Lighthouse
In the Spotlight
The calm of morning is accentuated by the warming hues of a sunrise, poised for effect, over the lighthouse at Kewaunee, WI.
It is difficult to grab the sun in just the right position because it’s always moving…and faster than you think. By the time I get into position and get the camera set, I have to adjust a few more inches to the left…and a few more inches down…and a few more inches…. Well, you get the idea. Try it sometime. It seems to be moving very slowly until you are trying to get a precise placement. Same problem with the moon on similar shots.
The other difficult aspect of this shot is trying to get some detail in the subject in front of the sun. With the overwhelming brightness of the sun, everything else can become a black, silhouette. The morning haze helped mute the brightness a bit. However, to get the level of definition you see in the lighthouse and navigation marker, I blended several shots of varying exposures.
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Be Still My Soul
I find this to be a very therapeutic scene. It is the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse with the waves of Lake Michigan rolling and reflecting the sunrise in the foreground. To add and extra measure of calming grace, six Canada geese fly past the lighthouse. (If you look close, you’ll even see a sea gull above the geese, on the right side.)
This is one of my favorite images. I captured this at the end of last February – the same morning I captured, Morning Rolls In, posted March 1st. Look back and compare the two. This one was after the sun was up and into the clouds. Morning Rolls In was shot earlier, before the sun breached the horizon.
I like both, but I like this one more. The sun’s reflection among the waves and the near perfect timing of the geese flying by make this an easy favorite.
Do yourself a favor and view this image in it’s largest available format. It’s easy, just click on the photo and a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Glorious Expanse
My ideal photographic mornings are ones where the sun and clouds come together in concert to create a symphony of comforting color and soothing, natural beauty. This is one such morning, captured from the Lake Michigan shore at Kewaunee Wisconsin. The colors reflecting off the lake enhance the effect.
This is a panoramic image created by “stitching” together three separate shots. It’s a technique photographers use to get a wider view than the camera can capture in a single frame. Of course, when you combine high-resolution images, the final image ends up being a much larger file. That large file size also makes large prints possible. For example, this image is available on my sales page to be printed up to 9-feet wide. Wouldn’t this look great filling a wall?
I don’t post a lot of panorama images because wide images don’t display as well on the website – they have to be reduced, and appear quite small, in order to fit the page width of my website. However, if you click on the photo, a larger version stretching the full width of your screen will appear.
Morning Rolls In
The waves were rolling in, just before the sun was to rise over Lake Michigan. I captured this view of the lighthouse and pier from the beach at Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
Most mornings the lake is calm, but recent windy conditions kicked up a bit of surf. This was taken last Sunday morning.
You can view a full-screen version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Not Ready to Wake
With the sun trying to break through in the background, the Algoma lighthouse and piers seem content to sleep in a little longer. Lake Michigan seemed just as reluctant to rise and greet the day. (Algoma, Wisconsin is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.)
Take in more of the beauty by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger, full-screen version will open in a new browser window.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Icing On the Lake
When temperatures drop on Lake Michigan, the ice begins to form and coat anything it contacts.
This is a sunrise view of the lighthouse and pier at Kewaunee, WI – on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
That rock in the foreground isn’t actually a rock. It is an ice formation created by snow/ice breaking away from the shore and being trapped in the ice a few feet from shore.
You can view the detail in this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Orange Plush
The sky looked more like soft, flowing fabric above the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse, on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
This image was captured in early December of last year. (2014) I stumbled upon it while looking for another image in my archives. I thought it was worth sharing.
This is a slightly different perspective of the Kewaunee lighthouse than you’ll normally see in my posts. This is from the north side of the pier. Most of the time, I’m shooting from the south side.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Sudden Outburst
I had the opportunity to capture a sunrise in Algoma last Saturday. Low clouds couldn’t hold back the morning sun as it rose over Lake Michigan, beyond the lighthouse and pier.
There have been few days, recently, where the sky hasn’t been overcast and grey. There have been fewer days when I’ve had the time to get out and shoot.
This is an HDR image – where I combined five different exposures of the same shot to provide a greater dynamic range.
You can view this image in a larger, more detailed version by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Orange Overhead
As a photographer, I’m always on the hunt for those elusive, magical moments where the rising (or setting) sun collaborates with interesting cloud formations to paint the landscape with vivid color. This was one of those moments at the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse, on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
Those familiar with my work know that I feature this lighthouse often. It’s because I live just a couple of miles away. It’s close enough that if I’m up before sunrise, I can look out my window to see if the sky and sun are going to cooperate. If the pre-sunrise sky is showing promise, and I have the time, I can grab my camera and be on the shore in a few minutes. The sky, itself is beautiful, but setting a lighthouse in the foreground makes for a much more interesting scene.
You can view more sunrise images of this and another nearby lighthouse (Algoma) by following this link: https://popsdigital.com/category/lighthouse/
You can view this photo near full-screen simply by clicking on the image. When you do, a new browser tab will open with as much larger a version as your screen can handle.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Preview of Coming Attractions
The true magic happens just before the sun breaks the horizon. It usually only lasts a few moments, but it’s worth the effort to catch it. This magical moment arrived behind the Algoma, Wisconsin lighthouse and pier, on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a new browser tab will open and fill most of the screen.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.