Archive | March 2012
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Another early run to Portland for a work meeting, and another chance to stop by the most photographed lighthouse in Maine. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had the good fortune to spend some time here with local photographer Moe Chen. Moe showed me how to access the rocky shoreline on the opposite side from […]
A great granite hill…
…that’s how author Christopher Camuto describes the mountains of Acadia in his book, “Time and Tide in Acadia – Seasons on Mount Desert Island”. Anne Mourkas (thanks Anne!) loaned the book to me through Lori, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading someone else’s well-chosen words as they described their most intimate feelings toward a place that I too […]
Frozen Jordan Pond
It was raining pretty hard as I made this last photograph of the morning, and as you can see, the sky was threatening to unleash even more. I hadn’t ever seen Jordan Pond while it was frozen, so despite the inclement weather, this was a treat. I used a 6-stop neutral density filter to hold […]
A fleeting moment…
Even though the dawn didn’t cooperate by providing epic light, there was a brief and fleeting moment about half an hour after sunrise where the sun broke through the clouds and bathed the landscape in a warm and pleasant colors. Long after the earlier pink hues had disappeared, it actually looked as if the rest […]
Imagining a scene…
From the very cool morning I spent in Acadia National Park with fellow photographer Chad Tracey, this is sorta what I had in mind when I persuaded him to go here. It goes without saying that the round rocks are the true stars of the show at this location, so I wanted to showcase them while […]
Getting too comfortable?
Here’s a familiar sight, eh? As many of you know, I spend way too much time here. On the one hand I feel guilty about not “stretching” and going to other places, but on the other hand I feel a very strong connection here. Besides, I firmly believe that I still have unfinished business at […]
Two for the price of one…
* My last post from what was a glorious morning spent photographing this lighthouse. Portland Head Light is a magnificent sight, especially when waves are crashing all around it or when the clouds from a clearing storm are rushing by. There’s a reason why we see it included in so many lighthouse calendars and on […]
Our budding little photographer
Please excuse the winter boots and basketball shorts fashion combo… unseasonably warm temperatures combined with melting snow and ice created conditions where the kid was just happy to be able to wear shorts again! Last Sunday afternoon we went exploring locally – it felt just like when I was growing up and my dad would […]
A double edged sword…
Using a wide angle lens can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand you can create some unique perspectives by placing important compositional elements prominently in the foreground of the frame. On the other hand though, depending on how much you tilt the lens, your photographs can also be susceptible to distortion, especially near […]
St. Patrick’s Day
March 17 holds significance for me in two ways. First of all, and most obviously, it is Saint Patrick’s Day. Growing up in Ireland I can remember many a day spent very unproductively celebrating whatever it was we were celebrating… usually from an early hour too! Last year Sam and I were lucky enough to be in […]
The most photographed lighthouse
First lit in 1791, Portland Head Light stands guard over an extremely jagged and rugged shoreline in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Classic New England, I think it is safe to say that this is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world! Spend some time here and it’s not hard to […]
61 seconds
That’s how long the shutter was open when I made this photograph. I find it interesting how a long exposure condenses time into one frame, and as you can see, the effects can be quite striking. During the 61 seconds between when the shutter opened and closed, the path of several waves washing in and […]
The blue hour
Every morning as the dark night sky slowly loosens its grip and yields to the start of a new day, light that is soft and cool in color stretches across the wakening landscape. On a day that begins with more clouds, this peaceful period of time can produce light that is distinctly blue in color, […]
The power of the ocean
I’m sharing the last of the photographs made on a short trip to Acadia on the first Sunday in March… finally you say! Daylight savings time is upon us, and as the clocks spring forward, early morning starts in search of nice light get a little more bearable – at least for a while until […]
I like this photograph
We all have our favorite photographs, though I would hazard a guess that just because I like this one, it doesn’t necessarily mean that anyone else will find it special. That’s OK, because as photographers – and I believe that we can all call ourselves photographers – we should be creating images that we like… making connections […]
Draining the color
Here’s a similar scene to one I posted recently, but this time I am including the “normal” version so that you can see what it looked like before the colors were drained out of it. As you can see, there wasn’t much color to begin with. The overcast sky and damp winter air were doing […]
Is it grey or gray?
Growing up in Ireland I’m familiar with a few differences between the Queen’s English and the Americanized version that I have become accustomed to, but I still get tripped up when trying to spell the word “grey” or “gray” – a word I want to use to describe the less than ideal light that prevailed […]
Saving grace…
Despite a pretty nice sunrise on Sunday morning, the light quickly deteriorated as I wandered along the Loop Road looking for interesting compositions. A solid bank of cloud literally and weirdly split the sky in half, with of course everything I wanted to photograph over on the side with the clouds! The one saving grace […]
Sometimes, less is more…
Here’s a wide version of the landscape I was enjoying on Sunday morning at 5:53 a.m. Lots going on in the scene, eh? While I love the wide point of view I can get using my 17-40mm lens and the full-frame Canon 5D Mark II, often you have to make tough decisions about what to […]
Pop Tarts and Mountain Dew
I know Wheaties are considered the breakfast of champions, but for me when I go out early on a photography adventure… it’s Pop Tarts and Mountain Dew. When you start the day at early o’clock, drive an hour and a half to get to your chosen location before sunrise, and then spend another couple of […]
