Orcacoke Lighthouse-North Carolina-Photography
The Outer Banks is a very long length of coast in North Carolina. We rarely get to travel down to Orcacoke. It requires a ferry ride. But when we do I like getting to take photos of the lighthouse there.
This is one of the shorter lighthouses I've seen, standing only 75 feet tall. It was finished in 1823, and there is a one bedroom light keepers house on the property.
According to the National Park Service:
The exterior’s solid white coloration serves as its identifying mark to mariners by day. The original whitewash “recipe” called for blending lime, salt, spanish whiting, rice, glue, and boiling water. The mixture was applied while still hot.
A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1854, replacing the old reflector system. Its hand-cut prisms and magnifying glass greatly intensified the light. Early in the Civil War, the lens was dismantled by Confederate troops but was re-installed in 1864 by Union forces. Originally an oil-burning light, the Ocracoke Light was electrified in the early decades of the 1900s. The present light is equal to 8,000 candlepower and casts a stationary beam that can be seen 14 miles at sea. A battery powered back-up light operates during power failures.
These were shot with a 17-40mm L series Canon lens, and edited in Lightroom CC.
I like the black and white texture of this shot.
I like adding the sepia tint to this. Reminds me of photographs from the early 20th century.
From a different angle, you can see the light keepers house there on the right.
Other photography posts:
I wonder if it has a ghost. All lighthouses in the UK do:)
I'll have to check next time I'm down there!
You've also given me an idea for a story as well!
Nice photos. I've never seen North Carolina. It's on my list of places I want to visit
Is it possible to fit that lighthouse and the sea in the same picture?
Can people allowed inside the lighthouse?
Not this one. You have a lot of trees and bushes in front of this one, as you can see in the bottom pic. And the public can't get inside this one as it is still actually used. There is a very narrow area that you can visit.
Thanks for the information, the lighthouse looks really cool. Quality pictures.
Thanks for the photos. The different tints give any entirely different mood to the structure and environment. I love pictures of lighthouses. It's kind of sad that I've never actually seen one.