This weekend, the moon was the closest it has been to the Earth since 1993, and it won’t be this close until 2029. So I went to Shelter Island and photographed it away from light pollution. The ospreys I was chasing besides the moon didn’t show up: probably still south, wintering. But there’s until the fall to catch those. Shelter Island is ideal for them - unspoiled and full of fish.

Full moon at 9.35. Handheld with a 300mm lens and a 1.4 converter braced against the roof of the car, uncropped photo.

And another shot, cropped:

What to do when you can’t get rid of a pesky tree blocking your shot? Manual focus and try to come up with an idea:

 The next day, back in New York, the moon was still nearly full - 96.5%, according to Accuweather. Good enough for me, and this time I wasn’t going to be caught sitting at dinner while the moon rose. Same 300mm lens but a longer converter, 1.7x, and still handheld, braced against a roof wall. Like the previous moon pictures, this is spot-metered. And cloudy, because weather was coming in, with temperatures again at freezing. 

And after a dozen moon shots, progressively bad as the moon rose into the clouds, there was always the city to photograph. 90 degrees to the left, looking north from Brooklyn, Manhattan shone brightly, but not brightly enough for the small-sensor camera I was using. So I went with the one shot I could manage by bracing the camera on a wall and propping it up with the only objects I could find: my hat, scarf and gloves. Got really cold, but here’s the result, showing Midtown East and the 59th Street bridge.

 Stay tuned for my next series on a perigee moon: sometime in 2029. Wonder what we’ll be shooting with, then.