The New York Institute of Photography is one of the world’s largest photography schools and because we are, we often publish fun and useful photography tips on our photography blog. Please enjoy!
Lighthouses are a terrific way to add visual interest to your seaside compositions. Some feature colorful paint schemes, while others boast spiraling patterns in black and white. Each structure is unique, making them fun to discover and photograph. In the United States alone, there are approximately 700 active lighthouses. Of course there are hundreds more throughout the world. The placement of your lighthouse will make a big impact to the overall success of the photo. Rather than simply centering the subject, I found the rule of thirds to be more effective. While you're exploring different options, be sure to try shooting in horizontal and vertical orientation as well.
While an actual anchor isn't necessary, look for objects that can be used in the foreground. When you add visual interest at the bottom of the frame, it strengthens the entire composition. This can be a man made element like the example below, or a natural resource such as wildflowers. If something of interest isn't immediately evident, be sure to walk around the entire structure. Get down low to check for unique angles that might have gone by unnoticed. To keep everything sharp, you'll want to achieve great depth of field with an aperture around f11.
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