The Bass Harbor Lighthouse
Apr, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is in Maine. It is part of Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park is unique in that it is not contiguous. This lighthouse is on a point that is about the most Eastern part of Mt Desert Island. There are some hiking trails around the lighthouse. My wife and I ended up on the side of the lighthouse that is a rocky outcrop of the island. You cannot actually get to the lighthouse on this trail. I walked out on the rocks to get this view.Time
Since we were on vacation, I was taking picture at whatever time I arrived at the scene I wanted to photograph. This was probably mid-afternoon in that we were driving around looking for things to photograph as well trying to take in the National Park.Lighting
There was nothing special about the lighting except that the trees helped shade some of the more direct sunlight and I was below the level ground level of the base of the lighthouse.Equipment
I was using an Minolta Maxxum 7D camera. This was my first DSLR camera. I was using a Tamron 28-300 lens. The photo has hand held since I literally was on the rocks. This was shot at ISO 100, f 5.6, Speed 1/200 an around a focal length of 70mm. I was zooming around until I got the composition I wanted.Inspiration
I wanted a photo of a lighthouse in Maine, and this was the first one we saw. Taking the photo from the side we were on allowed me to get a photo that showed the ruggedness of the area and a reason for the lighthouse. I know this lighthouse isn't exactly isolated, but the trees framing the lighthouse and the rock formation I think gives you a feeling of this being the traditional lonely job.Editing
I don't do a lot of post-processing. I might have cropped the photo a little, but not much. This photo is just about what I saw in the camera. I learned to photograph in the film days when I didn't have access to any tools, so I try to take what I see.In my camera bag
Since this photo, I have upgraded to a Sony Alpha 77 II, which is a DSLR. I also have a Sony Alpha A100. I usually carry the Tamron lens mounted to one of the cameras. I have a Sigma F2.4 70-200 lens and a Sigma 10-20 lens that would be mounted to the other body. I also have a flash unit in my camera bag for times when I need to do some extra lighting or inside photos. I travel with a tripod, and manual cable release. I always have multiple memory cards with me to allow me to take all the pictures I want. I have a bunch of filters, but I have circular polarizer filters for various lenses to use when I need to cut down the glare. I have other lenses that I swap in and out depending on what I think I might need.Feedback
I believe that you have to hunt around for photos. Had I not been willing to climb out on the rocks, I would never had gotten this photo. If you look at my equipment, you see mainly zoom lenses. I use zooms versus prime lenses because I zoom versus walking to get the subject framed the way I want. In case of this photo, I was at the limits of were I could walk or at least where my wife would let me go. I know that the experts tell you to walk, but when you can't a zoom helps. Also, be willing to take photos at anytime of the day. You can always come back if you want the golden hours, but I think you can get excellent photos if you are willing to work with the light.
