"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out" J.R.R. Tolkien
"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out" J.R.R. Tolkien
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Imagecreator13
January 23, 2016
Well done-one of the most beautiful shots of the Portland Lighthouse I have ever seen.
sandraolson
September 04, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
FirstImpressionsbyBobby
May 01, 2018
I love this as well as everyone else!! Lol!! I was recently hurt and almost died and photography has been my healing process,and I'm new to all this too! Your pictures have really inspired me, thank you for being a photographer!!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is Portland Head Lighthouse located at Cape Elizabeth in Portland Maine.Time
During the golden hour at sunset, but this shot is facing east.Lighting
I only had about 10 minutes to shoot before the park closed, so I just used natural sunset light. I did underexpose some of the shots a little to be able to get a lot more color tones of the sky and not blow it out.Equipment
I used a Canon T3i, Canon 24-70 2.8L ii lens, a tripod, and a timerInspiration
I have always been captivated with lighthouses, but it was the late "Thomas Kinkade, painter of light" that was the inspiration behind this shot. When I have seen his paintings of lighthouses and how he captures poetic, picturesque beauty of each one, the way he paints such magical light, it made me want to see as many lighthouses as possible. I soon became drawn to photograph them everywhere I can. In my opinion, the Portland Head Lighthouse is one of the most beautiful and magical lighthouses in the US! It is especially fun to shoot this place because of how light can show the texture of the landscape of the rocks around it. It is now one of my most favorite places to photograph in the whole US!Editing
I edited first in light room, bringing up shadows, increasing clarity, and used the brush tool a lot to paint more exposure and detail into areas that I wanted to create a lot more light and shadow depth. Then I brought it over to photo shop to sharpen, balance color tones the way I wanted them. I am fairly new at light room and photo shop, so if I can edit this, anyone can!In my camera bag
I used a Canon T3I for this, but now also own a Canon 6D. Canon 24-70 2.8L ii lens, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS ii lens, Canon 10-22 wide angle lens, Canon 50 1.8 lens, Canon 18-55 lens, Canon 430EXll speedlite, 5in1 reflector, an ND filter and a timer.Feedback
My biggest advice to taking a shot like this, is make sure you take several shots from more than one vantage point until you find the right spot. It is amazing how things take on a different look to the lighthouse and rocks just by moving a few feet in another direction! Then take a few underexposed shots to keep your sky from blowing out. Also don't think too technical when shooting... let light be your director! Watch for the way the light is performing. The evening I took this, the sky did not look very interesting, and not very many dramatic clouds in the sky. What I was looking for is how light hit the rocks and just use what I had in the way of light. I think it was the biggest key to this image.