June 27, 2006
Lighthouse
This week expect quite a few photos of the Ocracoke Lighthouse. I made more images of the lighthouse during our vacation this year than last. But last year I photographed three lighthouses and this year only one. Every late afternoon and early evening - yes, I do think of them as separate times even though saying one is just a substitute for the other - Jenne and I would go to the lighthouse, so I could look at sky, cloud and light conditions. The type of light and clouds in the sky are very important to me and if they aren't how I like them, I don't make an image. We walked or drove away so many evenings that I was beginning to think that I wouldn't get any good lighthouse photos this year. But we had two nights when the condidtions were right for me.
Working on these four photos - and listening to Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb - really made me smile tonight. Yeah, it sounds corny, so bite me. Even though life is going pretty well right now, I still wish that I was back on Ocracoke Island.
Will,
I love these images conceptually and compositionally. And, I agree that the skies have to be special for images like this to work. I have only one "issue," and that is that the lighthouse, tonaly, is about the same as the sky, and so the lighthouse kind of disappears. It's obvious that the lighthouse is supposed to be the subject of the image. But, it doesn't stand out -- it's just kind of there. Maybe you could dodge the lighthouse a bit to make it pop? Or, do a mask and layers thing. Just my two cents. Otherwise, fantastic images.
Posted by: Geren on June 28, 2006 08:02 AMHow were the skies like when you were young?
They went on and on forever and
When I, we lived in Arizona
And the skies always had little fluffy clouds in them
And, they were long, clear there were lots of stars at night
And we were dreaming they'd all turn
They they were beautiful
The most beautiful skies as a matter of fact
Ah, the sunsets were
Purple and red and yellow and blue and firing
The clouds would catch the glizzard
That's it's neat 'cause I used to look at them all the time
You don't see that
You might still see them in the desert
I've been to some places with beautiful sky -- and relatively recently, at that. Montana is still "Big Sky Country," and Nova Scotia skies can be stunning.
Posted by: Geren on June 28, 2006 01:30 PMChrist Mike, I thought I was the only one who new the sample from that song....considering I never saw the original on Reading Rainbow. But I did see it in the Beetle commercial.
Sorry for the hijack.
Posted by: SteveK on June 28, 2006 08:41 PM