Dave Thompsen Photography

Tag: Cape Cod

  • Highland Lighthouse

    Highland Lighthouse

    Highland Lighthouse

    The Highland Lighthouse is located on outer Cape Cod in Truro, Massachusetts, providing a beacon for mariners on the North Atlantic. In 1996, the 66-foot tall brick structure had to be moved away from the eroding clay cliffs common in this area. On this day in June 2023, purple flowers and weathered fence rails frame the lighthouse under gray overcast skies. Visitors to this National Park Service site can climb the stairs to admire the view of the seashore.

    This photograph uses a High-Dynamic Range (HDR) technique and artistic software filters to impart a painterly appearance.

  • Footsteps in the Dunes

    Footsteps in the Dunes

    Footsteps in the Dunes

    The sand dunes along Race Point beach at the tip of Cape Cod are beautiful, with green dune grasses separated by sandy depressions. Here footsteps lead up the dune face. An expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean spreads out from this vantage point.

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

  • Tugboat Independence

    Tugboat Independence

    An artistic photograph of the tugboat Independence moored at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
    Tugboat Independence

    The tugboat Independence moored in the Cape Cod Canal. Buildings and the training ship of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy are seen in the background.

    The Independence was built in 2009 by the Derektor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It measures 127′ long and generates 5,400 horsepower from its twin sixteen-cylinder diesel engines. For safety, tugboats generally have two of everything.

    Approximately 15,000 vessels use the 7-mile long canal annually. It takes and hour and a half to transit, a much shorter journey than going around the tip of Cape Cod. The majority of the cargo is petroleum products like gasoline and fuel oil carried in long barges that are towed or pushed through the canal, with the assistance of a second tugboat to ensure safe passage.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. I also processed the image to remove the color in all parts of the image except for the tugboat and water, making it stand out more clearly among the dense array of shapes of the academy buildings and ship in the background. Prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Old Harbor Life-Saving Station

    Old Harbor Life-Saving Station

    A photograph of the old life-saving station and surrounding sand dunes at Race Point in Cape Cod.
    Old Harbor Life-Saving Station

    Surrounded by sand dunes and ocean, the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station Museum chronicles the history of the United States Lifesaving Service, a government agency chartered to patrol the coastline and save victims (and cargo!) of shipwrecks.

    Created in 1871, this agency utilized stations such as the one in the picture to base operations for these life-saving duties. This building was actually built in Chatham, Massachusetts in 1898, one of thirteen stations along Cape Cod’s ocean-side beaches. It was moved to this location on Race Point in 1977 and now serves as a museum. When in operation, crews kept watch for ships in distress, ready to use surfboats, breeches buoys, and other apparatus to save shipwrecked sailors and passengers.

    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.