Dave Thompsen Photography

Category: Lighthouses

  • Sailing Past Fort Constitution

    Sailing Past Fort Constitution

    Sailing Past Fort Constitution

    The gundalow boat Piscataqua sails past Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire. The Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse is to the left, the lighthouse keeper’s house is the white building with the red roof. The large building in the background is the former Portsmouth Naval Prison, built like a castle on the current grounds of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The image was captured from Fort Foster across the harbor in Kittery, Maine.

    This image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Portland Head Light

    Portland Head Light

    A photograph of Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
    Portland Head Lighthouse

    Portland Head Light overlooks Casco Bay at Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Surrounded by beautiful grounds of Fort Williams Park, it is often the site of weddings and attracts lighthouse-lovers, sightseers, and harbor cruise boats. First lit in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. It stands 101 feet tall and its fourth order Fresnel lens has a range of 24 nautical miles. I captured this image while on a cruise of Casco Bay out of Portland.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Portsmouth Harbor Light at Sunrise

    Portsmouth Harbor Light at Sunrise

    A photograph of the Portsmouth Lighthouse on the coast of New Hampshire.
    Portsmouth Harbor Light at Sunrise

    Taken during an early springtime morning in New Hampshire, this image of Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse shows the trees just starting to leaf out in the background. Although the vantage point is Great Island Common in New Castle a half-mile away, a telephoto lens in concert with a tight image crop pulls in the houses across the harbor in Kittery, Maine.

    This is the only lighthouse along the New Hampshire seacoast located on the mainland. The original wooden lighthouse was established in 1771, and replaced in 1878 by the current 48-foot cast-iron, brick-lined tower. It is still an active navigational aid outfitted with a fourth order Fresnel lens made of green acrylic, visible for 12 miles.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance.

    The photograph was inspired by the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse postage stamp (Scott #4792), part of the New England Lighthouses series issued in 2013.

    Image of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse USPS postage stamp
    Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse USPS postage stamp
  • New Castle Sunrise

    New Castle Sunrise

    A photograph of early dawn at New Castle Common, NH with a view of the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse.
    New Castle Sunrise

    A shapely tree stands in silhouette during an early summer morning at the Great Island Common park in New Castle, New Hampshire. The Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse stands watch in the distance.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Whaleback Light at Sunrise

    Whaleback Light at Sunrise

    A silhouette photograph of Whaleback Lighthouse at sunrise in Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire.
    Whaleback Light at Sunrise

    Whaleback light stands in silhouette with exposed rocks in the shadows of the rising sun. Taken from Great Island Common in New Castle, New Hampshire, this lighthouse is located on a small island in Kittery Maine at the entrance to Portsmouth harbor. Established in 1820, it has been rebuilt several times and now sends its beam from a modern, high-powered LED light. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was recently acquired by the American Lighthouse Foundation.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; limited edition prints are available from my Etsy shop.