Portland Breakwater Lighthouse

On July 29, 2017, in Maine, Photoshop Tips, by admin
Portland Breakwater Lighthouse

Portland Breakwater Lighthouse aka Bug Light.  (Click to enlarge)

Here is a black and white image of Portland Breakwater Lighthouse.  If you visit Portland Maine, Bug Light is an easy bicycle ride from downtown Portland.  We rode out on our tandem with a basket on the back holding photography gear.

The background sky just begged to be converted to black and white.  Converting to black and white also felt right given the little finials around the top of the light and the white part of the lighthouse.

As usual, I used Silver Efex Pro from the Google Nik Collection to make the collection.

Portland Breakwater Lighthouse:  N 43 39 19.87 W70 14 05.44

 

 

Lobster Pots, Stonington Maine

Once again you are planning a trip away from home.  How do you maximize your photo opportunities?  One way is to use one of the various guidebooks put out for just about all of the popular photography locations.  While we were planning our Maine vacation I wanted to make sure I found all of those ideal locations.  I bought Monkman’s book, The Photographer’s Guide to Acadia National Park.  My intent was not to reproduce their pictures exactly, but to put myself in those picturesque spots and then “make the image my own” as they say.

As an example, an image similar to the one on the left appears on page 87 of the Monkman book.   I thought this scene had potential so we drove out to Stonington one day.  It took some cruising around the streets of Stonington to find this spot.  Once we found the location, instead of trying to reproduce their image exactly, I changed my viewing angle to get the image on the right.

I have my image on the enlarged to 16 x 24.  One women bought a copy, exclaiming that it was “visually stunning”.  Well, a bit of an exaggeration, but a nice compliment.

Don’t feel like you are “cheating” by using guide books.  Think of it as “optimizing” your time in a new location.  I seriously doubt I would have stumbled upon this location by just wandering around Maine.  And what a great image I would have missed!

Nature Photography Away From Home

On September 9, 2010, in Maine, by admin

Surf Rocks, Jasper Beach, Machiasport, Maine

When you travel away from home, how do you find the scenic areas?  Talk to the locals!  While visiting the Maine Sea Salt Company during summer vacation, Pat (Mrs. Salt Man as she jokingly calls herself) told us about Jasper Beach.  The entire beach is composed of these amazing smooth stones.  The closer you get to the water’s edge, the smaller and smoother the stones become.

As the waves come in and out, the smaller stones rolling around in the surf make the most amazing sound.  Think of a bucket full of water and smooth stones.  As you pour the stones and water out you get a nice “ssshhhhhh” sound.  We actually sat on the beach for an hour listening to the sound.  Of course, we didn’t think to use our phones to record the sound until the next day!

This image was exposed for 1/10 second at f/22.  The slow shutter speed blurs the water as it rolls in on the stones while the small f-stop creates a deep enough depth of field to keep the stones in focus from front to back.

Tagged with:
 
Station by PageLines