The Atlantic at First Light

I love photographing sunrise over the Atlantic, and this one has stayed with me.  

Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse sits on a series of rocky outcrops that caused multiple shipwrecks before the light was constructed in 1905. Guarding the northern edge of the shipping channel into Portland Harbor, it’s one of the few lighthouses designed with the keeper’s quarters inside the tower itself.  

The tides usually submerge the ledges and base of the tower, leaving them exposed for only a few hours each day. Standing there, watching the water rise and fall enveloping the lighthouse, I was aware of how temporary everything felt—the light, the calm, even the ground beneath it.

For a brief moment, as the sun broke the horizon, it felt as though the lighthouse was welcoming the day, embodying its quiet work in the harbor once again.