Ponce Lighthouse
Ponce Inlet lighthouse on Florida's east coast.
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Mar, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on a vacation trip to the east coast of Florida several years ago. It's a wonderful setting for this lighthouse at Ponce Inlet south of Daytona.Time
I was pleasantly surprised how this turned out considering the time of day. It was very clear skies about 4pm on Feb 19, 2017, and a very much unplanned shot on my way to tour the lighthouse's history. At the time I took it I thought there was no way it wouldn't be just a total wash with the harsh light.Lighting
As it turns out with the bright blue sky as a backdrop, the contrasting colors in the lighthouse and trees, fence and buildings made for a wonderful range of crisp lights to darks that begged for a black and white rendition.Equipment
Believe it or not this was taken with a rather cheap Motorola cell phone. It does ok at times if there's enough light. I normally carry a Sony NEX camera, but that day it was not with me so I did the best I could with what I had.Inspiration
The way the sun was shining on the lighthouse and the variation of vertical elements surrounding it caught my eye. All I had to do was frame it up! As a self-taught enthusiast I'm still learning how to do this, but I'm getting better I think.Editing
There's not much to tell here considering it was a cell phone camera shot. The original is in color HDR and I really only converted it to black and white, cropped it a bit and perhaps made some slight adjustments for contrast. The natural lighting did all the rest. That's part of what I love about shooting outdoors, the light is constantly changing.In my camera bag
I like to carry light, nothing professional yet, just a Sony NEX with a couple of lenses, my cell phone for spur-of-the-moment and occasionally a tripod if it's a dedicated trip out.Feedback
Snap lots of shots, making slight adjustments as you go, and don't be afraid to experiment with post processing. A seemingly mundane shot can sometimes be salvaged into a pretty okay photo. Learning to frame the strong elements of a scene or portrait with complimenting backgrounds and secondaries takes practice and perseverance. Don't give up!
