I actually had a plan for the eclipse. My plan was not to photograph the actual eclipse, but rather what the light and shadows would do to the surrounding landscape.
We had checked out the area around the lighthouse at Fort Casey for possibilities and yes, that would be a good spot. I was going to photograph the coastline sweep looking north. Maybe some long-exposure shots of waves on the beach below.
Figuring the place would be packed and we might not be able to get a parking spot close to the lighthouse, we arrived at 8 a.m. Ha! We were the only ones there!
It was really, really foggy. So I photographed my coffee sitting on the dashboard. The dark "cloud" above it is steam on the windshield. Nice iPhone shot.
We came prepared to wait for the fog to break, with a thermos of coffee, a box of chocolate-covered mini-donuts, and a newspaper. In a nice warm car. Ahhhhhh.
I kept checking the coastline. Nope. Couldn't see much at all, but then this "fog-bow" showed up. Very cool to see the sun shining down onto the fog below to create what I've learned is a pretty common phenomenon. But I first thought, "Wow! Eclipse-related and unusual!" Alas, no. But it's still kind of cool.
As eclipse time arrived and went, it was obvious it would be a bust at our location. And it was also obvious that 90% obscurity just isn't enough for real drama. The light just dulled down a little bit. No darkness. No eerie light.
So I worked the lighthouse a bit, taking a few high-key, highly-minimalistic shots of architectural detail.
A couple of our friends joined us. I met another local photographer. We laughed. We talked. We had a good time. And I took a few weird lighthouse shots. Life is pretty darned good.
©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.
