Big Sable Point Lighthouse

A Cold Morning at Big Sable

Big Sable Light Jan 2007

My dad and I are lucky to be married to very understanding women. Countless times on family outings at the Ludington State Park my dad and I have had to run off and chase the light. On this June evening, I was on a walk with my wife and her parents. Our destination was Big Point Sable. Just after we started out I noticed the light getting good. Betsy noticed my growing agitation, and gave me the go ahead to set off with my camera. Like a dog chasing a tennis ball, I ran as fast as I could from the Beach House to Big Point Sable with my 20-pound camera bag and tripod on my back. The reward was so sweet. Thank you, Betsy (and Debbie), for your patience.

My dad and I are lucky to be married to very understanding women. Countless times on family outings at the Ludington State Park my dad and I have had to run off and chase the light. On this June evening, I was on a walk with my wife and her parents. Our destination was Big Point Sable. Just after we started out I noticed the light getting good. Betsy noticed my growing agitation, and gave me the go ahead to set off with my camera. Like a dog chasing a tennis ball, I ran as fast as I could from the Beach House to Big Point Sable with my 20-pound camera bag and tripod on my back. The reward was so sweet. Thank you, Betsy (and Debbie), for your patience.

At 4:32am this morning my cell phone woke me up with a text alert from my northern lights application Aurora Pro. It indicated that the current KP index over the Ludington area was a level 7. I then looked at the weather application on my phone and it said the skies over Ludington were currently clear. I shot out of bed and rushed to the Ludington State Park. From the top of the second tall dune north of the Beach House, I made this 40-minute exposure of northern lights over the dunes and Lake Michigan. Big Sable Point Lighthouse was also shining bright in the distance. I knew from experience, with a long enough exposure, the stars would appear to move in a circle around the North Star. It was a magical morning all alone on that dune today! Nikon D850. F4 at 2427 seconds, ISO 100. 14-24mm lens at 24mm. On a tripod without a flash. March 20, 2021, at 5:33am.

In photography and in life, getting close to someone or something brings out feelings you have never felt before. That’s the kind of strong feelings I seek when I am fortunate enough to be on the Lake Michigan shoreline with my camera on an evening like this.

In photography and in life, getting close to someone or something brings out feelings you have never felt before. That's the kind of strong feelings I seek when I am fortunate enough to be on the Lake Michigan shoreline with my camera on an evening like this.

The first time I photographed Big Point Sable Lighthouse at night was in 1970. It was an assignment for a photography class at Michigan State University while pursuing a journalism degree. I continue to enjoy hiking to the light, setting up my tripod in the sand, waiting for darkness to fall and the light more than 100 feet overhead to beam forth. The solitude of the 30 to 45 minute walk, in the dark, back to my vehicle makes the photo trek to the lighthouse more gratifying.

Last fall during one of our Picture Perfect Weekend Workshops, I realized that you could see Big Sable Point Lighthouse from the top of the second big dune north of the Beach House at Ludington State Park. I finally made a good photo from that vantage point tonight. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 190 mm

I have not shot many sunrises at Big Sable Point Lighthouse because it is so hard to get to early in the morning, but one of the beauties of the Tuesdays Project is it is forcing us to get out of bed early. As the sun just starts to peek out above the sand dunes, I am filled with excitement and anticipation of what this new day will bring. Life is what you make of it and everyday is a new beginning. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

Sunrise at Big Sable

In the 1980s, high Lake Michigan water levels threatened to undermine Big Point Sable Lighthouse. The Coast Guard erected a planned replacement tower to be ready for the day the light toppled into Lake Michigan. Local lighthouse lovers and construction companies teamed up to repair the steel wall that once protected the light, adding further fortification against the waves. The reinforcement worked; the Coast Guard removed the backup light. Lake Michigan receded, allowing the waves to deposit sand around part of the sea wall. Knowing the potential fate at this light makes me appreciate its presence even more.

In the workshops my dad and I lead, we tell our students not to be afraid of turning their cameras vertically. Some of our favorite photographs we have ever made are vertical images. On this day I took a horizontal photograph and a vertical photograph about 10 seconds apart. The composition in the vertical photograph was the definite winner.

When the quality of light is this extraordinary at Big Sable Point Lighthouse, I have come to realize how breathtaking and beautiful everything looks compared to more ordinary days. I still like the more ordinary days, but I crave mornings like this one!

Fifty-Five Thousand Sunrises

Big Point Sable Lighthouse guides mariners safely past its treacherous shallows as it has since 1867. The famous landmark stands guard at the north end of a C-shaped 35-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline that meanders from Big Point Sable to Little Point Sable. Big Point's tower rises 112 feet from its base to the top of the lamphouse.

Big Sable in Magic Light After Rainbow

Big Sable Lighthouse looks its 140th birthday party best during an anniversary celebration held by the light's amazing crew of volunteer caretakers. The Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers work tirelessly year after year to maintain and restore the lighthouse and attached keepers' quarters. Thousands of visitors each year get to enjoy the fruits of the keepers' labors.

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