On our post Maine Lighthouse Photo Tour, we were lucky to time it perfectly with the peak of the foliage season in Acadia National Park. Pure luck, as the peak can occur over a six-week window from late September to the end of October. On our first morning in Acadia, we stopped at Thunder Hole to shoot the rugged coast. While we were hoping to hear the famous 'thundering sound" made when the tide is in, all we heard were a few low 'booms". Despite that, we had a beautiful sunrise, and we were able to capture some terrific shots. Walking up toward the parking lot, I happened to look north on the one-way Park Loop Road and saw this glorious scene with the Maine foliage on full display.
Porch View - Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde, Maine
Last week I talked about working the scene and trying to get as many unique views of a subject that you can. The funny thing is that when you think you have photographed it at all possible angles, you see someone else's photo and you realize you missed some. That is why I love shooting with other photographers. Back in April on our Maine scouting trip, Jeff Clow posted a similar composition to this that I had failed to see. The second I saw it, I knew that I would be shooting it the next time I visited Marshall Point Lighthouse. For those of you who think you may have not seen this lighthouse before, you are probably wrong. It was featured in the movie Forest Gump when Forest ended his cross country run. I can just picture a video camera from this vantage point filming the end of his run.
In the Reeds - Doubling Point Lighthouse, Arrowsic, Maine
When scouting the Maine lighthouses back in April, we stopped at this lighthouse located on the Kennebec River, about ten miles from the coast. Both Jeff Clow and I immediately added it to the list of ones to visit on the tour. It was the first time I had ever seen this hard to find lighthouse and was intrigued by it. Fast forward to our Photo Tour last week. The scene had changed significantly. Back in April, the reeds surrounding the light were knee high and it was easy to compose shots from all angles. Now, the reeds were a little taller than me, and I had to raise my camera above my head to get the shot. While you had to work a little harder to get different compositions, I really like the look of the high reeds, as it gives a different feel to the photo. The dark tops of the reeds in the foreground also add a little interest to the scene.
Maine Color - Blueberry Field, Ellsworth, Maine
While driving to Acadia after our Maine Photo Tour, my buddy Jeff Clow did what he does best to find the off-the-beaten-track spots. He said to me, "Why don't you turn down this unpaved road and find out if there is anything there worth shooting?" Usually when he says that, the payoff is terrific. This was the case as we drove a little ways down the road. The colors of the foliage were on full display very quickly. We had luckily timed our tour with the peak of the Maine foliage season. It was late this year and both we and our tour participants were rewarded for it.
I have lived in New England for over 20 years but had never seen the ground change colors from green to red. Trees and bushes yes, ground no. We found out later that this was a huge blueberry field and blueberry plants change color with the season (who knew?). In any case, the colors just popped for us even though the ground and trees were in the shade due to the cloud cover. Maybe I should have titled this post "Blueberry Field Forever?"
Low Point of View - Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde, Maine
One of the things that I have learned over the years is how to work a scene. What that means is to shoot the classic composition of a subject first and then experiment. Beginners often take that shot and think they are done. By working a scene you might end up with something completely different and better than you expected. How do I work a scene? I shoot from all different angles, trying to see if a different point of view works better. I will shoot at different focal lengths from wide-angle to telephoto. I also shoot from different heights: low, eye-level and high.
Often, one of the non-classic compositions will speak to you when you look at it. Take this low shot of Marshall Point Lighthouse. This subject has been shot numerous times from eye-level with great results. For this shot, I took my camera off of the tripod and placed it on the walkway to the light. I love how this shot turned out, as the eye can follow one of the boards through the photograph right to the door. While I have seen others with this composition shot at eye-level, I have not seen one from this low of an angle.
Behind the Bridge - Somesville, Maine
After Jeff Clow's Maine Photo Tour, we also co-hosted a two day post tour in Acadia National Park. Acadia is situated on the coast of Maine and actually is located on Mount Desert Island. Many of the photos from Acadia feature the amazing rugged coast and some impressive lakes. The island is not only home to the park, but also has some great small harbor towns where many of the lobster fishermen live and go out of. In addition to these sights, there are some locations that have a unique feature. One of my favorites is this small footbridge in the town of Somesville. It is often photographed from the front and one of my favorite photos is from that vantage point.
I have often taken photos from behind the footbridge, but have never been satisfied with the result. On this day, everything seemed to work in my favor. The sun was at a great angle and lit up the scene wonderfully with an equal dose of light and shadow. The foliage was peaking on a few of the trees, and my favorite part of this image is the reflection of the leaves in the back window. This is definitely my best effort from the back of the footbridge.
Pemaquid Flare - Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol, Maine
Just completed co-hosting with Jeff Clow on his inaugural Maine Photo Tour and things went extremely well. We couldn't have asked for a better group of photographers to join us. We photographed twelve different lighthouses, various quaint harbors, and ate a whole bunch of lobster rolls. I will be featuring some of the photos I shot there over the next couple of weeks.
For those who regularly follow me, it is no surprise that I would kick off the photos with my favorite lighthouse, Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. We had already shot it at sunset two days before and we decided to shoot it at sunrise on our last day. The weather forecast was not stellar, with rain in the forecast. On the way to Pemaquid, it began drizzling, and we were expecting to be shut out. The photography gods had better plans for us, granting us a brief period of time (20 minutes at the most), where the sun peeked above the horizon and lit up the overcast skies. I shot this at f/22 to get a sunburst and was happy to find a decent lens flare in the photo. I am not usually one for lens flares, but this one seem to fit the mood of the morning.
Paradise River - Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Mount Rainier is the main attraction in the national park, but there are so many other attractions that can get overlooked, namely waterfalls. There are eighteen waterfalls located in the park that I am aware of. Some require strenuous hikes to reach, while others are just off the road. I have a particular fondness for capturing the flow of water using long-exposure photography. Whether it is a photo of the waterfall itself or a stream running to or from it, I just love the silky look that the water has when taking the shot with a long exposure.
This is an example of what I am talking about. Near the parking lot for Narada Falls there is a footbridge where a small stream flows that will ultimately go over the falls downstream. It is not a wide stream, and the morning light lit up small parts of it in a way that caught my attention. I played around with quite the number of exposures, and settled on a 12-second one that I thought gave the right amount of "silkiness" to the photo.
Blessed Reflection - Grand Teton National Park,Wyoming
Last week, I posted an image of the Chapel of the Transfiguration from the outside, showing the front of the chapel with the Tetons in the background. I also stated that there was a great shot of the mountains from inside the chapel. What I neglected to say was that there is a third shot. This one has eluded me over the years but I was finally able to capture it on my last trip. As you can see in this photo, it is a reflection of the mountains from the back window of the chapel. The window sits right above the altar, and you can see the crucifix and some flowers that are inside the chapel. When I took this photo, there were also faces of people in the window but fortunately, they weren't visible when I edited it.
Elk Crossing - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Sometimes a magical moment happens when least expected that gives you the most memorable event of a trip. A few of us had spent a few hours at Oxbow Bend and the weather did not cooperate at all. Mount Moran was totally socked in, the weather wasn't so hot, and, all in all, it was a morning to forget. My good buddy Jeff Clow suggested that we head to Cattleman's Bridge to see if we could find a bald eagle or two flying above the water. As we all looked up for the eagles, someone spotted some movement down river. There, amid the low-lying mist were quite a number of elk that were crossing the river onto an island. It was so unexpected and one of the coolest moments I have experienced. The fact that I also got some decent photos of the event was a bonus.
This shot was my "unicorn" of the trip. My good friend Chris Nitz has the best description of what a unicorn is to a photographer. In Chris's words, "... the “unicorn” is that single image that makes an entire trip. It is that moment that you compose your photo, click that shutter button, check the LCD and immediately know that you could never take another photo during your trip and be completely happy with what you have." I couldn't say it any better (which is why I stole Chris' words).
Buried Under Aspens - Como Cemetery, Como, Colorado
Last September, I participated in a photo tour in Colorado with my friend Rick Louie (for those of you looking to take a tour, Rick's tour is highly recommended). The group met in Denver for dinner the night before the tour started. Rick's plan was to head to Telluride, stopping at different locations along the six hour drive. One of the first stops was a little cemetery in the small town (population 439) of Como. When we pulled up, it was clear that there were not very many headstones in the cemetery (so people were dying to get there). It was also clear that it was a beautiful place to be buried, with several stands of Aspens, all at peak color. The interesting part of the scene above that intrigued me was the bench where visitors could sit. I don't frequent cemeteries much, but I don't recall many benches in them.
First Light at Oxbow - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
If you mention Oxbow Bend to any serious landscape photographer, they know exactly where it is, even if they have never been there before. It is one of the most photographed landscapes in the western US, photographed millions of times. Standing anywhere along the shoreline of the Snake River or from the road above, Mount Moran is always present, towering above everything. I have been lucky enough to stand there many times in the past ten years, and I will say that every time the scene is different. Contributing to the variety are the clouds or lack of clouds, the time of day (sunrise is the best time to shoot there), the stillness of the water, the presence or lack of wildlife, low to the ground fog or lack thereof, and the season of the year (ice and snow-covered peaks and/or fall foliage). Suffice to say, for some, visiting this majestic location moves you in ways that you never expect.
Dawn Light - Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
I am always beating the drum about revisiting locations when the weather doesn't cooperate, even if there are years between visits. I first stood at Sprague Lake with family and friends during a very cold and very windy day. Even though the lake is far from any real oceans, I swear that there were waves on the water surface. Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit but not by much. The next time I stood on the lake's shore, there was a steady rain that made photography impossible. So the third time is a charm? I'll let you be the judge of that. I shot this photo last September, and, although it rained during the night, I was blessed with great light and clearing skies.
Dodging Raindrops - Doubling Point Lighthouse, Arrowsic, Maine
You would think that, when comparing coastlines of US states, it would be quite easy to determine the order of the longest to smallest. When I did a little research, I found that the lengths can vary tremendously, depending on the method of calculation. There are two methods that are often used, but there is not a clear definition of how they were calculated. For example, under one method, Maine is ranked 9th at 228 miles, and under the other it is ranked 4th at 3,478 miles. That is quite the disparity. A recent satellite study estimates that the Maine Coast is actually closer to 5,500 miles. Why the disparity? Two reasons come to mind. First, Maine has approximately 6,200 islands that technically should be counted. Second, Maine has many peninsulas that extend like fat fingers into the Atlantic Ocean.
Why am I interested in this you'd might ask? Well being a fan of lighthouses, I recently found that Maine has around sixty lighthouses, and I thought that it was a lot. Now that I understand the length of Maine's Coast, it seems like a small number.
Anyway, i leave you with this photo of Doubling Point Lighthouse, which sits on the Kennebec River and is considered part of the coastline, even though it is about 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Banff Morning - Banff Townsite, Banff National Park, Alberta
For those of you who follow my blog or any of my social media postings, you can't have helped but notice that one of my favorite places on Earth is Banff National Park. Ever since I first visited the area, I have been entranced with it. My first visit to this paradise was in the mid-1990s, when photography was far from my mind. Shooting with my point and shoot film camera became such a frustration for me that, when I got home, I immediately ordered a SLR camera and lenses. That first visit was a rebirth of my love for photography.
I recently came across this photo from my second visit in 2006, when I got up early one morning while my family was still sleeping (this was a vacation, not a photo tour). Walking around the town of Banff proved that you didn't have to wander very far to get some good shots of the beautiful Canadian Rockies.
Lobster Lane - Owls Head Lobster Company, Owls Head, Maine
Today is officially the first day of Jeff Clow's Maine Photo Tour. The official name of the tour includes the name lobster (or lobstah in Maine talk) because, if you are visiting Maine, there is a proliferation of lobster shacks, restaurants, traps, buoys and boats. In fact, you can usually find a myriad of lobster-related merchandise that boggles the mind. I thought it appropriate that I post this photo of Lobster Lane from the pre-scouting trip that Jeff, Jaki Goode Miller and I were on back in April.
Approaching Ophir Pass - Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado
Fall is my favorite season of the year and I can't wait until the foliage comes to my home state of Connecticut. I think it will be late coming to CT this year, but I am hoping to see some great colors this week in Maine while co-hosting my buddy Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse Tour. The reds, oranges and yellows of the New England foliage season give the landscape such a vibrant look.
Until then, I am posting this shot of the foliage season in Colorado that I took last year. While not as varied in color as New England's, the Colorado landscapes more than make up for it with it's wonderful mountains as a backdrop. Here we are approaching Ophir Pass, about to cross over the San Juan Mountains to get to the famed Million Dollar Highway. What an epic drive with drivers extraordinaire Rick Louie and Chris Nitz navigating this treacherous road.
First Light - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
One of the best things about Grand Teton National Park are the many turnouts and overlooks that have been built along the park's two main roads, US Route 89 and Teton Park Road. These stops on the road provide many beautiful views of the massive Teton Range, which are part of the larger Rocky Mountain Range. I have a particular affinity for the Blacktail Ponds Overlook.
Being a sunrise location, you really need to get there early enough to get the morning light as it begins to light up the peaks and work its way down the mountains. One of the challenges when shooting at this time of day here is the high dynamic range of the scene that is often difficult for cameras to capture. Trying to blend the very bright mountains and the very dark foreground takes a bit of thought and practice. There is a fine line in balancing the image by bringing out details in the shadows while reducing the highlights to bring out the of the mountains.
Pink House - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
There is a section of Grand Teton National Park that is known as Mormon Row. This area of the park got its name from a group of Mormon settlers that settled into the area from Idaho in the 1890's. Today, only a few buildings from the settlement are left, including two of the most photographed barns in the world built by the Moulton brothers (Thomas and John).
After shooting the more famous of the barns (the Thomas A. Moulton barn), we headed to the John Moulton homestead to shoot some of the buildings there. This stucco house is known as the "Pink House" for its pink color. It was built by John Moulton 30 years after he settled there, replacing the original log cabin that originally housed his family.
Teton Reflections - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Before I talk about this photo, I'll try to get something out of the way. Every time I post a shot from this spot and name it Catholic Bay or Chapel Bay, I invariably have someone tell me that, whatever name I assign to it, the other one is the right one. I don't know which one is right, although the NPS website does mention a Catholic Bay and does not contain any mention of Chapel Bay. Suffice to say that it is a section of Jackson Lake, and that, whatever you call it, it is simply beautiful.
This spot is one of the easier places to find, but the hard thing about shooting it is whether the mountains are socked in with clouds or clear, or whether the lake's surface is smooth or rough. As you can see, I had the best conditions possible, with the exception of not having a few cumulous clouds in the sky. It is these times that all you have to do is kickback, relax and enjoy the beauty of the landscape.