Holland Harbor Lighthouse, Michigan, Black and White

by Liesl Walsh

Title

Holland Harbor Lighthouse, Michigan, Black and White

Artist

Liesl Walsh

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

I live in Florida and flew to Michigan to capture this iconic Dutch architecture in Holland on Lake Michigan. I traveled a long distance and made a big effort to get to this location in the morning when the sky cast beautiful warm light onto the lighthouse. It's a magical time for photography and makes incredible photos! Most photos of the lighthouse are taken from the other side of the channel at Holland State Park at Ottawa Beach. I wanted to capture this photo from the north side. However, this area is restricted with limited access so I was unsure if I could get there.

I decided to give it a try. I got up really early in the morning to get there when the light was good. I did some research and found a place to park, but I had to walk quite a ways to get there, but it was worth it! I found a spot near the marina just as the sun came over the horizon with beautiful colors. I walked with my gear up to the channel to a little path by beautiful homes. I heard boats going by and the water moving towards Lake Michigan. It was so quiet and beautiful! I was worried this area is not always open to the public, but thankfully that morning it was! Not many people were around yet so I knew I could get a good photo. I could not see the lighthouse yet. It was on the other side of the sand dunes. I walked down the long narrow path of sand along the channel and could see Ottawa Beach and Holland State Park on the other side.

Finally I saw the bright pop of red in the distance - the lighthouse! And the sun cast a beautiful warm light on it. I quickly walked around the lighthouse to find the perfect angle ~ and I found this beautiful leading line of the sandy path bringing your eye right to the lighthouse. I love how peaceful this scene is in the morning. The water of Lake Michigan sat so still and it was very quiet. I had this little beach area all to myself for a few moments. I am so happy to capture this for you to enjoy! I took three photos of different exposures and blended them together as an HDR to capture all the details.

This beautiful big red lighthouse sits on a channel that connects Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa. "Big Red" is also known as Holland Harbor Light. The original structure was built in 1872, and the current structure was built in 1907. It has a gabled roof which reflects the Dutch influence in the area. Each spring Holland, Michigan hosts the very popular Tulip Time festival.

This is a popular place for boating. Many people come to Holland State Park at sunset to watch the boats. This lighthouse brings back many memories for locals.

I also have a color photo of this scene.

Featured in the following FAA Groups:
FAA Gallery Home For All Artists Who Create 1-31-2020
Your Story of Art 2-1-2020
Your Very Best Photography 2-2-2020
New FAA Uploads 2-2-2020
The Niche 2-2-2020
Shadows Silhouettes and Reflections Outdoors 2-4-2020
Daily Promotion 2-4-2020
Photographic Camera Art 2-5-2020
World Landscape Lovers of Art 2-12-2020
Weekly Fun For All Mediums 2-15-2020
Creative Black and White Fine Art Photographs 3-3-2020
ABC Group - M is for Monochrome 3-4-2020
Lighthouse Group 3-20-2020
10 Plus 3-23-2020
Bath and Spa Prints 7-17-2020

Uploaded

January 27th, 2020

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Viewed 496 Times  -  Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/21/2024 at 11:51 PM

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