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.