Photographer Captures Supermoon Rising Behind the Statue of Liberty

Photographer Dan Martland had to improvise for these spellbinding photos of the Harvest Moon Supermoon rising behind the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Martland tells PetaPixel that the photos were planned “last minute” because the weather forecast wasn’t good for the day of the full Moon until he began monitoring webcams and could see skies opening up.

But he still had to pick a spot to shoot from, the Moon’s position in the sky changes all the time meaning Martland is constantly looking for a spot that will make for an interesting photo. “The Statue of Liberty is always a winner,” Martland explains.

For the shot taken on September 18, Martland used an app called PlanitPro which showed a potential vantage point in New Jersey from Liberty State Park. But upon arrival, the spot was actually a beachy area where the tide was coming in and Martland and his friend realized they would be neck deep in water by the time the Supermoon had risen.

“So we end up scrambling around trying to find another plot,” Martland explains via a voicenote. “We’re carrying two tripods each and a big backpack, it was pretty humid and we’re sweating trying to figure out a spot with like 10 minutes to go. So we ended up, believe it or not, being a little bit naughty.”

Martland and his pal ended up on a private golf course where the golfers gave their blessing to the photographers.

“We just set up there and hoped for the best but weren’t too sure if the Moon was going to come out at all,” adds Martland.

Fortunately, the Moon did come out and although Martland complained it wasn’t perfect because trees were in the foreground, many online said they loved the natural elements in the shot.

The owner of the golf course later arrived and asked what the photographers were doing, Martland and his friend apologized but the golf course owner ended up being “super chill” and even gave them a ride back in a golf buggy.

“He loved what we were doing and I gained an extra follow on Instagram because I was showing him what we did,” adds Martland.

The image was shot on a Sony 200-600mm lens, at the 600mm focal point, which is why the Moon appears so massive in the photos.

“I chase these shots all the time, it’s always trying to find those unique ones where there’s not big crowds of other people doing the same thing,” adds Martland. “I’m always looking for the biggest Moon possible, which means lens compression and being at 600 and being miles away.”

More of Martland’s work can be found on his Twitter, Instagram, and website.

Image credits: Photographs by Dan Martland