I’m sure most of you have seen the photograph of a guy standing on what looks like a lighthouse while huge waves crash all around him. It looks like the one that hit the lighthouse as the picture was snapped could have swept the guy away (as evidenced by the water on the deck that the guy’s standing on).
Anyway, who is this guy, where is this lighthouse, why the hell was he standing on it in such a violent storm, who shot the picture, etc. etc. etc.???
IOW, can anyone tell me more about this picture?
TIA
Blake
May 3, 2004, 11:58pm
2
For those who don’t know this is the photograph in question although there are several others in the same series.
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/stores/art/guichard/guichard_biography.htm
For the first time ever in the United States, the famous French photographer, Jean Guichard, will be making a personal appearance to autograph his world famous lighthouse prints.
"He is best known for his explosive ‘Wave’ photograph of a lighthouse, off the coast of Brittany, France, showing a keeper at the door about to be engulfed by a titanic wave. The photograph is truly one of the most recognizable lighthouse photographs in the world. When first seeing the famous photograph, most people assume that the lighthouse keeper must have been killed.
"In fact, the keepers had been living in fear of death during the 1989 storm and at one point had taken refuge in the lantern room of the tower. Waves the night before had smashed through the lower windows of the tower, causing the structure to flood, washing away everything in its path including the television, table, chairs, coffee maker and even the refrigerator. The keepers in fact were waiting to be rescued by helicopter.
"As Jean Guichard’s helicopter approached the tower he was unaware that the keepers were waiting for a rescue helicopter. Guichard was simply there to take photographs of the waves pounding the structure. The keepers heard the sound of the helicopter and naturally assumed it was the rescue helicopter. One of the keepers opened the lower door of the structure and as he looked up at the helicopter and realized that it was not the rescue chopper, he also realized that a giant wave was about to engulf the tower. He immediately turned about and pulled the door closed behind him. Had he not done so at that second, he surely would have been killed. While all this was happening, Jean Guichard was busy taking photographs as fast as he could click the camera, thus capturing on film the most dramatic action shots ever taken at a lighthouse.
You kidding, I thought that guy was just out having a smoke
I could’ve sworn that photo was fake.
It looks totally fake to me.
Ross
May 5, 2004, 12:35am
6
That’s what the internet has done to us. FOR SHAAAAME!
No picture can be discussed in a SD thread with out somebody saying it looks totally fake.
Wooo, that post looks totally fake to me.
I have that photo framed and sitting over my bed. Why over the bed? Take a look at it again.
