The Cape Forchu Lighthouse is situated at the mouth of Yarmouth Harbour. Its Apple Core design sets it apart from the rest of the province.

The original lighthouse was constructed in 1840 and was replaced by this 75-foot octagonal concrete tower, noted for its distinctive wind-resistant apple-core shape.

Like any lighthouse along the rugged North Atlantic shores of Nova Scotia, it has been photographed to oblivion, making it increasingly difficult to capture a unique photograph of the iconic structure.

Living near this location, I have the good fortune to visit at any time I wish, and as it happens, tourists do not tend to wander around at this time of day. Taken well after sunset on an early March evening, I had the area all to myself. The only challenge I faced was the relentless wind, but I had a solution for that.

I filled a large, empty peanut butter container with sand, then hung it from the centre post of my tripod on a chord that reached nearly to the ground. This reduced any vibrations and movement that the wind could have caused.

The next hurdle was timing it so that the light in the tower would appear in the photograph. With a thirty-second exposure, this should not pose a problem. A quick count between rotations followed by clicking the shutter would ensure that the light rotates during the long exposure.

The hardest part about taking this photograph was coping with the cold. That cold, damp wind chills you to the bone.