I remember taking the Boston Harbor cruises with the late Edward Rowe Snow , author of over 100 books on New England and the sea. On Saturdays and Sundays he would lead cruises out to the harbor islands and tell stories of the early days of the lighthouse keepers. Lighthouses are a favorite subject of artists and photographers, but I've often foundthat it's difficult to take a good lighthouse picture. It takes both planning and luck. The planning comes from the scouting of the scene, and trying to figure out how to eliminate the clutter that surrounds many lighthouses and detracts from the image.
Luck comes with the weather and the light.
Some of the best lighthouse photos I've seen were taken either during storms or right after a snow fall. Here's the results, along with photographic notes and a number of related links . Chatham is located at the elbow. Photographing Chatham Light presents the photographer with a number of logistical problems. First, the lighthouse and it's photogenic adjacent building are located on Coast Guard property, surrounded by an ugly chain link fence and overhead power lines.