Lighthouse Waits for Summer by taffy

Lighthouse Waits for Summer

I had the opportunity to join @anwan and @danielwsc for a photoshoot at St Joseph Michigan's lighthouse on Sunday. This is an area that gets a large amount of lake effect snow and accumulated ice and it was exciting to slip and slide along the pier to try to get closer. A great day and wonderful chance to photograph something totally different.
Note: Processed first within Lightroom using Photomatix plug in to combine three bracketed images. Reimported and lost it (no idea where it went, along with 2 others), so saved the images in .tiff in a file folder and then imported them back into LR, where they went into a different folder than the originals. So, LR learning is hitting a few bumps here and there around location and storage.
Update: Noted as one of Ross' "Photographic Highlights of 2015"!
De
This is absolutely amazing!
January 12th, 2015  
Love this! Photomatix is one of my favorite processing programs - I love doing the bracketed photos.
January 12th, 2015  
Stunning Taffy. I love it.
January 12th, 2015  
Awesome shot
January 12th, 2015  
Gorgeous frigidly cold image!
January 12th, 2015  
Stunning picture. looks like meringue! Whatever you've done in Lightroom it looks great. fav.
January 12th, 2015  
Wow...that is amazing! Fav!
January 12th, 2015  
Fantastic... something we would never see here...
January 12th, 2015  
TAFFY! I am breathless! This may be one of my favorites ever! Truly a winter wonderland! Just magnificent! Your talent and creativity is endless! I may have said that before ... but it is so true! FAV x ininity!
January 12th, 2015  
Awesome!
January 12th, 2015  
Wow. Like a post apocalypse.
January 12th, 2015  
Wow, super incredible! Crazy what ice can do.
January 12th, 2015  
W. O. W. This is utterly stunning!
January 12th, 2015  
Amazing capture!
January 12th, 2015  
Absolutely stunning
January 12th, 2015  
Fantastic capture!!! This is absolutely beautiful!!! Wish I could double the fav!!! Was it really really cold when you were there?
January 12th, 2015  
Very beautiful capture and POV.
January 12th, 2015  
And that is so different, gorgeous Taffy and Fav :)
January 12th, 2015  
Picture perfect. ..instant fav
January 12th, 2015  
Oh, my gosh... this just defines "cold." What a gorgeous shot. Applause for the LR importing and processing, too. Maybe worth the effort? Today's results are amazing.
January 12th, 2015  
I can't imagine you could find anything that better defines the word "winter" or "freezing" - this is just amazing. Really like what you've done with the lighting - I find that white is difficult to work with but you've sure done a wonderful job.
January 12th, 2015  
absolute gorgeousness.
January 12th, 2015  
wow, fabulous shot ... fav
January 12th, 2015  
@lealady Thanks for the kind comment, Leah! Yep, it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit but it was fine since we were in multiple layers (leggings, ski pants, four layers of shirts, extra gloves, ear warmers, hoodie, and down coat!).
January 12th, 2015  
Simply glorious! Fav.
January 12th, 2015  
So beautiful!!
January 12th, 2015  
Awesome shot
January 12th, 2015  
Incredible scene, beautifully captured.
January 12th, 2015  
looks absolutely frosty. nice editing!
January 12th, 2015  
all I can say is wow! I am in awe of all the white
January 12th, 2015  
This is amazing! what a great place for a meet up!
January 12th, 2015  
Taffy, this shot leave me speechless with its beauty and depth. I just can't stop looking at it. Absolutely amazing. FAV!
January 12th, 2015  
Wow, that's waaaay coolio! Beautiful
January 12th, 2015  
My bestie and I have talked about making this trip. I'm glad you did. This is an awesome shot!
January 12th, 2015  
Wow...what a pic. Beautiful. Fav.
January 12th, 2015  
@voiceprintz I'd go back again -- it's really a cool place and I'm guessing it would look different every time given changes in the ice and lighting. Strongly recommend the trip!
January 12th, 2015  
Good to know. She's suggesting Grand Haven light. She's been sharing pics and they are incredible. Glad you had a great trip!
January 12th, 2015  
Stunning picture and perspective. Congratulations on making the Trending Page.
January 12th, 2015  
What a fabulous shot, Taffy. I love the snow, ice and all the detail you captured. What you are doing with Lightroom and the other things you are doing is working so well though I bet the original is awesome too. This may sound strange but looks like something you can eat, like pudding or white chocolate. I love the lighthouse, the red pops in this photo. FAV
January 12th, 2015  
Amazing details. You have definitely captured the 'cold' here. Instant fav
January 12th, 2015  
Splendid capture, leading lines, tones, light
January 12th, 2015  
Excellent lines!
January 12th, 2015  
WOW!
January 12th, 2015  
Oh wow.So this is snow? I thought it was a heck of a lot of froth when I first saw the image. Really beautiful.
January 12th, 2015  
FAV -- what a beautifully "carved" looking image with wonderful textures throughout!
January 12th, 2015  
Did you see that Daniel posted his, too?
January 12th, 2015  
wow this is wonderful, like a winter wonderland.
January 12th, 2015  
Glorious! Absolute fav.
January 12th, 2015  
when iIlose my files in LR I find that synchronising the folders helps. library > right click on folder > synchronize folder. I get the same issue with Silver Efex (another great plugin)
January 12th, 2015  
Oh my goodness, that redefines cold in my book! I like that there is sunlight on the snow and ice despite the dark sky. Super shot, fav.
January 12th, 2015  
Wow! That is simply stunning!
January 12th, 2015  
Sue
Fabulous shot ... still to learn LR :P
January 12th, 2015  
What an amazing site to see. Well photographed!
January 12th, 2015  
Just fabulous Taffy!! What a sight to see!! Fav!!
@tafft When you import your photo back to LR from Photomatix you have to click on "All Photographs" This is a t the bottom of your screen where it says "previous import". There is a drop down arrow which you click on and you will see "All Photographs" is the top option. Click and your edited photo will appear beside the three shots you have used. Hope this helps.
January 12th, 2015  
@taffy - see above - I have just seen I have a typo in your name
January 12th, 2015  
Instant fav, would fav it several times over if I could. That is absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous!! I would love to see something like this.
I'm sure you will have LR mastered in no time Taffy!
January 12th, 2015  
Just stunning. FAV.
January 12th, 2015  
If you save in another program to a different folder you have to import again I believe. But then there are the gremlins who just steal our "stuff." When you import the folder it is going to is indicated on the right side and can be changed. I know I keep forgetting to check that. Haven't read all the comments and someone probably explained it better.

Meanwhile a superb shot. What a great place for a photo shot.
January 12th, 2015  
You feel you could almost reach out and feel the textures the way you have caught the detail in this. I particularly like the shimmering ice along the pier sides. Spectacular shot.
January 12th, 2015  
Amazing and absolutely wonderful capture and editing Love it And a big FAV !
January 12th, 2015  
Hi Taffy, great to see you are still going as strong as ever...and using LR! I have had the same "location" troubles with LR when I just started using it, and I only began to manage it after learning more in that wonderful guide I'm using! Stunning image: great composition and such a special setting. Great HDR treatment as well!
January 12th, 2015  
Jo
Wow what an incredible scene and shot an instant fav. It might be worth you checking in 'All photographs' at the very top of the left hand column of folders, as re-imports end up there and not in the file you exported them from, I think!? it's been ages since I took or edited any photos.
January 12th, 2015  
Worth the effort Taffy A Fav
January 12th, 2015  
Absolutely stunning. Instant Fav.
January 12th, 2015  
Nice processing.
January 12th, 2015  
Sam
Gorgeous processing! FAV
January 12th, 2015  
looks downright arctic. You sure this is in the lower 48????
January 12th, 2015  
This kind of shot is so on my bucket list. This is amazing!!! Very nicely captured :)
January 12th, 2015  
Spectacular shot! faved
January 12th, 2015  
Fantastic, Taffy! Keep warm!
January 12th, 2015  
Taffy, this is simply breathtaking! Huge fav!
January 12th, 2015  
Wow, no mistaking the season in this... Fav!
January 12th, 2015  
Superb Taffy. How I would love to go and see this. Will see it again on the TT!
January 12th, 2015  
@ericdibosco Thanks Eric -- Kelby's book is wonderful. I was reading it for awhile about storage systems and organization, then got caught up in processing because of the Lighthouse photoshoot. Now I have to get back to systematically reading the book!!
January 12th, 2015  
@jo13 I've missed your photos, Jo! I keep popping by your album to check in and love the subway scene. I hope you get back to it given your talent. I find I'm doing a lot less daily photographing, but spending a lot more time on processing and trying to understand the power of LR. Then want to get at least basic PS under control. But 365 has kept me going at least with the idea of working on a photo every day. I've had to cut back on commenting as I found it was that or LR, and it was clear I needed to get LR under control to do anything else well. Thanks for the visit!
January 12th, 2015  
@joansmor @pamknowler Thanks Joan and Pam. This sounds very straightforward so I'm saving your comments in my photo notebook and will try today with an export, import, find series.
January 12th, 2015  
wow Taffy! Wonderland at the Sea. magnificent. Never seen something like this before. am thrilled I visited. Thanks for sharing
fav
January 12th, 2015  
@ninaganci Thanks for the visit! I actually hadn't ever seen this in person either! It's fairly cold and a drive, so something you'd have to commit to doing -- amazing what 365 will prompt us to consider doing!
January 12th, 2015  
Gorgeous shot. Have a fave.
January 12th, 2015  
Oh, brrrrr! Amazing shot! FAV!
January 12th, 2015  
What an amazing place and fantastic photo of it. Stunning. Huge FAV
When I first installed LR I had so many problems and kept going back to Aperture - hated the learning curve. Good luck getting there.
January 12th, 2015  
Wow this is absoulutely stunning Taffy! Haven't seen something quit like it, it's spectacular! Instant fav! Don't know what happened with LR :(
January 12th, 2015  
Amazing! Fav
January 12th, 2015  
Wonderful shot. Fav
January 12th, 2015  
Absolutely wonderful image, love all the grey/blue tones and the little splash of colour on the light-house, great lines and composition - fav
January 12th, 2015  
Gorgeous, love the comp here Taffy.
January 12th, 2015  
This is amazing!
January 12th, 2015  
Great photo of the ice and the sky.
January 12th, 2015  
This is a stunning capture.Love it. Fav
January 12th, 2015  
Mon dieu !
January 12th, 2015  
Astounding shot, you should sell this to National Geographic or Nature. It is incredible. Fav and I expect to see this top of the chart on Friday. Brilliant
January 12th, 2015  
Wow, fantastic looking
January 12th, 2015  
This is a stunning shot - such thick ice - have never seen the likes. The red on the lighthouse really adds to the scene too. Definite fav.
January 12th, 2015  
I don't think I've ever seen snow and ice like this. It almost looks like cream whipped up into peaks. Great shot Fav
January 12th, 2015  
There must be a bif folder hiding somewhere out there with lost photographs in it! I love this really unusual capture.
January 12th, 2015  
Lee
What an incredible sight that you've captured so well. Fav
January 12th, 2015  
This is just amazing! a huge fav! :D
January 13th, 2015  
nicely presented
January 13th, 2015  
This is such an extraordinary shot with all that ice. Really beautiful. Fav
January 13th, 2015  
Taffy, you've outdone yourself with this photo. I can't even imagine how you got safely to the location to take this photo. And it must have been brutally cold! It's a stupendous capture. I love it! Fav!
January 13th, 2015  
Wow! This is an astounding shot! The processing dramatically enhances the details-- that ice looks like thick cake frosting!
January 13th, 2015  
Wow what a fabulous shot Taffy!! Love the lines and the low pov!
FAV
January 13th, 2015  
Congrats on PP!
January 13th, 2015  
Taffy, you've excelled yourself with this one. What an incredible sight (and site too), and wonderfully processed. What else can I say except fav?? I know exactly what you mean about 'losing' images in transit. Very irritating. I'm still trying to work out what LR's done with some of the shots I migrated over from Aperture. Back to 'the' book and Dr Google methinks.
January 13th, 2015  
Congratulations on making the PP. Well deserved.
January 13th, 2015  
Instant fav! Love your processing
January 13th, 2015  
Wow this is so icy and atmospheric, fabulous fav
January 13th, 2015  
Errrr wow wee!!! Glad I dropped by your project or I'd have missed these. Personally I think you've upped your game with the start of LR processing, these are really good Taffy.
January 13th, 2015  
A beautiful image. Love the red roof.
January 13th, 2015  
wow!! that looks great.
January 13th, 2015  
Jo
Goodness me I have never seen so many comments and favs, well done you. Thanks for your kind words, I hope to start snapping again soon just got to stop procrastinating and do it!! Good luck with LR its a breeze compared to PS, I purchased that about 10 days ago and am now suffering from complete info overload!
January 13th, 2015  
What an amazing place, and what a wonderful image!! Definitely worth the drive and the layering, and I bet it looks absolutely different in other seasons!
January 13th, 2015  
Wow, this is amazing and so cold. I can't picture cold like this these days.
January 13th, 2015  
that looks terribly cold but so beautiful.
January 13th, 2015  
I saw your next shot first and thought, after reading your description, how much more stunning could it be...then I clicked to this one! Woooooow! Love them both, but this is otherworldly! How did you stand what appears to be well below 0 temps?!
January 13th, 2015  
Oh, I like this so much! I've been up to St. Joseph once, in the summer. This is amazing!
January 14th, 2015  
you are incredible. Time to start your business!
January 14th, 2015  
Made but the colour, great lead in lines and that red roof, and some great processing.
January 14th, 2015  
Wow, amazing photo!!! Fav
January 15th, 2015  
Spectacular - beats mine hands down! Fav, fav, fav!
January 15th, 2015  
I read mention of this lighthouse picture and its wild popularity among the viewers so had to come see it for myself. It's well worth the trip! What a fantastic image, Taffy. Everything about it is wonderful, from the composition to post work to make it the piece of art that it now is. Fav for me too.
January 15th, 2015  
Wow, wow, wow. Not sure how I missed this the first time. Congrats on #1, a big fav. Fabulous work!
January 16th, 2015  
Fantastic shot!
January 16th, 2015  
Super great, Taffy!! Congrats on your double TT. Big fav!
January 16th, 2015  
Double TT once again Taffy!! Congratulations!! No surprise that this was No 1!! Fabulous shot - well deserved!! I managed to sneak in at No 20!!
January 16th, 2015  
great #1 TT....... amazing capture I bet it was really really COLD
January 16th, 2015  
Fantastic! Congrats on #1 - well deserved! : )
January 16th, 2015  
How did I miss this? Incredible capture. Fav!
January 16th, 2015  
#1! Congrats Taffy, very deserving!
January 16th, 2015  
Of course this is #1! Well done Taffy, it's absolutely gorgeous and unique.
January 16th, 2015  
Pam
Amazing!! Congratulations on #1!
January 17th, 2015  
bravo!
January 17th, 2015  
Congrats on #1 on TT, I wish I could fav it again!!
January 17th, 2015  
Well done Taffy.
January 17th, 2015  
INSANE!! congrats and fav
January 17th, 2015  
Congrats on 1 TT!
January 17th, 2015  
Gorgeous photo and well deserving of number1. fav.
January 18th, 2015  
Stunning! Fav!
January 18th, 2015  
Stunning image Taffy and congratulations on that #1 spot on TT. Well deserved.
January 19th, 2015  
Ok the irony!! I just tapped accidentally on TT page. And there was this gorgeous photo for #1. I know I had seen it before. ;) so glad the phone led me to this! Congratulations!
January 20th, 2015  
I wandered on to TT to get inspiration and saw so many of my friends on it and such incredibly good photos! This was at the top and I had to add my favs to it!
January 21st, 2015  
Just wow - I so wish we had some of this ice and snow our way (not in London) and even if we get the cold weather it'll be nothing like this - amazing.
January 21st, 2015  
I really like this spot you chose for taking your photo, the railings are a terrific element to add into it!
January 21st, 2015  
Just exquisite, Taffy! Congratulations on all the well -deserved accolades!
January 21st, 2015  
A belated fav!
January 23rd, 2015  
Amazing! I lobe it..
January 26th, 2015  
took me a while to scroll through the comments! Love this capture. the frozen water looks like meringue!
January 30th, 2015  
Powerfully impressive!! Absolutely love the amazing detail!
February 4th, 2015  
FPG
Great capture. I am not far from this location.
February 5th, 2015  
@fpg How lucky!! Do you get there often to photograph it? I'd like to go back one more time this winter.
February 5th, 2015  
FPG
@taffy Sorry to say I don't. I'm about an hour away. My wife and I usually go in the Summer. We drive up even just for the afternoon and evening, get a pizza at Silver Beach pizza then walk on the beach as the sun sets.
February 9th, 2015  
This is stunning! Congrats on making the Highlights of 2015!
December 31st, 2015  
This has to be one of my favourites from the year, it would be amazing to see this in person! Congrats Taffy.
December 31st, 2015  
Looks so good in the blog. Happy new year!!
January 1st, 2016  
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