Finding a New Angle: Castle Hill


Epiphany #1:  I have purchased all my filters to fit my 16-35mm lens.  They are 72mm filters and for the longest time I thought my 70-200mm lens was sized for 77mm.  But I was wrong.  Both of my lenses take a 72mm thread size which means I can easily switch between lenses and continue with my long exposure photography!

Epiphany #2:  So that just left the question of where to utilize my telephoto lens for a different kind of long exposure image?  I thought of all the places I used to photography but hadn't for a very long time...  places like Rome Point, Matunuck, Ft. Wetherhill...  Then I came across an image from Onne van der Wal in a recap of his bestselling 2013 images.  While Onne's was taken in summer and probably from a boat, it made me realize there are always different angles we can explore for what may have become an over-photographed subject.  For me, there are several Rhode Island landmarks that I feel I have shot so many times that it would feel redundant to go back.  Castle Hill Light is one of these locations.  But after seeing Onne's shot and remembering my trips to Ft. Wetherhill in high school during my very first photographic explorations, I decided to try a new vantage point for Castle Hill Light.  The idea was to photograph it from across the bay in a way that could utilize my telephoto lens.  So, I drove over to Ft. Wetherhill on Jamestown, all the way to the end of the park, found an unobstructed view of the lighthouse, put on my long lens, teleconverter and filters, and shot away!  I was also playing with a new intervelometer that works as a programmable cable release.  

Perched on a rocky cliffside of a teenage hangout looking out over a familiar bay and familiar subject, I captured a frame unlike any of my other seascapes or shots of Castle Hill.  The horizon was clouded but lit up a beautiful rosy pink as the sun set.  It was a winning combination!




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