Photographing Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

Visiting Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

For the past 14 years I have been able to visit Jupiter Florida each March.  One of my favorite activities there is to visit the lighthouse and to photograph it from various locations.  I have posted some of these photos on this blog in the past and now I want to share some updated photos from this year.  The photo above was taken on the boardwalk across the inlet from the lighthouse.  I love watching the boats passing in front of the lighthouse.

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Facts

• Completed in 1860
• Built on a hill
• 105 ft tower
• Light can be seen 24 nautical miles
• Lighthouse museum in adjoining park where you can purchase tickets to climb to the top for a great view of the area.

More Photos of Jupiter Lighthouse

This view of the lighthouse was taken from the park that is in front of the museum.

Here is a view of the lighthouse taken from the end of the inlet just before it enters the ocean.

This photo of the lighthouse was taken through a crystal photography ball that I set on a pier across the inlet.  I have fun shooting from various angles and using new techniques.

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Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Ceramic Ornament
by lighthouseenthusiast

St. Augustine Lighthouse

St Augustine Lighthouse-through the eyes of the camera

Historic City

I love photographing lighthouses, so I went to St. Augustine specifically to photograph the lighthouse. I was pleasantly surprised by a wonderful, historic ciy with many wonderful attractions. We were only there for one day so we really only touched the surface of all of the sites to visit. I spent quite a bit of time photographing the lighthouse and touring the lighthouse museum.

Afterward we went to the Castillo de San Marcos, an old Spanish fort that is right on the inlet. We also spent some time walking around the downtown area and taking in the many historic buildings. St. Augustine is truly a historic treasure. It was settled 55 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and is full of hundreds of years of fascinating history.

This page will give you a photographic tour of the lighthouse and the Castillo de San Marcos.

photographs by Mary Beth Granger

St Augustine Lighthouse - from the Parking Lot

Here is the first photo I took of the lighthouse from the parking lot. The way the lighthouse is surrounded by trees it is hard to get a good shot of the lighthouse without being right on top of it. In this lens you will see my challenge at trying to get a good shot of the lighthouse.

I moved around to various spots within the lighthouse grounds and even tried to shoot from across the way in a park. If you have a favorite view I would love to hear from you. Just let me know in the comment section at the end of the article.

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St Augustine Lighthouse is a beautiful sight with it's black and white stripes spiraling up the lighthouse.

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Fourth Order Fresnel Lens - in lighthouse museum

The lighthouse has a wonderful museum that tells the history of the lighthouse and shows a great timeline of the history.

The museum has several fresnel lenses. This photo shows a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens

Lighthouse and Keepers House

Taken from the Museum porch

This photo was taken from the porch of the museum, directly across from the lighthouse. It was one place I could get an unobstructed view of the lighthouse with the little house in front of it. I'm still a bit close for comfort and it gives a distorted look to the tower.

St. Augustine lighthouse has a 165 ft tower. Visitors are welcome to climb the 219 steps to the top.

An Artists point of View

Up Close section of Lighthouse

While we were visiting the lighthouse, there was a local artist painting an oil painting of the lighthouse. When I finished touring the grounds and museum I stopped to look at what he had been painting. I snapped this photo from the same angle the artist was using to paint the picture. It gives a closeup point of view. Interesting...although I will admit it looked much better in the oil painting.

A view through the Trees

The grounds of the lighthouse have trails through the woods that go up and down hills. I explored one of the trails looking for a view of the lighthouse. This photo was taken of the lighthouse through the trees.

Photo from Park

There is a park not far from the lighthouse where you can get some great views of the lighthouse. With my telephoto lens, I was able to capture the lighthouse framed in palms. You can even see a few tourists enjoying the view from the top of the lighthouse.

Nighttime View

We stopped by St. Augustine on another trip to Florida and I was able to capture the lighthouse at night. The lighthouse is surrounded by buildings and trees so to get a good shot of the light at night I went to a nearby park and set up my tripod.

St Augustine Lighthouse at Night by lighthouseenthusiast
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Castillo de San Marcos

This wonderful old Spanish fort was constructed between 1672 and 1756. It was made from coquina, a local shell-rock formation.

Old Spanish Fort

Photographing Barnegat Lighthouse

Photographing a lighthouse when on a trip can be challenging.  We usually stop at several lighthouses during each days travels and it is not always possible to get the best lighting conditions.  When we stopped at Barnegat lighthouse it was the middle of the day and the sky was a bright blue.  As I got out of the car and walked down the path toward the lighthouse I thought to myself that I would be able to get a nice shot of "Old Barney" with a bright blue sky but perhaps not anything very interesting to make it stand out.

After shooting this photo of a good looking lighthouse with the bright blue sky, I proceeded past the lighthouse to see what I could capture from the other direction.  Past the lighthouse was a walkway that went down along the inlet.  It was a beautiful day to take a walk and there were a lot of fishermen along the walkway along with families enjoy a walk out to the sea.  After I had walked a ways I turned around and look at the sight I got.  Beautiful fluffy clouds surrounding the lighthouse had made an appearance so that I could get the perfect shot.

I was really excited to see the clouds appear and I continued walking down the pathway to see if I could capture any other shots.  In this photo I was able to shoot the sandy and rocky shoreline in front of the lighthouse.  I love the perspective it gives to the scene.

Barnegat lighthouse is located on the northern tip of Long Beach island along the New Jersey shoreline.  It was first placed into service in 1835.  Today visitors can climb the 217 steps to the top of the lighthouse to see the fantastic views the island, the bay and the Atlantic ocean.

Barnegat Lighthouse Gift Box by lighthouseenthusiast

Barnegat Lighthouse Christmas Ornament by lighthouseenthusiast
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Navesink

High atop the hills in Highland New Jersey is a very unusual lighthouse.  This structure has two towers that are 320 feet apart.

We were visiting Sandy Hook lighthouse when I looked up the hill and saw this marvelous castle like structure.  I pulled out my 300mm lens and was able to capture this photo from the bottom of the hill.

History of Lighthouse

Afterwards I researched a bit to find out out this unusual structure.  It seems that the Highlands were an important watch tower for settlers back in the mid 1700's.  They were able to watch the harbor from this local and protect the ports from raids by enemy ships.  Whenever a hostile ship was sighted a warning beacon was sent.    This went on until the time of the American Independence when shipping got busier in and out of the Hudson River.  At that time this matched pair of stone towers was built in 1828.

These brownstone towers helped to guide ships into the harbor until 1898 when the government no longer saw a need for two towers and the north tower went black.  The south tower continued to operate until 1953.

Today this historic site is ran by the New Jersey State Park Service and welcomes visitors.

Navesink Postcard by lighthouseenthusiast
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Hereford Inlet Lighthouse on the Jersey Shore

Hereford Inlet lighthouse is a beautiful Victorian house that has a lighthouse on it.  What a wonderful place for the lighthouse keeper and his family to live.  This lighthouse was built in 1874 and certainly must be one of the most beautiful lighthouses on the Jersey shore.

I visited the lighthouse on a beautiful August morning and was delighted by the wonderful lighthouse and the grounds that were full of gorgeous flowers.  All around the lighthouse grounds were paths with benches where you could sit and enjoy the beautiful view.  The back path in the garden leads out to a boardwalk along the shore.  What a great place to take a stroll.  Here are a view of the photos I took in the gardens.

For more of my stories on my lighthouse visits and photos stop by my Squidoo lenses.  I Love Lighthouses

Lighthouse Calendars

2010 is quickly approaching and the time to choose calendars for the coming year is at hand.  If you are a lighthouse enthusiast or if you have a lighthouse enthusiast on your gift list, I have some fantastic calendars for you to choose from.  Go to Lighthouse Calendars and you will find a wide array of 2010 lighthouse calendars.  Choose from a handy pocket calendar, a kitchen towel calendar or standard wall calendars.

Lighthouse Lensography

Here is a lens that talks about my interest in lighthouses and gives a listing of all of the lenses that I have written on lighthouses. Do you have a favorite lighthouse? Stop by and leave me a note. I'm always looking for new lighthouses to visit and photograph. Lighthouse Lensography