Split Rock Lighthouse Print: Lake Superior November Gales, Minnesota Wall Art

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Somehow, I lived in the State of Minnesota for many years before visiting Split Rock Lighthouse on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Once got the chance to visit I was a bit disappointed to discover the lighthouse had been decommissioned and the beacon is only lit once a year on the anniversary if the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10. Right away I knew I wanted to not only see the lighthouse with the beacon lit, but I also wanted to photograph it. I knew that November was going to be a busy month for me and I knew that if I could get away it would need to be a quick trip totaling about 6 1/2 hours there and back. But the bigger problem for me was that November in Northern Minnesota is cold and I hate the cold! My fingers are really affected by the cold and quickly start to burn and I loose finger function. I was non-committal to making the trip at first but once an idea takes hold of me I'm hooked and I find a way to make it happen. That November 10 I was driving up Interstate 35 on my way to Split Rock State Park. I arrived at the Park about an hour before the beacon was scheduled to be lit. The temps were in the low 30s when I got out of my car in the parking lot. I grabbed my gear and started the walk to the beach. As soon as the trail hit the open beach I felt the biting wind on my skin and I pulled down my hat. I thought I was arriving early but discovered there were 20 or so photographers already set up. Most were grouped all together, in what they had all determined to be the prime viewing location. Having little choice, I went searching for other vantage points and found a spot farther out on the rocks with waves breaking in front of me and where the other photographers wouldn't be visible in my shots. The wind was relentless and no doubt the wind chill was at least 10 to 20 degrees below the actual temperature. As I set up my camera I would remove my gloves to adjust the settings and take some test shots. I had to do this a number of times and just when I thought I was finally ready, a large wave came up and sprayed my camera and lens, and I felt the freezing Lake Superior water on my hand. I had to move my camera and start the process over. Part of me wished I had gotten there earlier so I could have had my pick of spots but at the same time my hands were starting to hurt and I wasn't even sure I would make it to the beacon lighting. I smelled the smoke from someone's cigarette and heard the relentless crashing of the waves. I put my gloved hands in my pockets and started pacing in the vicinity of my camera to try and keep warm. If I walked with the wind at my back I was okay but when I turned around to walk back I felt the full force of the freezing wind on my face. On one of these walks away from my camera I heard a crash behind me and turned around to discover my tripod had blown over and my camera had crashed to the rocky ground. I feared my photo excursion may have come to en early end. Upon inspection, I was relieved to discover that miraculously my camera seemed to be okay. I got set up again, this time trying to arrange the tripod legs so the tripod might be more stable in the wind and I hung my camera bag from the center post hoping the weight would also help. Because I wanted to get a dreamy feel with the waves and the light level was so low, I needed to take long exposures. And I discovered that the hanging camera bag was swaying in the wind and moving the camera. If the camera moved during a long exposure it would lead to an out of focus shot. I tried to stabilize the bag with my leg while shooting to keep the bag from rocking the tripod. Later I tried to stabilize the bag with my hand while shooting to keep the camera from shaking. After what seemed like forever the sun finally set and the beacon was turned on but it would still be about 30 minutes longer until it was dark enough for the glow of the beacon to really be obvious. I started to doubt that I could last that long. Even if I could last I was seriously doubting the I would get a sharp photo because of camera shake. My fingers were really starting to hurt and I was having trouble making them do what I wanted them to do. Even though I was able to operate my camera's shutter using a remote with my gloved hand in my coat pocket, the damage had already been done. And as it continued to get darker, I needed to continuously update my camera settings, which required my ungloved hand. I seriously doubted that I could last long enough to take the shot I wanted. I tried to put the pain in my fingers out of my mind and set my camera to bracket the exposures so I would need to do slightly less adjusting. Somehow I got through another 20 minutes and realized I had reached my limit. It was darker and the beacon was more obvious and I just had to hope that it was dark enough and I had gotten at least one shot I would be happy with. I couldn't wait till I got back to my car and started the heater On my 30 minute drive back to Duluth my fingers wouldn’t stop tingling and I started to fear I had done permanent damage. I was finally able to run some warm water over them when I reached Duluth and soon after the tingling stopped. It wasn't until after I returned home and I could look at my shots enlarged on my computer that I saw that I had one, and only one, shot that captured what was important to me. This one shot had a bright beacon and large wave, and wasn't out of focus due to camera shake from the wind. I realized photos of the Split Rock Lighthouse could look very different from year to year depending on the weather so I'm already making plans to return next year. Production and Shipping Time: 5 days for printing, 5 days for shipping. There are 4 ways to print these images. 1). Premium Photo Paper • High quality, professional paper-prints • Sharp, vivid and rich color sets this apart from a casual photo print • Long lasting • Intended to be placed in a frame • Optional framing is available. Contact me directly for options and prices. 2) Ready to Hang Canvas • Ready to hang right out of the box with zero assembly required • Gorgeous finished look • Well-known, high-end way of displaying photographs • 1.5 inch thick wooden stretcher-bars give it shape (similar to a traditional painting) • No staples or ugly lines visible on the sides • Optional framing available. Contact me directly for options and prices. 3). Acrylic Prints • Light refracts through the museum-quality acrylic bringing vibrancy and depth • Premium polished, best-in-class, 99.9% optically pure acrylic 1/8” thick • Superb image quality from edge to edge • Absolutely stunning, brilliant color! • Back mount frame with lip ready to hang on your wall, right out of the box. • Optional framing available. Message me for options and prices. 4). Metal Prints • White Gloss Chromaluxe Aluminum • Texture and shine of the metal creates depth and dimension so your photos truly stand out • Incredibly durable and long-lasting • Scratch-resistant, waterproof, and resistant to fading • Lightweight, extremely robust and durable • Back mount frame with lip ready to hang on your wall, right out of the box • Optional framing available. Contact me directly for options and prices.

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