Breakwater Pilings and Whitefish Point Lighthouse - Lake Superior

[pendennis]

Since moving to Michigan, I have spent some amount of time chasing the lighthouses around the state, as well as in Ohio. Often, the scenery near, and around the lighthouses provide some interesting views and compositions.

Whitefish Point, for those not familiar, sits at the bottom of Lake Superior. When the storms on Lake Superior become vicious, the bay provides shelter to ships coming from Minnesota and Wisconsin for points south. Whitefish Point has an active lighthouse run by the U.S. Coast Guard. The light is contemporary by lighthouse standards, and the surrounding beach area gets a great deal of driftwood.

In 1975, the ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank with all hands about 20 miles north of this view. As many know, Canadian Singer Gordon Lightfoot immortalized the ship and crew, and the "gales of November". The storms are particular violent, since the wavelengths are considerably shorter than those in the oceans.

Both photos started as Ektachrome transparencies, scanned to digital. The camera was a Mamiya 645 Super, and a 45mm lens.

[RandyRFJP]

I like both photos, Dennis, with a slight preference for the breakwater pilings photo. Very nice work.

[Shadowman]

Nice shots.

[bje07]

I like both photos, Dennis, with a slight preference for the breakwater pilings photo. Very nice work.

+1 but why not a long exposure with such configuration?

[pendennis]

+1 but why not a long exposure with such configuration?

At the time, if memory serves me correctly, I wanted to highlight the pilings as they tapered into the distance. I also like the clarity of the water near the camera. If I let the water "fog", I would have lost the scene I really wanted.

[Wavelength]

I really like the first one; in the second image, i think, the wood should have been fully within the frame i feel....

[bnnrcn]

I especially like the first image . I would certainly use a ND filter for such a scene because I love long exposures