Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Regular readers know that I can’t resist photographing a lighthouse, existing lighting notwithstanding. Sometimes the timing works perfectly and the subject gets a boost from the prevailing light. Such was the case on this morning’s arrival in port on our first-ever visit to the Dominican Republic. In its time, the cast iron lighthouse functioned through a system of revolving light and shadows given off by a kerosene lamp and was first lit in 1879. Built by R. Deeley & Co., a New York firm, the Puerto Plata Lighthouse once served as a beacon for ships traversing the Atlantic.

A silent warrior where land meets the sea, the lighthouse still stands against the ever-present threat of nature. Hurricanes and cyclones have etched their mark upon the structure, and the salty air creates a continuous pattern of surface erosion. Though the Cultural Heritage Office’s 1979 restoration provided some relief, the original spiral staircase, a casualty of neglect, eventually succumbed to the ravages of time.

About the photo: The timing of our arrival in Puerto Plata couldn’t have been better. The rising sun created a golden glow in the sky and tinged the water with lavender colors. No sky replacement was needed and I couldn’t have asked for better. I used my Samsung S23 to interpret the image and Adobe Lightroom to crop out a parking lot just visible at the lower left of the original image. Removing that distraction also put the lighthouse in the left vertical line of the Rule of Thirds grid. I shipped it off to Luminar Neo for only a small tweak of Enhance AI. That tool brought up the exposure in the foreground to bring the trees in the foreground out of the shadows and added some contrast to the sky. I thought about using dehaze to remove the mists in the background but decided that leaving the background in the haze helped to draw attention to the lighthouse. Click on the image to view it in 2K HD on my Flickr site.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

Mindelo, Cape Verde.

On our transatlantic cruise in March and April, our first island stop found us sailing toward the island of São Vicente and the city of Mindelo, Cape Verde. As we left the independent nation, we sailed by Bird Island, (Ilhéu dos Pássaros), and the lighthouse high on the top of the small island.

The lighthouse, built in 1882 and named after King Luis I of Portugal, sits atop the highest point on the small island. A long staircase connects the lighthouse to the keeper’s residence. According to Wikipedia, the range of the light is about 16 miles (26 km). The lantern sits atop a hexagonal building.

About the photos: We happened to be on our balcony when we passed the island. At first, I couldn’t determine what that long white area is. It looks like a fence from the distance. As we got closer though, I noticed the lighthouse at the top and the picture became clear to me. We were some distance from the island, so I had a chance to test out the range of the two telephoto modules in my Samsung S23U. Though you can pinch-zoom through the entire camera’s zoom range, there are three buttons that allow you to swap modules, each with a separate lens. I didn’t take a 1x image of the lighthouse, but the image immediately above is a 3x image using minimum zoom. The opening image is a 10x representation, again at minimum zoom for the super-telephoto lens.

Both images were processed in Luminar Neo with minor adjustments. The large amount of blue in the photo caused me to tweak the Color module in Neo to remove the blue color cast, especially in the 3x image. Other than that, a tweak of the Enhance AI which basically increased the contrast and structure was all the images needed. Click on either image above to see them in 2K HD on my Flickr site.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

St. Augustine, Florida.

Anastasia Island, off the coast of Florida, is a barrier island on the Atlantic coastline. For the month of January, we stayed in a condo and explored much of the area. Saint Augustine was founded in 1565 and holds the title of the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States. There is much history in the area from the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States, to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine, the oldest Christian parish in the country, (though the original structure was lost to history.)

Since those earliest years, Spanish watchtowers provided observation posts to warn the young town of approaching marauders. The northernmost watchtower on Anastasia Island became the site of the Saint Augustine Light Station constructed in 1871-74. It continues to be an active navigation aid and is operated privately. The light tower and associated buildings are part of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, Inc., a non-profit association that operates the museum.

About the photo: The 219 steps to the top are broken up by several landings, all on the east side of the tower. Standing at the base of the tower, I captured a cell phone image of the staircase as it spiraled upward. The image appears to be in black and white, however, the walls are white and the staircase is black. It is a “color” image.

Here’s a tip for capturing overhead objects from below with a cellphone. Instead of leaning back and using the camera system at the back of the cellphone, put the camera in “selfie” mode using the front camera. Hold the phone horizontally and point the front camera straight up overhead. You will get a proper perspective without the tilt that comes with trying to lean back and shoot almost vertically as you compose your image. It’s also a lot less stressful on your back.

I didn’t think of this technique myself. A few years ago, I was attempting to photograph a chandelier in the atrium of a cruise ship. Another passenger who happened to be passing by told me of the trick. I’ve used it several times ever since.

I used Luminar Neo to reduce noise and to add the “SuperSharp” filter. I was not able to stand immediately under the exact center of the stairwell as the exact center of the main floor happened to be occupied by a Christmas tree. You can tell that I was standing just to the right of the center point as those small circles in the center of each landing would have been on top of each other if I were in the direct center. Those hanging objects from each of the center circles are holiday bells.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

Pescadero, California.

As we drove north on Highway 1, the Cabrillo Highway, along the Pacific Coast on our way to San Fransisco, I spotted a lighthouse visible high on a bluff along the coast. Of course, our immediate destination changed and we headed down Pigeon Point Road to find a state historic park at the end of the drive.

As we got closer, I could see the lighthouse looked to be in need of at least a fresh coat of paint. We would soon learn that it needs much more than that to make it safe for visitors. The 115-foot (35 m) tall lighthouse is currently closed for its sorely needed renovation. Closed since 2001 due to a section of the iron ring falling away, a project is underway to raise the funding to restore the lighthouse to its former beauty.

In 1909 the fog signal building went online. The giant horns can be heard 5 miles (8 km) at sea. Today, the building is the visitor center for the park. As we approached the building, I saw an interesting glow coming through the partially open door. Of course, I had to check it out.

Inside the visitor center, the original Fresnel lens with over 1,000 elements is displayed after its disassembly and removal from the lighthouse. Once on the ground, the lens was carefully reassembled and is now on display in the visitor center. The lighthouse is still in use, this 1008-element lens was originally powered by a 5-wick lard oil lamp and went online on November 15, 1872. Today the U.S. Coast Guard is in charge of the automated LED beacon that now replaces the giant lens assembly.

If you look at Google Maps, you’ll see why this light station was placed here. This point juts out from the mainland and the hazard to boats and ships following the coastline is easily discerned. This view shows some of the buildings at the light station. A typical light station includes the lighthouse tower, the station keeper’s residence, the fog signal building, and other ancillary buildings as necessary.

There were a couple of people fishing from the rocks below the cliff at Pigeon Point and visitors might be lucky enough to see seals and even whales as they navigate by the point. In November 2022, the park staff celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the park. There are 30-minute guided tours available, staff permitting. Details can be found on the park’s website here. You can even take a virtual tour of the light station on that page. You can also virtually climb to the top of the lighthouse interior and check out the coastline with a 360-degree view. The link to the tour is here.

The light station came to be after the loss of a clipper ship, the Carrier Pigeon that ran aground on this point in 1853. The ship, constructed only one year earlier, left Bath Maine for San Fransisco on her maiden voyage. Heavy fog at the point was to be the end for the brand new ship that had completely sailed around Cape Horn without incident. From that day, plans were made to build the light station, but it took 20 years for the station to be finished. On clear nights, the powerful LED light array can be seen for 22 miles (35 km).

There is a hostel on-site for people wishing to stay overnight. A small public beach is available for visitors and a few picnic tables are available for that picnic lunch on a sunny summer day.

Visitors can easily spend a couple of hours here at the point. There are several placards placed around the site to describe the features of the light station. I’ve included some extra images on my Flickr site in 2K HD. You can view the entire gallery of images here.

John Steiner

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Bodie Island.

Off the coast of North Carolina, a collection of islands hug the United States mainland coastline. Collectively, these islands are known as the Outer Banks. Connected by bridges, three major islands attract summer vacationers by the thousands. To protect navigation along the coast, a battery of lighthouses warn ships of the island hazards to navigation. The lighthouse most commonly featured in stories and photos is arguably the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. However, the Bodie Island Lighthouse has probably a more interesting location. You can read more about Bowdie Island and the lighthouse in my post from January 2016 here.

About the photograph:  As usual, these 3D popouts are created in Adobe Photoshop Elements. A sharp eye may notice the precisely square corners on the border around the background perspective. Previous 3D Thursday images had rounded corners. This week I upgraded from Elements 12 to Elements 14. The Style function used to create the white frame has more options, one of which allows squared rather than rounded corners. In this image, I used a Lightroom trick to “illuminate” the light. By using a selective brush in the glass area on top of the lighthouse, I adjusted the exposure in the selected area to overexpose and wash out the detail. That trick gives the appearance the light is operating. Finally, I used a radial gradient layer to give the appearance that the light is generating a white beam toward the back of the image.

John Steiner