Checking the battery life while photographing The Nubble.

Just a few short years ago, in what almost seems another lifetime now, I had the joy of seeing my first lighthouse. That day, and the very moment I saw the lighthouse is forever embedded in my memory. The lighthouse was Portland Headlight on the closed Fort Williams Army Base in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Many times since I’ve returned to see her as she stands tall in her majesty protecting the maritime traffic from disaster.

Since that day it has been both my pleasure and my privilege to travel and photograph approximately 80 lighthouses along the East Coast of the United States, from as far north as Bar Harbor, Maine, to as far south as Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Each new lighthouse renews my love of lighthouses, and each new lighthouse I visit has its own story waiting to be told. Many times I will be sharing their story with you, and facts about them such as their height, year built, type of lens and other tidbits any lighthouse enthusiast will enjoy reading.

As I blog here I’ll be sharing some of my adventures while photographing lighthouses, and sharing stories about many of them. I’ll also talk about lighthouses needing repair, what you can do to help and why you may want to help if you’re able. And I’ll share lighthouse events I’m able to attend with you as well. As I learn of events at lighthouses, I’ll also try to post information about them in advance so if you’re close you can attend should you desire to do so.

I’ll also be sharing the history of some of the lighthouses I’ll be blogging about with you, and offering photos of them for you to download. Then sometime next year I’ll be producing a DVD, which I’ll be personally narrating, that will include my favorite lighthouse photographs and make it available for purchase here. A portion of the proceeds will go for lighthouse restoration projects, and of course some will go to fund future lighthouse hunting and photographing travels.

Hopefully, you the reader, will come to see lighthouses through my eyes and learn to enjoy their beauty. For the reader who already has a love of these marvelous structures, this is your opportunity to comment here on the blog about the lighthouses you and I have both visited and share your experiences with all of us here. My hope is you will learn an appreciation of lighthouses and the role they have played in our history.

And for the most discriminating readers, I’ll also share information on lighthouse keepers and their experiences as they recorded them. Without the brave men and women who served as lighthouse keepers our history would be quite different, and maritime travel would have been much more dangerous. It is to the bravery and memory of each and every lighthouse keeper, both living and dead, that I dedicate this portion of whoisroyharper.com .