My favorite, at least when landscapes are concerned: Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Acadia NP, Maine.
Background story:When I first arrived for a sunset, literally busloads of tourists and quite a number of photographers with carbon-fiber tripods and red-line lenses were already there, occupying every vantage point imaginable. The sky, unfortunately, did not look particularly promising (to me, at least - see the "Early Attempt" in the attachments). I decided to try again after the sunset, hoping the afterglow might be less contrasty and more pleasing. While the decision might sound like something an experienced landscape photographer would have made, there was also a more prosaic reason. I wanted to wait it out, but I had a wife and an eight year daughter in tow. My then-wife was adamant not to sit and wait for "no stupid sunset" and demanded to drive her back to a nearby village for a cup of tea. Those who were there know that the lighthouse is pretty remote, and driving back, finding a family-friendly restaurant, dropping them off, and driving back probably took an hour.
When I came back, not only the hordes of tourists disappeared as soon as the sun dipped behind the clouds on the horizon, but also all the photographers but one left, to my surprise. The two of us had the whole rocky shore at our disposal, without getting in each other's way. I noticed a small tidal pool on the rocks, reflecting the top of the lighthouse, and decided to make it a part of the composition. The lighthouse light was actually pulsating at regular intervals, so when making a bunch of bracketed exposures, I would have to count 1-2-3 in between shots, in order to coincide with the strongest pulse.
Post ProcessingThe shot was from 2007, done with a Canon 20D. I think I was processing it almost a year later. It was a difficult shot to process, even bracketed. It took days. Not just because of the complexity, but also because I would let intermediate results sit for a couple of days, so when I return to it I can see it with fresh eyes.
At the time, in 2007 and 2008, I was reading three books that became my photographic bibles:
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Pictorial Composition (Composition in Art)-
Picture This: How Pictures Work-
Perception and Imaging: Photography-A Way of SeeingI tried applying everything I learned into the processing of this image. Another reason it took days until I was reasonably satisfied with the result. Also, these days, automated processing of bracketed shots in Lightroom would probably make it much easier and faster, but back then, I was doing it all in separate layers in Photoshop. Greater control, but much more painstaking.
Why This ImageThe story behind it, road trip, family involvement, extreme difficulties in processing it, and ultimate reward (cover of a magazine) are the reasons. I understand it is not much "artsy," more like "chocolate-box pretty." I know it is what I call utilitarian photography, probably more suitable for a calendar (the third one in this thread), or a tourist brochure, or a magazine cover. Then again, there is more to photography than just "artsy."
If you made it this far, thanks for being patient.
