Hunters Moon Over Worthing

Photographing the October Hunter's Moon rising over Worthing Pier required meticulous planning and precise positioning. I scouted this location weeks in advance, calculating exactly where I needed to stand—3.8 kilometres from Worthing Pier on the West Sussex coast—to capture the moon perfectly aligned with the Victorian pier's distinctive architecture. The Hunter's Moon, named by Native Americans for the bright light it provided for hunting after the autumn harvest, is one of the most spectacular full moons of the year.

As twilight deepened on this October evening, the moon began its ascent over the English Channel, casting this incredible golden glow across the calm waters. The timing had to be perfect—too early and the sky would overpower the moon's colour, too late and the deep blue hour light would be gone. I used my telephoto lens at 410mm to compress the scene, making the moon appear larger in relation to Worthing Pier and creating that dramatic sense of scale.

The conditions were ideal that night. The air was crisp and clear, essential for moon photography at this distance, and the sea was unusually calm, creating these beautiful reflections of the pier's lights on the water. The delicate balance between the warm orange tones of the rising Hunter's Moon and the cool blue hour colours in the sky created this serene yet dramatic atmosphere. Worthing Pier itself, opened in 1862 and stretching 960 feet into the sea, provided the perfect foreground element—a piece of Sussex coastal heritage framed against one of nature's most reliable celestial events.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that sense of precision and anticipation—standing on the West Sussex shoreline as the Hunter's Moon rises over Worthing Pier, witnessing the perfect alignment of coastal architecture and celestial beauty across the English Channel.