Notes on Kite Aerial Photography: Photo Gallery
A close
view of the lighthouse's handsome fresnel lens (25K jpg, Canon 24-mm, August 1997).
The original
lens room, but not the building below it, was moved from the 1855 cliff-top site to
its current location in 1877. The former site was near the radar tower shown in a previous gallery page. This original
site, a breath-taking 306 feet above the sea, was chosen for the lighthouse by the 12th
District Lighthouse Inspector, Campbell Graham. On the East Coast, taller sites were
better sites for lighthouses. However, this rule of thumb didn't fit the West Coast where
taller means foggier. By the 1860s, the local fog pattern had been discovered. At 300 feet
above sea level, the lighthouse was often covered by high fog so dense that its lens was
invisible from the straights below.
The lens room contains the second-order, French-built lens
with a "fixed" characteristic (light was on constantly, no flashes). The lens
was purchased in Paris for $7,000. A lighthouse is often identified by a unique pattern of
light flashes, separated by periods of dark. But in 1855, Point Bonita's light was unique
to the area so there was no need to distinguish it from other lights. That came
latter for this light. Point Bonita shares a feature with the Frallon Island light, both
have iron gargoyles in the form of American eagles at each of the rain spouts.
The suspension bridge (41K jpg each, Canon 15-mm left and Canon 24-mm right, August 1997).
These views of the suspension bridge sport a fine, midday color scheme of grey, ochre, and deep blue. Below you can sense the change in character between the ocean side and the calmer waters of the straight. The Park Service limits the bridge to five pedestrians at a time.
The end of
Pt. Bonita separating Pacific Ocean surf from calmer waters (29K jpg, Canon 24-mm, August
1997).
More shots of the connecting suspension bridge (42K jpg left and 46K jpg right, Canon 24-mm, August 1997).
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All rights reserved. Revised: Saturday, October 06, 2001
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