Portland Head Photo

Photographer’s Note

The history of this light is from the web site of the Portland Lighthouse itself. I can attest that it is a wonderfully photographic and inspiring place. It would be easy enough to spend an entire day here watching the light on the sea and the rocks, especially if the weather was a bit kicked up.

Portland, which was known as Falmouth until 1786, was America's sixth busiest port by the 1790s. Even so, Maine had no lighthouses when 74 merchants petitioned the Massachusetts government (Maine was part of Massachusetts at the time) in 1784 for a light to mark the entrance to Portland Harbor. The deaths of two people in a 1787 shipwreck at Bangs (now Cushing) Island near Portland Head finally led to the appropriation of $750 for a lighthouse.

The project was delayed by insufficient funds, and construction didn't progress until 1790 when Congress appropriated an additional $1,500, after the nation's lighthouses had been ceded to the federal government.

The stone lighthouse was built by local masons Jonathan Bryant and John Nichols. The original plan was for a 58-foot tower, but when it was realized that the light would be blocked from the south it was decided to make the tower 72 feet in height instead. Bryant resigned over the change, and Nichols finished the lighthouse in January 1791.

President George Washington appointed Capt. Joseph Greenleaf, a Revolutionary War veteran, to be the first keeper. At first, Greenleaf received no salary as keeper; his payment was the right to fish and farm and to live in the keeper's house. In 1793, officials decided to pay Greenleaf an annual salary of $160.

Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who was born in Portland, was a frequent visitor in his younger years. Longfellow's poem "The Lighthouse" was probably inspired by his many hours at Portland Head Light.

dareco, GUYOFF, mikolaj_kawa, meltemi, Floydian, Didi, AROBN54, fulvio52, amaryllis, angela926, gunbud, Longroute, avene, Royaldevon, diverdown, pboehringer, zmey, salvator has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dareco (17104) 2008-04-27 9:02

Perfect!!! A beautiful scene and the pov is excellent. Very good color and lighting. Such a beautiful place!!! TFS

GUYOFF (893) 2008-04-27 9:13

Hi there

Lovely picture here, the blu one is really wonderfull, frame and compostion are really good.....

Great picture...really !

GUY

mikolaj_kawa (29755) 2008-04-27 9:21

Hello Greg! Wonderful seascape. Nice lighthouse. Very good colors. Original capture. Nice picture. Well done!

meltemi (9746) 2008-04-27 9:21

Hello Greg,
the good viewpoint you've chosen and the very saturated blue sky give the lighthouse an almost 3D look.
Excellent composition and colour. Perfect lighting. Very good job.
All the best.
Stella

Floydian (30970) 2008-04-27 9:32

Hi Greg,
Beuatiful surrounding, in this crisp and bright image, wish i stood here beside you. That lighthouse is wonderful, but also those red roofs which make the colour in the image in combination with two tones of blue...the sky and ocean...wonderful.
Regards, henk
p.s.
Horizon is not straight....easy to correct.

Budapestman (41530) 2008-04-27 10:07

Hi Greg,
Picturesque shot with fabled atmosphere. The colours are beautiful and the composition is excellent. I like the romantic environment, POV is superb. Congratulations, Have a nice Sunday
George

brants (251) 2008-04-27 10:29

I like lighthouses a lot! And this is a very nice photo with great composition and colors!

azleader (6) 2008-04-27 12:11

Beautiful capture, well framed with good color and post processed very nicely.

Great note except for one small detail... this isn't Portland!

THIS is Portland:
Portland

;) ;)

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-04-27 12:56

Wonderful view, Greg.
Great light, great colors, great compo.
I love lighthouses, and this is most certainly a VERY cool one.
Cheers!
Fulvio.

amaryllis (17315) 2008-04-27 13:05

bonjour,
une tres belle photo de ce phare avec une mer tranquille, un ciel bleu, une lumière douce sur les rochers et j'aime ce cadrage avec les maisons à droite aux toits rouges
juliette

bracasha75 (21936) 2008-04-27 13:47

Hi Greg
Wonderful lighthouse and good position of your pic. make.
The USA have many beauty place like this one.
Best regards,Bratislav

sevy (13240) 2008-04-27 17:42

Hello Greg,

Very nice shot. This lighthouse is really attractive with its shapes and the houses with red roofs. The lightning, I suppose from end of the day, allowed to drawn smooth and delicate colors on both the lighthouse but also on the sea and the no clouds sky.
This place should be worth to be seen.

Yves.

angela926 (1882) 2008-04-27 18:45

Hello Greg,
Fantastic scene, beautiful vivid colors, nice contrast and very good clarity, excellent composition and point of view, superb sharpness and depth of field, nice textures in the rocks.
Angela

gunbud (27755) 2008-04-27 20:47

Hi Greg,
You caught this famous lighthouse in genergous lighting that bring out all its wonderful details. The colors are brilliantly vivid with exceptional details and sharpness to the rocks, surf, tower and roof. The sky makes the perfect backdrop for this georgeous scene.
Regards, Tom

Vanessa132 (1840) 2008-04-28 1:44

Hi Greg,
beautiful lighthouse surrounded by the houses with the colorful red roofs.Good POV and colors!
TFS
Vanessa

Didi (35928) 2008-04-28 2:44

Hi Greg
Very nice marina; the place looks great.
Perhaps we shall see one day the firehouse on lights in the twilight.
Greeting from Didi1948

Longroute (9149) 2008-04-28 2:50

Ah, the Portland Head lighthouse!
I have seen so many pictures about it, I've got it even in my calendar!
Truly this one is one of the best.
As ever with you: good saturated colours makes the whole image so vivid and real.
I'm a lover of lighthouses: I'd like to have that in my desktop.
My best compliments,
Donato

amstel (2239) 2008-04-28 4:47

Hi Greg,

Those lighthouses are somehow romantic. Very well seen contrast between the sky and waters and the white structure. Those red roofs add to the perfect composition as well.
Lovely place,

Cheers

Juntas (3135) 2008-04-28 6:58

Hi Greg. What a wonderful landscape. Very nice colors o the sea and roofs and very well exposed. Congrats. Paulo.

jonathan_hart (22570) 2008-04-28 9:42

excellent exposure and well framed, the scenery is a beauty
regards
jo

Royaldevon (5888) 2008-04-28 11:53

Hello Greg,

I'm sure I have seen this before but from a different pov.
It is tall and important, and is beautifully framed by the blue of the sea and sky!
Perfectly placed, off-centre where the eyes can absorb both itself and the neighbouring, red-roofed buildings before following the line of the rocks out to sea! A very pleasing composition!

Kind regards,
Bev :-)
p.s. Interesting notes, my friend!

avene (10938) 2008-04-29 11:59

the difficulties our internet provider is experiencing right now means this is the third time I'm trying to write a comment here. but I'm determined to succeed, so here it goes :)

I don't think it can get more "picture-perfect" than this - blue sky, red roofs, warm light on the stones, white lighthouse. I like a lot how clear the photo is, every detail crisp and sharp, that's how the ocean breeze usually feels. very nice work, Greg, my compliments.

with best regards,
Kristine

diverdown (35) 2008-04-30 13:48

Greg,
Nice asymetrical shot, as if to say this is what the lighthouse sees instead of using it as the center of the photo. nice and vibrant as always.

Nathan

anes_lc (14762) 2008-04-30 13:50

a postcard :) one that make me take the first plane to see this beautiful place
great shot ,well framed and great colours
thanks sharing
anes

pboehringer (770) 2008-05-01 7:16

Greg,
what a suprise. First you posted a lot of shots of historic New England and all of the sudden you show up in one of the youngest states - Oregon. A turbo moment from one coast to the other.
Absolutely perfect light conditions rendering perfect colors and contrast. The composition with the lighthouse very off center couldn't be better.
Peter

ekinokswest (2974) 2008-05-03 15:13

every lighthouse photo is interesting but this one is far better than many I have seen despite 230 years of history it looks as if built so new . and surrounding area is covered by big rocks, if it was only the lighthouse it would be average but there are many objects to witness here along with it.

zmey (7244) 2008-05-09 5:32

hello greg

not sure how i missed this one. i guess, i thought about commenting and then forgot... elegant and balanced this one is, my friend. excellent light, excellent color treatment creating warm, soothing ambience. i like it i a lot!

regards,
kristaps

mikele_pl (2304) 2008-05-14 12:26

Hi Greg,
this is a cool landscape photo. Composition and light are very impressive. Colours are warm and pleasant. A very calming picture indeed. Well done!
Cheers
Michal

salvator (18763) 2008-06-04 3:11

Hi Greg,
Wonderful scenery and superb sharpness and details. The blue of the sky and sea, the white of the lighthouse and the adjacent house with the red roof look superb.
I did spend much time in and around Durham N.H, which I enjoyed a lot, but have really wasted my old photos which I took with a point and shoot. What a pity.
best regards. Salvator.

rozy975 (3047) 2008-06-14 13:59

Beautiful scenery!
I love the composition with the lighthouse and its attached buuilding and rough sea.
Lovely.
Well done!

Charo (31665) 2009-05-17 13:27

Hello Greg,
This beautiful postcard of the lighthouse and houses that surround it. The light is superb and excellent detail. A place that conveys a lot of peace and quiet.
Best wishes,
Charo

mafegan (4107) 2009-07-17 5:26

Hello Greg
This scene is close to perfect. Composition is excellent, colours brilliant and so sharp. However there is a very slight ccw tilt. Tfs, Marlene