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Lens-Artists Challenge #283 – Illustrate a Favorite Quote or Poem

lighthouse, oh lighthouse, please shine for me
across the wide ocean for all to see

The Lighthouse at Bodie Island, North Carolina.

This week, Ann-Christine provides a unique challenge. As I write this, I have already seen many responses to her challenge, and I must say that I am really enjoying the imagery, the quotes, and the poetry. To begin the challenge, Ann-Christine wrote, “If you were to illustrate a favourite quote or poem, what would be your pick? Now you have the opportunity to do just that, and to use 1-4 pictures to make us ”feel” the poem or quote chosen.” You can read her entire challenge post here.

So, I am familiar with only a handful of poems, and not recalling any specific quotes that I might illustrate, my recent stay at Emerald Island, North Carolina reminded me of another visit to the Carolina coast where we toured the lighthouse at Bodie Island. I remembered Longfellow’s poem, ‘The Lighthouse” from school many decades ago. Finding it on the Internet, I decided that since it was one of his longer works, It was time for me to find an appropriate lighthouse poem to illustrate on a smaller scale. Among a collection of poems about lighthouses here, I picked a stanza from “A Lighthouse’s Soliloquy, ” written anonymously.

protect us from rocks dangerously near
helping us sail the seas without fear

The Lighthouse at Pigeon Point, California.

In 2021 we drove along the California coast and happened upon a lighthouse standing tall in the distance. As we got closer, we saw the sign pointing to the park and made a left turn to head toward the beacon. We were to soon learn that they are raising funds to repair the lighthouse as its structure isn’t safe for visitors. It would be a shame to lose such a beautiful beacon.

in the dark you illuminate the night
thru the fog and rain remaining bright

Lighthouse at Sydney Nova Scotia.

On a cruise to the eastern seaboard provinces, we passed many lighthouses on our journey. This lighthouse was captured while on our way to the port at Sydney, Nova Scotia. As most of my lighthouse images are captured during the day, I enjoy creating an appearance of making the lighthouse operational. In this case, it was dawn on an overcast day and the lighthouse was actually operational. I waited until the light was pointed directly at me and snapped the image. The view was modified by lowering the overall exposure in Luminar Neo, then masking and restoring the exposure in the area at the light. I then used Neo’s Sun Rays tool to create the rays of light emanating from the lighthouse.

lighthouse, oh lighthouse, a friend to all
we rely on you to stand strong and tall!

The Barra Lighthouse and Fort at Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.

At Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, we visited a lighthouse and a fort turned museum. The Barra Lighthouse, also known as the Santo Antônio Lighthouse, stands guard at the entrance of the Bay of All Saints. It’s perched atop the Santo Antônio da Barra Fort, a historic landmark itself.

Thanks again to Ann-Christine for a unique challenge that allows us to provide context to our photos in the form of quotations or poetry. Well played, A-C! Thanks also to Patti for last week’s Dramatic challenge. Next week Sofia hosts. If you’d like to join in on the challenge fun each week but aren’t sure how to get started, you will find the details here.

John Steiner

44 comments

  6. These lighthouses are fantastic, John. During the pandemic, I “collected” images of lighthouses up and down the Atlantic coast. I love how each one was different from the next. I especially love the one you show here with the lit beacon. I haven’t tried Neo, but you make a very convincing argument to try it. 🙂 🙂

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  8. Love the quote and the photos you brought with them. Lighthouses?! What a great idea. Picturesque to look at. Symbolic in understanding. And they are not just beacons for ships, but also us photographers. Great captures, John. Glad you found one operational. It is a task to time it correctly. My favorite photo was Bodie Island. What a nice walk out to it.

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    • Bodie Island Lighthouse is located in a marshy area and there are plenty of walkways and much opportunity for wild bird photography as well. It’s a great stop on the Outer Banks.

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  9. Beautiful lighthouse photos! I don’t know what it is about them that makes them mysterious and alluring. The Farol da Barra photo is great. Speaking of Luminar Neo, did you try the Magic Light effect? It’s quite effective.

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    • Thanks, Egidio. It was difficult finding a place to get a good photograph of Barra.

      Regarding Magic Light, I’m waiting for the right photo to use it on. I’ve done a bit of experimenting, but I haven’t found the right combination of subject and effect to make a publishable image. 🙂

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  10. Your challenge posts are always worth waiting for John! I like that you took the time to find quotes for your image choices., and I like the images. Visiting all our West coast lighthouses is on my bucket list. The Pacific Coast line is beautiful and the lighthouses add to it.

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  13. A very beautiful poem and the images to go with it, John. There is indeed something special with lighthouses…I believe we have it in us, their magical impact as saviours standing alone facing the fearful seas. I liked what you did to that operational lighthouse – brilliant outcome. And – I am glad you found a poem you liked – (grin)

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