As I look back through all the lighthouse shots that I have taken I recognize that the ones with dramatic and interesting lighting tend to be the ones that I like the most.

The first shot is with no direct lighting striking the light or the water. The foreground is just a silhouette to the background. The second shot however has one of those rays of light striking the water lighting it up for a much different feel.





The next set of three images were taken from the Ferrysburg side in one afternoon. You will see 3 totally different lighting situations creating different feels to the shot.

Diffuse lighting through the clouds creating an even exposure and some lighting hitting the clouds above.



A beam of light shining through a thin barrier of clouds creating glare off of the water and light.



Direct beam of light from a gap in the clouds. Close to golden hour lighting. Exposed for foreground creating very dark background.



This last year I have spent a ridiculous amount of time watching how lighting can change the emotional impact on my photos(I really need to get a second job) and have really improved because of it. Even if everything else stayed the same from one shot to another, the lighting and weather has allowed me to capture some unique shots that maybe no one else has, like this one of the Ferrysburg Pier light.



Not that I have really uncovered anything that others didn't know, this is a realization that dramatically helped improve my photographs. And now that I have shared this with you, maybe you guys can help me figure out how this surfer plans to ride his board with flippers on!?!



Thanks guys for letting me share and tell me what you think.
JB

OK, John, some neat stuff and intersting questions. As for what I think. On the first pair of shots, I prefer the mood of the first one but I'd crop away most of the lake in the foreground. There isn't enough detail there to add much and by cropping it away, you more greatly emphasize the sky and the south pier which is your subject anyway.

For the second group of three shots, I would rank the third as the strongest image of the three, followed by the first and the middle one last. The water in the middle image has blown out highlights - your meter got fooled! I love the menace and highlighting of hte lighthouse in the 3rd image. That's the keeper of that trio as far as I'm concerned.

For the last pair of shots, both are excellent but for different reasons. The first, with the light reflecting on the wet pier leads your eye out the pier to the channel marker and then up into that dramatic hole in the clouds. Very nice. The boogie boarder or surfer in the last image adds much to the photo. That one would be just another photo of hte north pier were it not for the surfer!

Hope some of this helps.

Gary

For the first group I like the first shot, it has more of a solitary feel for me, and those beams really provide a nice frame for the light.
In the second group I think I like the first best, the light is a bit more even, and I guess I don't like how the lake looks brown in #3. the color is great on the light, and the mist is a plus on that one.
Both of the north pier shots are nice, in my opinion.
I'm glad you shared your thoughts with us, it will definitely give me something to think about when I go out next time. Never hurts to go over the basics and expand on them.