Every 10th of November, Split Rock Lighthouse's beacon, as most Split Rock aficionados know, is lighted in memorial of the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Great Lakes ore freighter that became a victim of Lake Superior's wrath on that day in 1975. All 29 aboard were never seen again.

I've stood on these shores on many a November 10th evenings in recent years and the weather on this year's anniversary most closely resembled what I imagine the conditions were like on that fateful day in 1975. Cold, wind-blown rain and mist accompanied several foot rollers crashing into the rocky shore.

Photographing in these conditions is, not surprisingly, also difficult. In between the inevitable episodes of cold mist gathering on the front of my lens, I managed to capture the rare combination of a lighted Split Rock and a rough Lake Superior.

"October Gale"

When I am making photographs on the North Shore in early October, my usual and primary concern is capturing the ephemeral beauty of the northern autumn.

On the afternoon of October 4th, my attention was abruptly shifted to Lake Superior's rapidly changing mood. In a matter of hours, calm waters were transformed into a fury of several-foot rollers brought on by gale-force winds in the range of 40-50 miles per hour. Winds from the southwest meant areas near Grand Marais were experiencing the brunt of this force due to the southerly-facing shoreline. Standing on the rocky shore and pummeled by spray from the violent breakers crashing ashore, I felt an incredible amount of exhilaration, being so close to Superior's wrath, as I made several exposures with my mostly plastic bag-wrapped camera.

"Lighthouse Breaker"

A few of the breakers even reached heights above Grand Marais' breakwall lighthouse. On a typical day, people can be found standing next to this lighthouse. That was not an option that afternoon.

"Stormy Evening" - Artist's Point

The stormy conditions continued that evening and into the night. As evening approached, a bit of sunshine filtered through the clouds in the distance, making for one of the most memorable scenes of the day.