It’s that time of year again…

Someone likes the snow!

…where we reflect on the year that was, and choose our favorite images from the past twelve months. Our family welcomed a new puppy this year, and although Oliver has consumed much of my recreational time, I still managed to spend some time in Acadia with the camera. I enjoy the process of reflection. I also enjoy taking a moment to reminisce about places I’ve been, and sights I’ve seen. I never tire of spending time in my favorite national park, and along the way throughout the year, I made a photograph or two to remind me of what were often personal and intimate experiences. Not as prolific as in past years, I didn’t make the quantity of images I usually do. Maybe there’s a New Year’s resolution to be made which might ensure a more productive 2014? Though there aren’t many iconic and instantly recognizable picture postcard views this year, hopefully my favorite 13 images from 2013 are still distinctively Acadia? Oh yeah, and other than the golden-colored Oliver, my favorites from this year are all in black and white. If interested in seeing some high-quality landscape photography, check out the annual Jim Goldstein curation of imagery – here’s a link to the 2012 edition where you’ll be able to browse some seriously awesome work. Happy holidays!

Wonderland granite sculpted by the Atlantic

Withstanding the elements at Ship Harbor

Cairn on Cadillac

View from Adams Bridge

Incoming tide at Schoodic

A glimpse of Old Soaker

Mitchell Cove – the quiet side

The Ledges along the Loop Road

No way… fog on the coast of Maine?

Last light on Otter Point

Shelter from the wind

Two of my boys enjoying Sand Beach

Heeeeeeere’s Oliver!

For all you Oliver lovers out there… you know who you are! Here are a few quick pics of my boy enjoying a late fall family walk. He’s such a good boy, and isn’t he handsome? He’ll charge around in the long grass like a crazy dog, and when we pull the tennis ball out for a game of fetch… well, he’s all in. He’s a solid 75 lbs now, and since he’s quite stocky, sometimes in these photographs he looks a bit chubby – though he’s not really. Lots of fur he has. Our baby boy… enjoy!

Fall in the forest…

It had been a while since we last visited the Bangor Forest, so just recently we scratched an itch to return there, and boy are we glad we did. The fall foliage colors, though just slightly past their peak, were still pretty amazing, and the peace and tranquility we found along the trail made this an awesome family hike. Oliver was invited, and as usual, he was a champ as we eagerly explored our wooded surroundings. Staying on the outskirts of the forest – we hopped onto the West Loop Trail – meant that we saw very few people, so even though we were relatively close to the bustling mall area of town, the solitude experienced made it feel as if we were deep in the woods on an adventure. There were pockets of fall color still to be found, and although I brought the camera with me, I was quite content to keep it slung over my shoulder most of the time while I enjoyed the company of my peeps. Here are a couple more from our fall walk in the forest…

Beautiful Day(s)

As summer has slowly made the transition to autumn, here in Maine, the temperatures during the day have been mild and the weather in general has been quite spectacular. Early morning walks with Oliver have revealed some impressive sunrise colors… I think it’s something to do with the temperature changes this time of year. Just about every morning I’m clicking away with my iPhone camera, and since most of the photographs I make never see the light of day, I figured I’d share a few here on the blog so that you could get a glimpse of how we begin our day together. All of these are from the past couple of weeks, and even Oliver stopped in his tracks to enjoy that last one…

Oliver says hello…

There’s nothing worse than wet feet…

… so I decided to splurge and get myself a decent pair of walking shoes. Though somewhat uncomfortable on a summer morning, wet feet from walking on a dew-soaked golf course are still kind of manageable, but when the temperatures start to drop as it has done lately, and when the golf course gets a drenching like it did last week, things get way beyond uncomfortable. Avoiding the experience is not an option – my boy just loves to visit the course where he gets to run free and off the leash – so I knew I needed a good pair of boots to make those pre-dawn walks more enjoyable.

I’m not endorsing anything in this blog post… this is just my experience. I searched high and low locally for a pair of shoes that would be a) comfortable, b) waterproof, and c) easy-on/off. I already have a pair of heavier boots that I use in the winter snow, but they aren’t as flexible in more normal conditions, and that translates into less comfort. This time I was looking for something more supple, and something I could use year round when hiking or exploring locations for landscape photography. After trying on quite a few different brands and models, I finally settled on the Chameleon 5 Mid Ventilator WTPF by Merrell.

As I said… I’m not mentioning these shoes for any other reason than the fact that I like them and they are incredibly comfortable. The semi high-cut heel provides stable, but comfortable support, the mechanism for tightening the laces across the front of the foot creates a really snug fit, and they are just downright easy on the feet in both wet and dry conditions. The sole is sturdy yet pliable and light, and most importantly, as advertised, they are 100% waterproof. No excuses… I’m up and walking on the wet golf course with Oliver every morning, and boy does it feel good to have dry feet!

A cairn with a view…

This little guy surely has one of the most impressive views on the east coast. He sits on the South Ridge Trail about half a mile from the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, and he looks out on both Frenchman Bay to the east, and the Blue Hill Bay and the nearby islands to the south and west.

Just me playing with a large aperture and a shallow depth of field as I used my 50mm f1.8 lens on my Canon 5D II 🙂