I have photographed St John’s Point Lighthouse numerous times when testing out new cameras or lenses but I have never ventured that far at night. Staying in the area it was an opportunity not to miss so I headed out with the Fujifilm X-E2 and 23mm lens. The 23mm lens offers an aperture of f/1.4 that would help bring out the stars.
Just like capturing the Mournes at night I was dealing with the mix of total darkness with a very strong source of light. One challenging positive with shooting a lighthouse is that the light isn’t always at the same point so there was a bit of experimentation with timing shots to ensure the image was properly lit.
I was using the same technique for long exposure photography but with the challenge of not really being able to see a thing in front of me other than the light from the lighthouse. I was shooting wide open with exposure times of between 3-5 seconds.
I managed to capture the lighthouse from two vantage points. The first was over cragged rocks at the edge of the shoreline. As the tide was coming in and it was pitch black darkness I decided to move towards the road. It was interesting to watch how the rotating light impacted on the road over a 30 second long exposure with an aperture of f/16.
I captured six images in total from the road and each offered something different. I really couldn’t decide which I preferred as there was a compromise between detailed beams of light and the lighthouse being effectively lit against the night sky. It was a stunning view although it was slightly marred by a curtain of thin cloud along the horizon.
Links
St John’s Point Lighthouse
Fujifilm X-E2 Review
Day at the Beach
The Long Exposure eBook
The Long Exposure (PDF eBook)
The eBook covers everything from the equipment you will need right through to post-production processing in Adobe’s brilliant Lightroom 4. This guide has been written with the beginner to the long exposure process in mind; however, the enthusiast and professional alike may find something of relevance also. The Book comes with 6 dedicated Lightroom Presets. The Long Exposure Ebook
