Author: Ken Brown
After an amazing adventure, it was time to leave Acadia. However even on our way back to Portland we found time for one more shoot !
Just past the large town (ha) of Damariscotta, Maine lies the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. It was commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1827, and is just a marvel to behold. It has one of only six Fresnel Lenses still in service in Maine, and shows itself well when lit.
This particular lighthouse also enables and invites many different points of view for the photographer. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in trying to shoot what we consider the perfect composition that we don’t move. It is almost as if our tripods become immovable objects, like the 400+ million year old “rock” that this Lighthouse sits on. But please remember to pick up your tripod and move !!
There are so many great ways to view this lighthouse that can be captured from all sides. No, one composition, is right or wrong and many are striking. Here are just a few…
Also once you have several compositions, you can do something fun/cool and even create your own Poster…

Never get stuck in a rut, in this case literally and figuratively. Move around and explore multiple compositions. Yes, work to make sure you’ve captured your vision for the shoot, but remember that you don’t need 1000 snaps of the same view !! This Lighthouse provides an excellent lesson on why it’s important to explore multiple points of view. You might find something you hadn’t expected if you look at your subject a different way.
Ken Brown is a trip leader with Arizona Highways Photo Workshops.