When I began wanting to know more about photography a friend of mine told me it would be a good practice to look at lots of photographs. So I bought gads of photography magazines, perused the internet, and read books with great images in them. One evening I stumbled upon a picture of Bass Harbor Head and knew it was definitely a place I needed to visit. Now, I believe that every place in the world is special, it’s just that some places are a little more special. One such place is Bass Harbor Head, a lighthouse on the Coast of Maine, not far from Bar Harbor.
I had never been to New England so going to get an image of this lighthouse was doubly exciting. I booked a trip in early October to be there when the trees were in color and made my way to the lighthouse. The first night I was there it was high tide. In the best of conditions there is not a lot of room for photographers to shoot this location, but at high tide the situation can get pretty dicey. Most photographers want to be in front of the lighthouse a little to the side on the rocks shooting up at it. The problem was, with the tide up, there was only one bunch of habitable rocks available, and as you can see there wasn't much room for me.
I could have gone down there and scrunched myself into a little nook or cranny but I was not willing to endure the heckling other late arrivers were receiving so I contented myself with shooting the lighthouse from higher up getting more of a side view.
But this was not what I came for. I wanted an image from down below looking up at the lighthouse. I wanted clouds in the background and the light of the setting sun hitting the rocks under the lighthouse. So I returned a few days later, this time arriving well before sunset. Being the first ones there, and with the tide much lower, my friends and I were able to grab the most desired spot on the rocks.
Fortunately the sky cooperated, sending these clouds over in just the right position at the appointed time. A few minutes later the sky was a cloudless blue. Ah, but there is always more to do. With the sun setting and the clouds gone, getting an HDR image seemed a likely thing to try.
I could have gone down there and scrunched myself into a little nook or cranny but I was not willing to endure the heckling other late arrivers were receiving so I contented myself with shooting the lighthouse from higher up getting more of a side view.
But this was not what I came for. I wanted an image from down below looking up at the lighthouse. I wanted clouds in the background and the light of the setting sun hitting the rocks under the lighthouse. So I returned a few days later, this time arriving well before sunset. Being the first ones there, and with the tide much lower, my friends and I were able to grab the most desired spot on the rocks.
Fortunately the sky cooperated, sending these clouds over in just the right position at the appointed time. A few minutes later the sky was a cloudless blue. Ah, but there is always more to do. With the sun setting and the clouds gone, getting an HDR image seemed a likely thing to try.
Oh, Yes, the joy of photography. It gets me on location in the most exquisite places at the best time of the day to experience them, with the tools to capture and re-experience and share what I found. Praise God.
Comments
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated. Please be patient. Your comment may take a while to appear. Thank you.