Pt. Fermin Lighthouse Youth T-Shirt

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A high contrast black and white image of the Point Fermin Lighthouse, San Pedro, California.

Built in 1874 with lumber from California redwoods and a Fresnel Lens brought around Cape Horn by sailing ships. For its time, this Victorian lighthouse was a palatial structure, crowned with a cupola fitted with a 2,100-candlepower light. Miss Mary L. Smith, the first, lighthouse keeper, lived with her sister, but they gave up the lonely occupation because there were no other settlers nearer than Wilmington. In the 1880’s, when Captain George Shaw was keeper, the lighthouse was the scene of many parties.
In 1898, a petroleum vapor incandescent lamp was installed; then, in 1925, a new 6,600 candlepower electric light which projected a beam 22 miles out to sea. Because it did not have a fog-signalling apparatus, it was a one-keeper station until 1941 when all coastal lights were extinguished as protection against enemy attacks. The lens lantern and gallery were replaced by an ugly l...

As a kid I was fascinated with photographs. Look. Life magazine. National Geographic. That well-captured interplay of light and shadow...the notion of people, places and moments - all suspended in time. My first "real" camera was a Minolta Srt101. I was seduced. As a teenager, I learned to develop film while working at Wyle Laboratories in El Segundo. I still recall the smell of the developer, my eyes adjusting to the red filter light, and the sheer magic and delight of watching images begin to emerge. Life, family and a career as a teacher and psychologist intervened, not to mention a few more film cameras. Eventually, there was digital. Liberation! Photography is the creative medium that has allowed me to share personal ...