USA Stars and Lights: A Lighthouse Project

Photography and lighthouses came of age in America at about the same time in the 1800s. Yet, because of film’s limitations, photographing a bright beacon juxtaposed with a dark, star-filled sky was nearly impossible. Not until the early 2000s was the photographer able to capture lighthouses when they perform their most important work: at night.

David Zapatka has been a lifelong amateur still photographer, a hobby he kept active with during a 40-year career as a television news video cameraman. He’s also a lighthouse preservationist and remains the president of a historical tower on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.

In 2013 David began photographing local lighthouses at night, and soon turned his camera to those throughout New England and beyond. In 2018, the United States Lighthouse Society adopted his project: USA Stars & Lights records not only intricate details of our country’s historical beacons, but spectacular star-filled skies in beautiful seaside locations as well.

In this presentation, David will talk of the trials and hardships he regularly must overcome to photograph the country’s lighthouses as never before. He’ll discuss his research and preparation, and will share some of his personal tools, including the use of his custom 20-foot tripod (you read that right!) that he launches off boats to capture images never previously attempted.