"Before the dawn, when the sea is calm and the sky is clear, life slows down to just that moment in time; all the world seems somehow connected, and makes sense to me." Philip Culbertson
Of the five N.C. lighthouses on the Outer Banks, the smallest and least conspicuous one is my favorite. The Roanoke Marshes Light may be found in downtown Manteo between Bodie Island and Nags Head, N.C. The lighthouse guards the Croatan Sound and is still used today by fishing boats and pleasure craft passing through the sound. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is a screw-pile lighthouse. An ingenious designer in the 1800's determined a new way to sink the structure's pilings into the soft bottom of the sound. Instead of attempting to drive the piles, he attached an auger-type attachment to each pile that could be turned via a large crank from above causing the pile to pull itself deeper into the sandy bottom. In essence, the piles were screwed into the sand and mud.
The Roanoke Marshes Light was built in 1877 but was destroyed several times by storms, soldiers during the civil war, decay, and errant boats that collided with the structure. One of the lighthouses even sank while being relocated. In 1955, the structure was falling apart once again and the lighthouse was decommissioned. Near the end of the twentieth century, the decision was made to rebuild the lighthouse and that building along with its Fresnel lens is what we see today. The lighthouse is lit every night and is still used as a navigation aid by boats traveling through the sound to port. The lighthouse is also used as a popular wedding venue and town attraction in Manteo. The lighthouse is only 37 feet tall but what it lacks in height, I think it makes up for in photogenic personality.
About this shot: This shot was taken at 6:07 A.M. during blue hour. Sunrise was to be at 6:39 A.M. that day. I drove from Kill Devil Hills to Manteo around 5:00 A.M. I found the lighthouse, scouted the area where I expected the sunrise and selected a location to set up my camera. I liked the walkway lights and reflections in the water and wanted to get the lighthouse photograph while the light was still on. I shot more images up to about an hour after sunrise but this one was my favorite.
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nikor 24-120/F4 lens
Tripod: Sirui W2204 Carbon Fiber with Sirui Ball Head
Aperture: F8
Focal Length: 55 mm
Shutter Speed: 8 Seconds
ISO: 64, my lowest native ISO
Filters: None used