'I took the gamble': Singapore photographers show up to shoot supermoon despite cloudy weather

SINGAPORE: Even the cloudy skies from the afternoon's downpour did not stop photographers from showing up at various spots around the island on Monday (Jul 3) night, hoping to capture the supermoon.

Monday’s supermoon – termed Buck Moon – was the first of four supermoons that Singapore will be experiencing this year. 

A Buck Moon happens when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, making it look bigger and brighter than usual. 

Those who spoke to CNA at Marina Barrage – one of the commonly recommended spots to catch the moon – decided to wait out the cloudy skies just before the moon was supposed to rise at 7.12pm. 

And many felt their gamble paid off.

TRYING THEIR LUCK 

A retiree, who only wanted to be known as Mr Wong TS, arrived at Marina Barrage around 6.40pm to “try my luck”. The 69-year-old felt the shots he captured were “not bad in spite of the bad weather”. 

“Very thick clouds but experience will show if there is some lighter gap (in the clouds), the moon will show. Clouds also add some mystery to the moon,” he said, adding that he chose the location as the ships provided a “nice foreground”.

“Unfortunately, the best spot but not always the best weather. Managed to catch some (shots) but it’s fine, can come back tomorrow.” 

Mr Wong was one among just under 15 photographers milling around the car park at Marina Barrage at 7.30pm. Some were armed with bulky telephoto lenses and towering tripods. Others, a simple mobile phone. 

For 32-year-old Arvindh Dilliraj, it was only his second time taking moon photos on Monday night. He only picked up photography in August 2022, and usually shoots insects. But astrophotography appealed to him for the same reason: He could capture details that “you can’t see with the naked eye”. 

When the skies grew darker around 5pm on Monday, Mr Arvindh almost scrapped his plans – so he felt “very lucky to see this much moon” eventually. 

Asked why he decided to make the journey down from Pasir Ris, he said he had “a little belief that in some places, the sky will be (clear)”.

Fourth time was the charm for Mr Andy Chew, who considered Monday night’s attempt – his fourth in four years – his “most successful”. The 51-year-old's previous plans had been foiled by bad weather. 

“Today, people probably thought, ‘Nah, it’s another year of disappointment.’ But I took the gamble. I’ve failed so many times, but I wanted to try and try and try. Better than nothing,” said Mr Chew, who arrived with his camera and tripod at 6.30pm.

“If you shoot the moon itself, it’s just like any other moon,” he added, explaining why he chose Marina Barrage's backdrop.

Hoping to simply capture the moon rising just above the ships in the distance, Mr Chew in the end scored a shot of a plane flying across the moon.

Photographers also flocked to the heartlands to capture the supermoon peeking out between Housing Board flats.

Over at Ayer Rajah, Mr Bryan Ho said the weather forecast had indicated clear skies between 7pm and 8pm. But just before the moon rose, the weather “suddenly changed to cloudy from clear”. 

Still, the 37-year-old persisted because “you miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take”. 

“If you plan to shoot, just go and do it. You never know how the weather is going to be at the moment you press the shutter release.”

As Mr Ho's moon shots tend to feature the moon nestled within a cityscape setting, such as skyscrapers, buildings and iconic landmarks, he chose the Ayer Rajah Telephone Exchange on Monday night.

“Some people just zoom in (to the moon) with a telephoto lens, but to shoot it with an interesting foreground, like Changi Airport tower or the Merlion, takes a bit of planning,” he said, adding that “iconic landmarks are best because people can resonate with them”. 

In astrophotography, the challenge is the weather condition, added Mr Ho, whose forte is street or travel photography. But unpredictable weather should not put people off. 

“We were once at Changi (with) the full moon rising behind the Changi tower. It suddenly clouded over and became a thunderstorm. We captured lightning behind the tower,” he recalled. 

“In the end, even if you don’t get the shot, you might get something better.”