Canada's Most Photographed Lighthouse!

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Well, as you've probably surmised, we're still on the road, just finishing up our last workshop for a few months in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. I'm sure that you've all seen Peggy's Cove lighthouse somewhere at sometime. It's a Canadian icon. The Cove is very small and extremely picturesque, despite the fact that it's been photographed by almost everyone who owns a camera and travels to Peggy's Cove. The lighthouse, in particular, is very photogenic and is easy to photograph, as one can walk right up to it. Anyone can make good pictures of Peggy's Cove lighthouse. It's a challenge, after seeing buses of tourists arrive throughout the day, to find a way to make it your own and somewhat unique. A couple of elements came together to make this a different image of the famous lighthouse. The clouds were dark all day and the quality of light was not good to say the least. It was also verrrry windy. So, realizing that in this business, all that we need is a fraction of a second of good quality light to get the job done, I and a stout student ventured out on the rocks "to see what happens." Well, after finding a different composition I wanted and shooting a few in poor light, we noticed the clouds quickly clearing towards the lighthouse, but the clouds were dark behind the lighthouse. I always look for a front lit subject with dramatic clouds in the background. Well, it was appearing to happen. It was all coming together. So, I called the student down from the rocks above me to shoot in this location. He came down and we were both enjoying the approaching situation. The brightness of the sky added the touch of direct light to the lighthouse while the background clouds were quickly clearing. The image here is a unique wide angle (18mm) perspective of Peggy's Cove Light, using a large foreground rock pattern for a visual anchor and graphic accent. It can really pay to get out there and wait for things to break. It doesn't always happen....actually, it seldom will happen on bleak days. But, once in a while...every so often....your efforts will be rewarded!

Comments

[Judy MacArthur]

As a new member, I was just browsing the instructor insights for the first time and enjoyed reading the history of this creative lighthouse shot...What a great lesson on patience and anticipating a perfect moment. Actually, I find the detailed texture and composition of those wonderful boulders grabs and holds my interest with or without the famous lighthouse! :-) Thanks so much for this great feature.

[Tony Sweet]

Thanks for your kind comments, Judy!