I asked Robert Amoruso where to go while I had to attend a funeral in Daytona Beach recently. He suggested the Ponce Deleon Lighthouse. I am so glad he did. Can you tell I like lighthouses! My 5D died on the spot as I took it out of my bag however. I shoot AV mode and the large dial would only go up, although it would turn both directions, it only responded in one. Ugh! It is now at Canon in New Jersey. I should have it back by this Friday.
Anyhow, this lighthouse is the most difficult I have ever imaged. It was undergoing some minor repairs, has a wire fence on top of the chain link in some places, spot lights in the wrong places, locked up like Fort Knox in the early a.m. Obviously the keepers are photographers. So I dragged out my MK2n and popped on the 28-135. However the best view from the front, looking through the lovely wrought iron fence, really it is very nice, was now too close with my crop body. I was losing light fast, after frustrating myself trying to "fix" the 5D. So we drove to the back side and set up there. I felt it was the best choice to minimize the offending palms, which were blowing in the wind by now, and the other structures on site crowding or competing for attention in the frame.
Canon EOS-1D Mark II N, Shooting Date/Time: 4/22/2009 05:282, Shutter Speed 0.4Sec. Hand held vertically, Av(Aperture Value) F8.0, Center weighted average metering, Exposure Compensation: 0, ISO 400, Lens: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Focal Length: 30.0 mm. 95 % of frame here, cropped for a 11x14 print.
I want to thank Robert Amoruso for his invaluable suggestions. I lived in Florida for over 23 years +-, my wifes family lives in Daytona, New Smyrna area. And we never new the light was there. So ask questions of the BPN'ers in the local area folks. You never know what you will explore next.
Last edited by Grady Weed; 05-05-2009 at 09:55 AM.
Reason: spelling
well done given the circumstances. Both this and the Augustine Light are tough to shoot. Finding optimal locations is a chore. I've shot there about 4-5 times and found the best shots for either early am front light or sunset shots are from the lighthouse park boardwalks. thus requiring something in the 70-200 range.
I did try some close up shots in the late pm with my 24 t/s lens. As I did not have my 5d MK 2 with me, I had to use a 50d so I may try a stitch and see how it works. The moon here is a big plus.
Hey Grady,
This is one of my favorite lighthouses but also consider it one of the toughest. I may go with a crop off the left.....just at the roofline of the silhouette with the chimney B4 the trees...this does a few things....puts it off center and takes away some of the more uninteresting tree tops. Nice job on the exposure control and very nice time of day.
Well I think you did well Grady. I like Roman's suggestion. With it centered, the moon in the sky throws off the balance, with a crop, it looks just right in that negative space.
Pnce Deleon Lighthouse...Florida
2, Shutter Speed 0.4Sec. Hand held vertically, Av(Aperture Value) F8.0, Center weighted average metering, Exposure Compensation: 0, ISO 400, Lens: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Focal Length: 30.0 mm. 95 % of frame here, cropped for a 11x14 print.
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