Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Lighthouse week: Photo #5

Wind Point Light, Racine, Wisconsin

Shipping on the Great Lakes was at its peak in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It was the way to move a rich supply of natural resources to manufacturers and manufactured goods to markets. Only problem was the lakes themselves. Rocky shoals, tricky currents and unpredictable weather sent down many a ship full of goods. Not coincidentally, lighthouse construction boomed during this time period as well. Lights along the Great Lakes number in the hundreds. Sigh ... so many lighthouses, so little time to photograph!

Many of the lighthouses today are mere shells of their former selves while some lighthouses, like the one at Wind Point, north of Racine, Wisconsin are beautifully restored and maintained by those who appreciate their history.

The ships today are fewer in number, the resources have dwindled and a large percentage of the manufacturing plants have been boarded up. In this photo, I've tried to capture the romance and nostalgia of a day long past.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2006 James Jordan.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful. The blue tone is wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic lighthouse series, James! I like the mood you've put across in the pictures as well as the vivid colours. Have you considered applying for Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (of Great Britain) with a series on lighthouses? :)

engloy said...

Sorry... I forgot to sign in to Blogger for the previous comment!

The Quiet Traveler said...

lovely

James said...

otto, thanks. The blue tone is courtesy of a filter used at the time of exposure.

anonymous/engloy, I knew it was you! It hadn't even entered my mind to apply for anything like the FRPS. Thank you for thinking that I shoud.

April, thank you.