Hillsboro Lighthouse
Just north of Pompano Beach in Florida, sitting on the Atlantic Ocean, is the Hillsboro Lighthouse.
This lighthouse, seen here at dawn, is still in service and is considered one of the brightest lights in southeast United States. From sea, this lighthouse can be seen almost halfway to the Bahamas.
I visited the lighthouse and the corresponding harbor in early morning – about a half hour prior to sunrise. This time of morning provides deep blue skies with clouds that have a tinge of orange as the sun begins to rise over the horizon.
Fishing Boat
The lighthouse is on the point of the Hillsboro Inlet, a small inlet that’s home to a number of fishing charters and private boats.
This picture shows one of the fishing boats leaving the harbor before sunrise – heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. Fisherman abound in the early morning hours, with fishing boats constantly leaving the harbor. The boats are not the only way to fish, however, as many of the fishermen take positions on the docks surrounding the harbor.
Normally, part of the enjoyment of getting up early is the silence and the solitude as I take in what nature has to provide – in this case however, the harbor was busy with lots of activity – along with the sounds of the boats heading out to sea. For the larger boats, a drawbridge separates the marina from the ocean, and in the early morning it’s busy as well.
Hillsboro Inlet
This picture shows some of the houses and condos that populate one side of the harbor.
The view is from a small city park that is nestled between the main road and the harbor. What I like about this photo is the early morning light as it’s reflected on the posts of the piers.
However, my biggest challenge on this photo session was not getting up before dawn to get to the park, it was the high humidity, and the impact that had on my camera lens.
Hillsboro Lighthouse
This last picture to the right is actually one of the first photos I took – while it looks like a foggy morning, it’s really the condensation that formed in my camera lens.
The camera took quite a while to acclimate to the humidity, so it was good that I arrived as early as I did.
Keep this in mind if you take any photos where there is such a wide discrepancy in humidity between where the camera is stored and where the photos are being taken.
And if you’re in the Ft. Lauderdale area, check out the Hillsboro Lighthouse!
