Tag Archives: 2021

Postcards

Postcard From Cadillac Mountain, Maine

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Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine

Kathy and I joined several hundred of our closest friends this morning to be the first people in the US to see the sun.  I took a bunch of photos and some of them turned out OK.  But it was mostly about the experience of being there, and we were there.  And yes, Kathy joined me in arising at 4am to make the trek to the top.  She didn’t want to miss it any more than she wanted me to miss it.  It was worth the effort, for sure! 😉

Reservations are required for sunrise, and they are limited.  I managed to book mine months ago, and I was glad I did.  In a perfect world I would have wished for a few clouds on the horizon.  But it wasn’t too cold, it wasn’t raining, and we could actually see the sun.  So it was as good as we might have hoped for!

Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine
Postcards

Another Lighthouse…With A Bonus!

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Marshall Point Lighthouse near Saint George, Maine

We visited Marshall Point Lighthouse near Saint George, Maine this morning.  As it turned out, there was a group of people doing a photo shoot for an upcoming LL Bean catalog.  We stood around and watched for a while.  It was quite interesting to see how much work goes into just one photo in a catalog or on a website.  Beautiful location for a shoot, however!  And the people were all very friendly.  The guy in charge talked to us for a while and complimented me on my camera.

LL Bean Catalog photo shoot at the Marshall Point Lighthouse near Saint George, Maine
Photo Project: 50 States

A Little Dinghy

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Dinghy and reflections in Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Kathy & I are enjoying a little downtime this afternoon before we pack up for the short drive up to Acadia National Park tomorrow.  It’s been on and off cloudy and rainy, but still a good day for getting out with the camera.  I love working with a prime lens when walking around town, and used the 35mm 1.4 for this shot.  It’s pretty nice in color, but I’m excited to actually have a B&W version that works for me.

Dinghy and reflections in Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Photo Project: 50 States

Lighthouses Galore!

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Hendricks Head Lighthouse on Hendricks Harbor. Viewed from Dogfish Head Beach near Southport, Maine

Tired of lighthouse photos yet?  Not me!

When I started thinking about photographing the Maine coast, naturally the first thing I thought of was lighthouses.  In anticipation of a day just like today, I purchased a variable neutral density filter.  Today was my first chance to really try it out.  It seems to work best on cloudy days and with long-ish lenses.  It makes a mess on my wide-angle 10-24 lens except at the most gentle settings, darkening the corners dramatically.  Works pretty well on the longer end of the 16-80 but works really well on the 55-200.  I got a little buffeting from the gusty winds but a 3.5 second exposure like this one worked pretty well.  I processed it using the Classic Chrome profile in Lightroom instead of my usual Velvia-based preset.  I think it shows the raw power of the wind and surf.

We were very glad to have been on the water yesterday and on land today!  Gusty winds and rough seas would have made for an unpleasant journey today!

Postcards

Postcard From Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

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Pemaquid Point Lighthouse near Bristol, Maine. Seen from a coastal cruise with Capt. Fish out of Boothbay Harbor.

Kathy & I made a last minute choice to book a coastal cruise with Capt. Fish out of Boothbay Harbor.  The cruise took us past 3 lighthouses, including this one on Pemaquid Point. It is another one of the many iconic lighthouses along the Maine coast.  I think today we’re going to drive there and see the other side of it!

Postcards

Postcard From Portland Head Lighthouse, Maine

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Portland Head Lighthouse on Cape Elizabeth near Portland, Maine

It’s pretty easy to make a decent composition of this lighthouse, but hard to get it without people, especially during the day.  I decided to not try climbing on the rocks, although I did see a number of foolish souls slipping and sliding around, perilously close to the water’s edge.  Not for this guy!

Postcards

A Whale Of A Tale

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Humpback Whale seen on our Whale Watch Cruise with Cape Ann Whale Watch in Gloucester, Massachusetts

Kathy and I took a whale watch cruise this afternoon out of Gloucester, Massachusetts.  We love seeing the big whales in person and were not disappointed with this trip.  I have a tough time taking good photos on cruises like this, because there are so many people jockeying for position whenever a whale is spotted.  I much prefer the smaller, more intimate vessels, but they are tougher to come buy and usually much more expensive.  We did see some whales, and I got a few photos.  Although I did decide to spring the $20 to but the photos from our naturalist/photographer on board!