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Location
This is the Port Isabel Lighthouse, it sits on the mainland at the end of the South Padre Island Causeway; almost as far south as you can get and still be in Texas.
Time
I shot this fairly early in the morning in late October. The clouds were just starting to break up which added a nice backdrop to the lighthouse. It was early enough I was about the only one wandering around the square - the lighthouse sits a couple blocks off the water among a bunch shops.
Lighting
I was a bit late to catch the sunrise and the sun was obsured behind clouds and buildings anyway - instead I put it at my back and went for a more foreboding look trying for as much contrast as I could get to try and bring out the texture of the lighthouse. It sits right at the edge of town and the busy causeway over to the island is on the other side of the hill, lighting for a sunset shoot wouldn't have been ideal
Equipment
This was an HDR combo of three different exposures shot with a Canon 70D. I was shooting hand-held with a Tamron 16-300 lens - I like it's versatility, I'm not a fan of changing lenses out in the open and getting crud in the camera, especialy near ocean spray!
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Inspiration
I love lighthouses, so shooting this one while I was in the area was a must. It's one of the few surviving in Texas that still enjoys public access.
Editing
I'll usually do a bit of color and exposure tweaking in most shots, this one was no different. I used Lightroom to combine three different exposures to create this HDR shot, trying hard to emphasize textures as much as possible. Converting this image to monochrome also help bring out depth and texture.
In my camera bag
What I carry with me varies depending on what I think I'll encounter that day. I usually have the Tamron 16/300 on a Canon 70D for versatility, but I'll also have one or two other bodies with different lens attached along for the ride. I don't like changing lenses out in the open, so I'll try and pick lenses for them based on what I'll be shooting.
Feedback
Be flexible and keep aware of your surroundings! This lighthouse sits on a slight hill in the middle of a town square - I got as low as I could and used the hill to obsure as much of the buildings on the other side as I could. I could have taken them out of the shot with Photoshop later, but a little thought before I pressed the button saved a lot of work later. Also look for something in the foreground that can make things more interesting - the steps leading to the door provided nice leading lines in this shot, images taken on the other side of the hill weren't nearly as interesting, there was nothing in the frame to lead the viewer to the lighthouse.
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