One of the most photographed landmarks in Minnesota and also one of the most photographed lighthouses in North America is located 20 miles northeast of the town of Two Harbors on Highway 61 on the beautiful Minnesota North Shore . The Split Rock Lighthouse started operation in 1909 and for 59 years the lighthouse keepers warned ships of weather situations on Lake Superior , which is well known for fog and treacherous winds. In 1971 the Federal Government deeded the land and lighthouse back to the State of Minnesota . In 1976 the Minnesota Historical Society operated the lighthouse for north shore visitors and shortly after that it was designated as a Minnesota State Park .

If I had to choose only one State Park to photograph while visiting Minnesota , I could only narrow it down to three with Split Rock being one of them. My other choices would be Itasca State Park with the Headwaters of the Mississippi , and Tettegouche State Park located on the North Shore a short distance north of Split Rock State Park . Tettegouche is one of the most scenic rivers anywhere to photograph especially in the fall. Split Rock State Park has many photogenic possibilities.  Hiking along the Split Rock River will give the photographer many different type compositions not only the winding river, but the abundance of birch and maples allow a photographer to use their creative mind. Hiking along the lake will also allow many different compositions of the rugged shoreline. Of course the whitetail deer, birds and even an occasional black bear may offer possibilities. And yes, there are wolves in this area but the photo opportunities are rare.  Just to catch a glimpse of this elusive animal should be considered a treat all by itself. But without a doubt what draws most visitors and photographers to this State Park is the Lighthouse. With the very unique lighthouse built on solid rock at the very edge of a cliff, it is a photographer’s dream come true. All a photographer has to do is to work with the light and your composition, because the lighthouse is very co-operative.

I have photographed Split Rock Lighthouse during every season of the year and under various weather conditions, but one of my quests has always been to photograph this very photogenic location under a winter full moon.  Winter is when the moon will position itself close to the lighthouse as it rises. Usually the months from December to March will be the best time as at other times of the year the moon is located too far away from the lighthouse. But this has been a long time challenge for me and I feel to capture the full moon a photographer has two days. The day before the full moon, granted it is not really at “full moon phase” yet, but you would never be able to notice that on your image, and of course the evening of the full moon. The reason I like these two days is because the moon rise is close to when the sun sets and this allows me to not only capture the moon, but also to have some light to work with on the landscape. But it does depend on what a photographer wants in their image. For over 20 years I have been after this image. So why has it taken so long? Well, sometimes the full moon is during the week and my day job prevented me from traveling north.  If it was on a week-end clouds seem to roll in or a storm was brewing on Lake Superior . All though I did capture some images with the full moon, my best so far was taken last year.  My only problem was that we had a very warm winter by Minnesota standards and the lake never did freeze. I think ice on the lake adds tremendous impact to a winter image. So that of course if just another excuse to allow me to go back this winter during full moon to try and capture more images.

There are three locations to photograph the lighthouse during a winter full moon.  One is by the “fog house” which is closest to the lighthouse, another would be following the shoreline towards the island. That is where this image was taken. The other location is the pull-off right off highway 61 when heading north. However photographing in and around the Minnesota North Shore with its many state parks and other public lands, a photographer can never go wrong.  But if in the area be sure to stop at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park . You will not regret it.

Good Shooting

Image Technical Data

Camera: Nikon D100
Lens: Nikon 70-200mm @100mm
Metering: Matrix
Exposure Value: +1/3
Aperture: F-22
Shutter: 1/6 second
ISO: 320
White Balance: Cloudy
Tripod: Gitzo 1548
Ballhead: Arca Swiss B1