BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

Eldred Rock, Alaska Photography is about illuminating a passion for something and fixing it forever in a flash.

Photographers Christine and Thomas Cardaci call themselves the lighthouse hunters. They have been seeking out lighthouses and shooting them for the past nine years.

"Our love for the 'lights' first began while we were vacationing in Nova Scotia, Canada. At that time, we only saw a few lighthouses, but it sparked such an interest that we turned it into our obsession," Christine said.

The couple, who live in Highlands, went on their first official lighthouse trip to Canada back in 1997. Since then, they have tried to see as many of the sentinels as they can during their trips.

"We both love the outdoors and love to travel to places we've never been before," she said.

Christine said it takes months to plan the couple's lighthouse-hunting vacations because they are on the move the whole trip.

"There is no relaxing on our vacations. We even get up earlier than we do to go to work," she explained.

New Dungeness, Washington "Our vacations are working trips, but we totally love it. Not many people we know would ever like to come with us because we don't

go to the beach

unless there's a lighthouse by it," Tom added.

So far, Christine and Tom have photographed 1,053 lighthouses, both in the United States and in Canada. They have traveled to the Great Lakes, both the American and Canadian shores, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Quebec, Canada.

"We've traveled to the south, east and west coasts of the United States [and] Alaska and Hawaii. There are still a few we haven't had the chance to see yet because they require even more difficult special arrangements," Tom said.

Christine explained that besides the charm of the lighthouses, "the beautiful clouds, rocks, trees and water make the views fantastic."

PHOTOSCOURTESYOF THE CARDACIS Christine and Thomas Cardaci, at the Cape May Lighthouse, have photographed 1,053 lighthouses. She added that she and her husband love the adventure of finding the lighthouses.

"Some of them are located in places that are strenuous to reach. We both have either fallen, slipped or tumbled during our treks. We've been through all types of weather while on our excursions, some on land, sea or by air," she said.

"Some days have been better than others. We were in our first seaplane down in Florida, a prop plane in Hawaii, and several wheel and float planes out in Alaska. They weren't as bad as we thought they would be; we just didn't enjoy the turns," Tom said.

The interior of their home is decorated in a nautical theme, with many lighthouse replicas and photos scattered throughout.

"Our favorite place to shop is at the Lighthouse Depot in Maine," Christine explained. "We have a display of many enlarged photos that we shot while on vacations. They are great conversation pieces and everyone is amazed."

East Point Lighthouse Cumberland County, N.J. Both are members of the American Lighthouse Found-ation and the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, and their photos recently won first and second place in the society's annual Lighthouse Photo Contest.

In addition, their first lighthouse photography exhibit is coming up. It will be held from April 26 through May 13 at the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center located at 128 Ocean Ave. in Monmouth Beach. A meet-the-artists reception will be held on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. Gallery hours at the cultural center are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.

"One of our favorite shots is of Bodie Island Lighthouse in North Carolina. It is the one that won second place. In addition, the New Jersey winter shot of East Point Lighthouse won first place," Tom said.

"We also loved the private boat ride to see the Eldred Rock Lighthouse out of Juneau, Alaska. We experienced kayaks for the first time when going to visit the New Dungeness Lighthouse out of Sequim, Wash.," said Christine, adding that neither she nor Tom has a background in photography.

Bodie Island, No. Carolina "We just love to take photos. We both have been doing it since we were young," she said. "Tommy uses a Canon 35 mm, and I use a Nikon Coolpix 5700 digital."

Both photographers have been letter carriers for the West Long Branch Post Office for years. In fact, that is where they met in 1988.

The Cardacis have just completed their first self-published book, "Lighthouses and Lightships of America - The Hunters Guide." It is available through their Web site www.TheLighthouseHunters.

com.

"Although we have visited over 1,000 lighthouses," Christine said, "we still have more lighthouses to shoot."