Fire Island Light Station

This lighthouse, located on Fire Island along the southeast Atlantic coastline of New York's Long island, stands 168' tall and was placed in service in 1858. It replaced a smaller 74' tall lighthouse that was built in 1826 but which proved ineffective due to its height. This view shows the boardwalk constructed by the NPS to help preserve the delicate coastal eco-system  that is challenged by the number of visitors to the site and shoreline.

The Atlantic Ocean

From a staircase window in the Montauk Point Lighthouse looking cold and forbidding. Where's the hot cocoa? Next post, we'll visit the Fire Island Light Station.

Two Views from the Montauk Point Light House

After climbing the 137 steps to the lantern room of the Montauk Pt. Lighthouse, was greeted with these views. To the right, a southwesterly view of the Atlantic Ocean meeting the eastern coastline of Long Island.

The view at left is looking northeast across Block Island Sound. The southern coastlines of Connecticut and Rhode Island visible on the horizon with the railing of the lantern gallery in the foreground. From these photos, the importance of the Montauk Pt. Lighthouse as a visual navigation aid to mariners is apparent.

Montauk Pt. Lighthouse

Another view of the lighthouse at Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, with a patch of blue sky in early June. There's a pretty stiff wind as you can tell from the Stars & Bars. And it was cold- for June, anyway.

Fresnel Lens, Detail

Looking into the central lens of a fresnel lens at the Montauk Point Lighthouse Museum, you can see the prismatic effect of the glass rings surrounding the central lens.

Fresnel Lens, Montauk Pt. Lighthouse Museum

The Fresnel lens was invented in 1822 by French physicist Augustine Fresnel as a way to convert the scattered light rays from a light source into a single, powerful, beam of light via a series of glass prisms arranged in concentric rings around it that redirected the scattered rays through a central lens that itself was shaped to further magnify the light passing through it. Tests indicated that a single flame lost 97% of its illumination without any re-direction. With reflectors, it still lost 83%, but with the new invention, only 17% was lost, thus making it perfect for seacoast applications. Depending on its size, the Fresnel lens can cast beams as far as twenty miles.

Early light sources were oil burning lamps that created a great deal of soot, thus requiring frequent cleaning in all types of weather and conditions, a daunting task for the lighthouse keepers charged with their upkeep. You also didn't want to break anything, either.

The Fresnel lens has had a great impact on photography as it is utilized for its ability to shape light on commercial sets for still and motion picture photographers worldwide.

Montauk Point Lighthouse

The Montauk Point Lighthouse on a cool and windy day in early June. Located at the easternmost point of Long Island, NY, the lighthouse is the fourth oldest operating in the U.S. and was the first in New York state, commissioned by President George Washington and the Second Congress of the U.S. in 1792. Given the history of the site, we're lucky to still have it!

Reflections, National September 11 Memorial

Reflections off the mirrored glass of the museum at the National September 11 Memorial.

New World Trade Center Complex

A partial view looking north from the South Pool at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City. One WTC has been topped at 1,776 feet, making it the tallest building in the U.S. To it's right is Seven WTC,  completed in 2006. The Memorial Museum is in the foreground.

Visiting The National September 11 Memorial

This image, looking south, shows the effect of reflected sunlight from the surrounding mirrored-glass buildings situated to the east of the memorial onto the shadows of the visitors, trees, and plaza itself. Sunlight is coming from the west, or right side of the image. It's quite beautiful and a testament to the consideration given to the design of the memorial itself and the construction of the the new World Trade Center complex altogether.

National September 11 Memorial

Another image from the National September 11 Memorial-this of the reflecting pool on the footprint of the South Tower. Sun light is reflected from the glass clad buildings surrounding the site, resulting in a lovely play of light and shadow on the flowing water that rings the footprint and the plaza around it, light illuminating shadows. Deeply symbolic, at least, to me.

World Trade Center, June 2012

On the Big Trip back East this past Spring to meet our new grand-daughter for the first time, my wife and I also had the occasion to visit NYC, and thus, the opportunity to re-visit Ground Zero,  the new World Trade Center Tower, and the National September 11 Memorial. It was simultaneously inspiring, sad, and troubling for me-inspiring because it is a testament to our human and American spirit to not be cowed by tragedy and the progress made since our previous visit in 2009; sad because of the events on 9/11, those preceding that made it possible; troubling because of all that has transpired and been lost nationally and world-wide since.

Nevertheless, the experience was re-affirming: while I am eternally grateful for a loving family, friends, and associates, I am also reminded of my great fortune to live in a country whose greatness is founded on the principles of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, the greatest document to emerge from the Age of Enlightenment and brought forth by our Founding Fathers, which, by the way, also just happened to change the world forever. It also serves as a punch to the gut reminder that its guarantees have been mortgaged and paid for as much, if not more, by the blood  and sacrifice of all that have served us in our armed services from our earliest hours as a nation till now as it has by the collective political wisdom and insight of our best and brightest artists, writers, philosophers, educators, janitors, masons, ironworkers, policemen, firemen, doctors, lawyers, nurses, aides, interns, temps, farmers, fieldworkers, engineers, cabbies,  carpenters, plumbers, and oh, yes, investment bankers and politicians, too, making it possible for me to witness these Phoenix like moments, write these words, and recall Ben Franklin's response when queried about what type of government we have: "A republic, madam, if you can keep it."

With this in mind, and with this being an election year, please, if you are an American citizen, 18 years or older, register and vote. It's the least you can do for those who went before us and for those whose time is yet to come. Not to mention that whom you vote for also may determine whether we keep our Republic of, by, and for the people and not some some corporation masquerading as a person. Thanks for reading this far, if indeed, you have.

Sutter Street, San Francisco, Night

Another image from a mid-week, post event assignment in San Francisco, looking up Sutter Street, awash in the glow of sodium vapor street lighting-hence the exceedingly yellow cast.

Closing Time

After covering an event in San Francisco one night last May, was walking past the Metropol Cafe as they were shutting down for the night. Bottles looked inviting though. This photo exemplifies the expansion of possibilities via digital capture in today's cameras, i.e. a wider range of available ISO's for low light situations, improved in-camera metering capabilities, and color temperature settings. Couple these with improved software, fast lenses, and the world of imaging possibilities expands exponentially.

More SF Night Photography

So, yes, it's been awhile since I've posted! Been busy and blogging just fell by the roadside. In addition to some travel to the East Coast, (images soon) and meeting my first grand-daughter for the first time, have been shooting for a publication called 86° and it's been a lot of fun in addition to assignments for my my irregular regulars like the Conrad Foundation's Innovation Summit, Pankow Builders, the Full Circle Fund, & Maverick Networks to name a few.

This photo was made following an assignment for a Cornell University Alumni event at the San Francisco Chapter of the American Institute of Architects last May. I was packing the gear into the car and looking around, was impressed by the graphic striping on the concrete floor, the mix of mercury vapor & fluorescent lighting, the strong numeral on the wall enhanced by the blackness of the elevator doors and the linear convergence of the support columns with the ventilation ducting conflicting with the fading perspective of the lines on the floor. The arrow points to a way out of the sense of foreboding and loneliness the scene presents.


Sorry about the watermark, but being the internet, it's the only way to somewhat still claim and protect your work as screen resolution improves on the latest innovations from our tablet/smartphone makers while social media platforms claim ownership of what's posted on their sites and feel entitled to co-opt it for their own purposes if they so desire.

Cheers!