10.28.2018

Fog, Mist, and Clouds atop Cadillac Mountain


Cadillac Mountain on Mt. Desert Island, Maine is not a big mountain.  In fact it is only 1,530 feet high.  But the views are terrific.  From the top you have more than 180 degrees of ocean and harbor views, and you can see for miles... on a clear day.

Due to it’s height and longitude and latitude, many argue that it is the first place in the United States where you can see the sunrise. But others argue that Mt. Katahdin at 5,600 feet, but further inland, deserves that honor.


Access to the top of Cadillac is easy via a winding road that opened first in 1931 (and clearly has been maintained and improved since then).  The road terminates at a parking lot that is often full at mid-day.  Unfortunately, even during an early summer sunrise, this means a traffic jam of people, especially in recent years.  

I have never been there at sunset, but I understand that that too is spectacular. There are at least two hiking trails leading to the top. My favorite starts at the Black Woods Campground.  

Lichen on the Granite Boulders

As beautiful as it can be atop Cadillac, Maine weather is unpredictable.  And along the immediate coast there can be fog and a cold mist, even while a few miles inland it might be bright and sunny and warm.  That’s what this day was all about!

Winter Berries

On this day I felt sorry for visitors who were hoping for a nice scenic view.  But the top half of the mountain was in a cloud, and it was cool and windy and misty-wet.  Many visitors had their camera slung over their shoulders but few were taking pictures.  I saw a few selfies being taken, all with fog for a background.


Because I didn’t want to go away without a few pictures, I gave up on the “big scenic iconic shots” and focused my attention on more intimate pieces of the landscape, as shown in the four images above. 

10.23.2018

One Photo: Fall Blueberry Barren in Maine


Seen here is a tract of managed blueberry barrens.  Soil here is naturally nutrient-poor and acidic. Apparently this is perfect for blueberries, though since this field is harvested commercially, I am guessing that some fertilizer is added to the mix. 

Barrens are wide open areas that are flat or hummocky and covered with dwarf shrubs, like these lowbush blueberries. There are also often “carpets” of reindeer lichen, though I don’t see any from this angle.


"Fall Blueberry Barren"
Blue Hill, Maine
Olympus E-M1 and 12-100mm F4 zoom @ 54mm
Auto ISO 200, Aperture priority F8, 1/125 sec
Processed in Lightroom Classic CC


What is particularly remarkable is that these lowbush shrubs (which are green and of course “chock full” of blueberries in the summer) have some of the first leaves to turn color in fall. And this is a bright red and/or orange!  Unfortunately, summer travelers in Maine never get to see this spectacular fall display.

[These barrens are owned by a friend of mine.  Last summer we picked berries along the edge of this road.  My wife and I picked a couple of quarts each, in just minutes.]




10.08.2018

Focus Stacking a few September Flowers

During my one visit to the botanic garden in September I found myself rather disappointed.  Everything was beginning to look a bit ragged. I was nevertheless pleased with these images.
These flowers were photo stacked with between 5 and 12 images.  Whoops, the first one is a wild geranium and it is a single shot.

The lens used is an Olympus 12-100 (24-200mm equiv) F4 zoom.  The camera is my aging Olympus E-M1.  All were done at base ISO 200 and aperture was wide open at F4. All were hand held. Shutter speeds ranged from 1/250 to 1/640. Images were merged and edited in Lightroom Classic.

Wild Geranium (one image)

Phlox (12 images)

Verbana (5 images)

Marigold (9 images)

Anenome (10 images)