In 1993 the Southeast Lighthouse was moved 300 feet back from the bluff. During the move the light, which floated in mercury, was replaced by a light from the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. This photograph was taken at dawn on the last night the old light was on and from the original place the light was built.

I was working at the Yellow Kittens that night. The staff and I cleaned up the bar and were relaxing when someone said that we should go the light because it was the last night. When we arrived, someone produced a key to the tower. There were about ten of us and we went up to the top and enjoyed the view. When the crew went off to another adventure I stayed behind. I went to my car and took out my camera. I did not have a tripod with me. This made shooting in the predawn light difficult. Most of the shots that night were a total failure. But I held steady for this one. When the sun broke the horizon the light from the tower was no longer visible. I went home to bed.

I did not know until months later when I returned to my mainland darkroom that the photo had worked. That is the way it was back then without the instantaneous digital technology. The printing process was a very different experience. There was much more excitement and discovery in the process. I still love the printing part of photography. These days it is quicker, more consistent and the results are better. Errors are fixable with Photoshop. But it does not have that sense of total satisfaction of bringing together multiple specialized skill sets to produce something that is totally unique and special. Progress!