Did you see the moonrise last night? It appeared 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual. Called the ‘supermoon’, it occurs when a full moon is at its ‘perigee’ … slightly closer than usual to Earth. Relatively rare, supermoons happen only every 18 years or so. The last time was March 1993, and the next will be 2029. I headed down to LBI early in order to scout a location that would include the Barnegat Lighthouse. I found a spot on a public bay beach behind the light facing east. I soon found out that I wasn’t the only one with the idea when two other photographers came along and just like me, had Canon 100-400mm lenses mounted and ready. I was glad for the company as we were there a bit early anticipating the event. The moon appeared largest when it first came up and decreased to a more normal looking size as it rose higher. It was quite windy and even though my camera was mounted on a sturdy tripod there was some shake that caused blur in some of the shots. I was using an ISO of 400, so next time, in 2029 I think I’ll try 800! Where were you?

