Lighthouses and Sea Smoke

It's not often I have an opportunity to photograph sea smoke. I was lucky yesterday as mist rose from the 45 degree ocean into the 3 degree air. The only way to capture striking images is go out into the cold and check and scout for locations. Landscape photography benefits greatly from severe weather conditions, so pay attention to the forecast and plan wisely. It took me two days of early mornings, planning, and the right conditions to capture these images.

Nikon D500, 1/125 @ f/10, ISO 100, 70-200mm with 1.4x teleconverter

Straitsmouth Island Light

Nikon D500, 1/125 @ f/10, ISO 160, 70-200mm

Thacher Island Lighthouse

Nikon D500, 1/125 @ f/10, ISO 100, 70-200mm

Thacher Island Lighthouses

Thacher Island Lighthouse with Sea Smoke

This is another image I took of one of the twin lighthouses on Thacher Island back in February.

Mother Nature and time of day play a major roll in landscape photography. In order to capture dramatic and moody landscapes you need to pay attention to the weather. Even a rather dull scene can look more exciting when there is fog, snow, or dramatic lighting to add interest. After all photography is about capturing light and moments. When I photograph landscapes I usually don't take any pictures in the middle of the day, instead I scout for locations to photograph at sunrise or sunset.

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Nikon D810, 1/125 @ f/13, ISO 200, 500mm

Thacher Island Sea Smoke

Having the experience to capture sea smoke at the South Lighthouse at Thacher Island in Rockport is an amazing experience. I arrived at my location around 7:00 am, with a temperature of -9 degrees!! Needless to say it was very cold, but well worth it. I spend with morning with fellow photographer Kirk Williamson, check out his sea smoke photos from that morning. I've photographed sea smoke before and I'm sure the next time will be just as exciting.

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Nikon D810, 1/400 @ f/11, ISO 100, 500mm