every 18 years, our moon reaches its closest point in relation to earth. Some call it a “super moon”, which was scheduled to happen last night. Like many photographers, I was intrigued by this but I figured several variables would determine what type of photograph I could find. Recalling an evening a few years ago when I was driving eastbound on I-290 into Chicago and saw a vibrant moon rising just above the city’s skyline, I decided to put myself in a similar position.
I encountered four problems though. 1. I didn’t have a 300mm lens to use, which is probably the shortest focal length you would want to use for something like this. 2. I left my tripod at home. 3. It was mostly cloudy. 4. I forgot that my reference was probably from another time of year when the moon rises in a more northern part of the sky behind the skyline.
I waited from atop a parking garage I’ve used before for good vantage points looking from the west into the city. Finally, the moon briefly made an appearance as it ascended through thick clouds above the southern part of the city. Not the photograph I was hoping for, but a photograph nonetheless.