12 Favorite Photos from the Summer

It is certainly a long way past summer. In fact, it is the day after Thanksgiving and with a forecast of snow and freezing rain for Sunday through Tuesday, this afternoon I'd better make sure there's enough gas in the generator and snowblower.

There's some down time now between football games, so I am reflecting on the warmth of summer by going through my summer photos and weeding out the clear losers (oh, so many).  In so doing, below I have posted what are (at least at the moment) my dozen favorites.  All were taken in Maine during our two one-week stays along the mid-coast.

I tried to have a mixture of subjects in the dozen, though there is clearly a preponderance of sunrise photos in the bunch. The several close up flower photos could have been taken just about anywhere, but they indeed were from Maine.  I suppose the lobster rolls could have been purchased just about anywhere, but they were from Sprague's, one of our favorite spots for lunch in Wiscassett.

Olympus EM-1 and 12-100 F4

The Morning Run

Schooner

The Morning View

Sunrise on Penobscot Bay

Queen Anne's Lace

Before it opens, like a hand with many fingers

Dandelion

An incredible piece of nature when it is ready to go to seed.

Morning Twilight

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Panasonic GX80/85 and 100-300 F4-5.6

Gull and Fish

Not something to print and put on a wall perhaps, but a truthful nature story.

Pink Water Lily

Schooner Ladona, Rockland Maine

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Panasonic GM-5 and 12-32mm

Lobster Rolls at Sprague's in Wiscasset

"Sea Keeper"

One Photo: But thanks to my friend Dennis, two Versions

My friend Dennis commented on the Cadillac Mountain photos included in my last post. He liked the image below, which is presented here pretty much the way I processed it seven years ago in whatever version of Lightroom was then available.

Dennis has a good eye and photographic vision, and he made some processing suggestions that I found worth experimenting with.  The changes, all done in the current version of Lightroom Classic, make this image quite a bit more dramatic.

Based on Dennis' recommendations, in Lightroom I increased the contrast (+41), increased the clarity (+100), and added a slight vignette to darken the corners.  I also warmed the white balance temperature by changing it from 5,100 to 6,500 degrees kelvin.  Instant drama!

[Check out Dennis Mook's blog, especially if you are an Olympus or Fuji user, as Dennis shoots with both systems, with one or more Panasonic lenses thrown in for good measure. Link: https://www.thewanderinglensman.com ]

"Visitors at Cadillac Mountain"

Panasonic G2 with Olympus 14-54mm

 @43mm (86mm-e)

F7.1

ISO 100

1/800 sec

Visiting Bailey Island, Maine

[Photos taken on three days in July 2016, December 2017, and July 2018]

When in Maine (along Maine’s “mid-coast”) we frequently drive south from Brunswick to explore many of the little fingers of land that protrude into the Atlantic Ocean, more specifically into Casco Bay.  One such “finger” is made up of two islands that are attached by bridges.  The first is Orr’s Island and the second is Bailey Island.

This photo was taken at the end of Orr's Island, just before

the Bailey Island Bridge

H2O Outfitters.  On Orr's Island, next to the bridge

The bridge that connects Orr’s to Bailey was built in 1928.  It is called simply Bailey Island Bridge; but it is far from a simple bridge.  It is what is know as a cobweb or cribstone bridge, and is said to be the only such bridge in the world. It is made with slabs of local (Yarmouth, Maine) granite.  The unique design of laying the slabs in a stacked and criss-cross pattern gives support while at the same time allowing tides to rush through the entire 1,150 foot length of the bridge. I have read that 10,000 tons of granite were used in the construction.

The four photos below were taken from the property of Cook’s Lobster House. In the first two images you can see the Bailey Island Bridge in the background, with the granite slabs stacked like Lincoln Logs.

Two popular photo opportunities I have found are (1) The Nubble, a bait house adorned with lobster buoys, and 

The Nubble

(2) Mackerel Cove.  We’ve enjoyed picnic lunches at Mackerel Cove in a small park next to the water.  However, as nice as a picnic can be, it is sometimes difficult to pass up Cook’s Lobster House where the fish and lobster cannot be any fresher.

At the very end of the island the road comes to a dead end at a large gift shop and parking lot.  It’s a nice place to walk along the rocks and see the view.  This bronze statue, called The Lobsterman, is a replica of one created for the 1939 New York Worlds Fair.  There are several replicas elsewhere, and I have seen one in Portland, Maine.

One Photo: Eddie Evan's Fishing Shack, Bailey's Island, Maine

Laurie and I thought we’d do some driving along the Maine coast near Brunswick and Bath, with a mid-week two-day stay at the Brunswick Inn.  It is always nice to see the coast in winter.  Although is was cold (low of 1F and high of 21F) and windy, the touch of snow on the ground and ice in many of the inland trees made us smile.

The photo below was taken on Bailey’s Island.  In counting the number of driveways that were unplowed, it is clear that the winter population is far less than the summer population.  Lobster boats can be seen in this harbor, so we know the fisherman living there are busy.

Eddie Evan's Fishing Shack

Olympus E-M1 with 12-100mm F4 zoom @ 100mm (200mm equivalent)

1/200sec, F5.6, ISO200

This photo is a difficult one to capture.  It must be taken from a two lane road and the road is on a slight hill.  There is no place to park and no shoulders.  There are steep banks on both sides of the road.  In the summer months, I just have to drive along with a frown on my face for not getting the shot. It’s either that or get run over. However, during December (at least on this day, a Friday) there is no traffic.  I stopped in the middle of the road, got out of the car, and took a few shots. Still perhaps risky, but nevertheless no vehicles appeared in either direction.

This was definitely a situation when a zoom is handy.  This was taken with the Olympus 12-100 (24-200mm equivalent) fully zoomed in.  I did crop it in Lightroom to remove some of the “bald” sky. You can see a bit of snow near the homes in the background, to let you know this is a winter image.

I posted this image on Facebook and Instagram yesterday, and received a couple of comments from Allen, a college friend.  (I went to college at nearby Bowdoin College so there are quite a few alumni living in the “mid coast Maine” area.)  

Allen is the one who identified the structure as Eddie Evan’s fishing shack. I don’t think I need to corroborate this as he has a cottage on Bailey’s Island across the street from this fishing shack. In a second comment, Allen goes on to tell that about three years ago due to age and weather, the shack collapsed.  The following Spring it reappeared “by popular demand”.  

I am sure everyone who passes by wants to take a picture of this scene.  I wish there were a one- or two-car “pull out” so I could re-do this shot next summer.

My Instagram Feed is here: https://www.instagram.com/peterfraileyphoto/

Fall Reflections: An October Week in Maine

Another great trip to Maine has come and gone.  October is such a nice time to visit the coast of Maine. The crowds have disappeared, with some notable exceptions, like Mt. Desert Island. The nights get a bit cool, and we found that in the evenings we kept the antique wood stove stoked with hardwood. We had no rain during our one-week trip, and I even found myself longing for some wild skies to make photographs more dramatic.

Dramatic or not, I've included here a selection of images.  They are low resolution files for blog posting.  Higher resolution files can be viewed on my photography website, here:

http://www.peterfraileyphoto.com/p349548265

Castine

Staying Warm

Lobsterman's Chair

Popham Beach

Popham Beach

Skiffs

Farmers' Market, Bath 

Boothbay

Boothbay

Lobster Roll at Sprague's, Wiscassett

Four chairs with a view

Stonington

Ladies enjoying chowder and sandwiches

Sumac

From Cadillac Mountain

Belfast