Darvin Atkeson
A California Sunset - Pigeon Point Lighthouse
The colors will show up much better when
viewed on black at a large size.
I've had the good fortune to live in a wide variety of places in California.
Of them all, none compare to the coastal regions for sunsets. It's
something about sitting on the rocks, listening to the waves crash along the
shore, the smell of the salty air, and the vastness of the Pacific laid out
before you as the sun sinks behind clouds hundreds of miles away. As you
watch the clouds move quickly across the sky and the sunset will change from
minute to minute. Seagulls, pelicans fill the sky while sea otters, sea
lions, seals, gray whales and even humpback whales often are spotted just
off shore. Not all this can be captured by a camera but shots like this
always bring back the memories of a day at the beach.
Here before you in this image is California's tallest, brightest lighthouse
named after a ship that sank just off shore, the Pigeon Point. Years ago,
I had the fortune to climb to the top and look down upon the rocks it sits
on. Behind me, the fantastic Fresnel lens made up of thousands of crystals
that redirect all the available light from the lamp in to 24 beams of light
so intense they light the surface of the ocean over 23 miles away. The
lighthouse can be seen for over a mile in each direction right off Highway
One and is well worth the stop. Each year, on the anniversary of the
lighthouse they turn off the usual Coast Guard beacon to reignite the
Fresnel lens in a spectacular stellar show unlike anything you will ever
see. Check my lighthouse set to see other fantastic shots of this
location, many with the light turned on. Unfortunately in 2009 the
lighting of the main lens was canceled for budget reasons which you would
think could easily be overcome by a small admission or parking fee.
Thousands turn out to watch the spectacle and most stay till they turn the
light off way past dark.
Looking forward to the 2010 lighting.
Darv
Darvin Atkeson
A California Sunset - Pigeon Point Lighthouse
The colors will show up much better when
viewed on black at a large size.
I've had the good fortune to live in a wide variety of places in California.
Of them all, none compare to the coastal regions for sunsets. It's
something about sitting on the rocks, listening to the waves crash along the
shore, the smell of the salty air, and the vastness of the Pacific laid out
before you as the sun sinks behind clouds hundreds of miles away. As you
watch the clouds move quickly across the sky and the sunset will change from
minute to minute. Seagulls, pelicans fill the sky while sea otters, sea
lions, seals, gray whales and even humpback whales often are spotted just
off shore. Not all this can be captured by a camera but shots like this
always bring back the memories of a day at the beach.
Here before you in this image is California's tallest, brightest lighthouse
named after a ship that sank just off shore, the Pigeon Point. Years ago,
I had the fortune to climb to the top and look down upon the rocks it sits
on. Behind me, the fantastic Fresnel lens made up of thousands of crystals
that redirect all the available light from the lamp in to 24 beams of light
so intense they light the surface of the ocean over 23 miles away. The
lighthouse can be seen for over a mile in each direction right off Highway
One and is well worth the stop. Each year, on the anniversary of the
lighthouse they turn off the usual Coast Guard beacon to reignite the
Fresnel lens in a spectacular stellar show unlike anything you will ever
see. Check my lighthouse set to see other fantastic shots of this
location, many with the light turned on. Unfortunately in 2009 the
lighting of the main lens was canceled for budget reasons which you would
think could easily be overcome by a small admission or parking fee.
Thousands turn out to watch the spectacle and most stay till they turn the
light off way past dark.
Looking forward to the 2010 lighting.
Darv
Darvin Atkeson