Sturgeon Moon Over Bosham

August 11th, 2022, offered the perfect conditions to capture the Sturgeon Moon rising over the historic village of Bosham in Chichester Harbour. Bosham is one of the oldest Christian sites in Sussex, with a Saxon church that appears in the Bayeux Tapestry and roots stretching back to Roman times. This ancient harbour village, nestled in West Sussex on the edge of the South Downs National Park, has been a haven for sailors and fishermen for over a millennium.

I positioned myself carefully along the harbour's edge, knowing that the moon's ascent would align perfectly with the village's distinctive skyline. The challenge with photographing the full moon over inhabited areas is the extreme difference in brightness—the moon is so bright it requires fast shutter speeds, while the twilight village scene needs longer exposures. I solved this by creating a composite: one 1/6 second exposure at ISO 3200 for the foreground, capturing Bosham's charming buildings, boats, and harbour reflections, then a much faster 1/320 second exposure for the moon itself, preventing it from being overexposed.

As the Sturgeon Moon climbed into the September evening sky, its golden light spread across Chichester Harbour, illuminating the water and creating these beautiful reflections alongside the village lights. The calm conditions were ideal—not always guaranteed in this tidal harbour where the water can rise and fall dramatically. My 250mm focal length compressed the scene, making the moon appear larger in relation to Bosham's historic buildings.

The soft twilight hues transitioning into the deepening night created this perfect blend of warm and cool tones. Bosham's Saxon church tower, the same one that appeared in the famous 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry before King Harold's ill-fated voyage to Normandy, stood silhouetted against the moon-brightened sky. This is coastal Sussex at its most timeless—where harbour villages have watched celestial events for centuries.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that connection to history—standing by Chichester Harbour as the Sturgeon Moon rises over Bosham, where Saxon kings once walked and where the South Downs meet the sea in one of West Sussex's most picturesque coastal villages.