Frankfort Beach view of Frankfort North Pier Head Lighthouse

This image was taken north on Frankfort Beach just beyond the main clump of dune grass, overlooking the Frankfort Harbor. Park at any open spot at the end of Main Street and begin your trek north on the beach. Your position may be slightly different depending on the day you visit, but look to line the sun directly behind the lighthouse.

January and February are the best months to align the lighthouse with the setting sun while also incorporating the Elberta pier in the shot. Similar images can be achieved outside this time of the year, but the snow fences will be down, and the snow and sand mix is unlikely to be the same.

This image was taken just after sunset, which is when the sun is best at uplighting the low clouds. Be sure to wait for the lighthouse to come on, and for a few minutes after actual sunset for the best color.

This wide image is the result of images stitched into a panorama (5 wide, 2 tall shot in portrait orientation) in a post edit.

Shooting with an 80mm focal length and a f/4.5 aperture will result in an expansive image with a shallow depth of field. A similar composition can be captured with a wider lens, but the depth of field will be deeper.

Make sure your tripod is level so that you can align the images in post, and overlap about 1/3 of each image.

Point Betsie Lighthouse is a short drive north of Frankfort. It's also a sunset-worthy destination, but I often prefer to visit during golden hour and then travel to Frankfort for a sunset opportunity.