There are fishing villages along the Maine coast which, over the years, have recast themselves as tourist attractions. Bar Harbor comes quickly to mind. There are others, such as the Village of Bernard, which have remained true to their history and continue today as the quaint centers of Maine’s lobster fishing industry: wonderful to visit, equally wonderful to photograph. From the City Pier, looking across Bass Harbor, Bernard reveals the Acadian skyline prominantly featuring Sargeant Mountain and below it, on the water, the real work of bringing the succulence of Maine lobsta’ to the waiting tables of Mount Desert Island and beyond.
A focal length of 100mm gave me the angle-of-view I wanted, with a bit of magnification and compression, isolating a section of the harbor and its retinue of fishing boats at anchor after a morning’s run . An aperture of f/20 provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 1/30th second at ISO 100 gave me a slightly-lighter-than-medium exposure.
The docks of Bernard are covered with lobster traps. The kind for tourists are found in other parts of Mount Desert Island where the cruise ships come in.
Great capture. This is the second week in a row you have made me think about how I compose a scene. I rarely give the sky more than 1/3 of the composition. About the only exception for me in the past has been sunrises and sunsets. For some reason, I tend to make the rest of the scene the “star”. In this case, the clouds are so beautiful, that just a small portion of the boats in the harbor tells a story, but does not minimize how magnificent the skies are. Now I have another thing to try the next time I shoot. Thanks.
Don, what a shot. The 3D clouds just pop out, and the thin band of harbor, forest, and distant mountain anchor it all beautifully. Kevin Desrosiers’ comment captures my thoughts well about how to treat a sky; it really is the star of this show. Was it hard to contain the highlights? And, do you sense the still-working fishing villages are all dates to become tourist destinations over time? Have a good week.
Don – great shot, but even more importantly to me is your comment about there being a number of small towns/villages along the coast that have not been subjected to the tourist onslaught. My wife and I are in the serious stages of planning for a trip up along the Maine coast next year and this reminds me to stay off the beaten path.
Thanks – Vince
It looks like a beautiful day in the neighborhood in the Village by the Sea. It’s what you would expect in a coastal town in Maine; lots of boats all on their way to work or play. The trees are standing tall creating a barrier to protect all they see and the mountains in the back peeking over the trees. All seems to be in order under the sky, looking down like a boss; it sees all and delivers the sun, the rain and wind that keeps the little village thriving. You captured all that with one click and shared it with the world! Thanks 🙂
Very good morning to Everyone. Thank you all for joining me for this conversation. As much as I dearly love to travel and to experience firsthand the awesome beauty with which we in this country have been so richly blessed, I equally enjoy returning to these Southern Appalachians and home with which they surround me.
Hey Kev. Thanks, as always, for being with me. It delights me that I can offer you something meaningful to consider for your creative toolkit in the realm of composition. I generally operate under a single guiding principle when it comes to deciding how much “sky” to include compositionally. I decide how much sky is warranted in the composition I am evaluating and I then figure out how to include that much sky. Quite often, tweaks and slight compromises are necessary to reach a result – which itself may not be “final,” but only a temporary resting place. Eventually, using just such a fussy approach, I arrive at a place of satisfaction with my creation. The “weight” given in the first place to the sky is often a bit of a challenge and sometimes there are more than a single solution; but the approach offers generally satisfactory outcomes.
Hi Ray; always good to hear from you and to read your thoughtful observations and comments. I appreciate your kind words. My comments to Kevin apply equally to your thoughts on the weight of a sky. I was noticing on MDI this year, even though I’ve been there many times during this same calendar frame, that the clouds did seem to be more three-dimensional than usual. It was a joy to see them and to be able to photograph them. Actually, this day was the second day after two full days of drenching, almost continuous, rain that scoured the atmosphere clean. The relative humidity was fairly low, so I’m wondering…. In fact, the dynamic range in this particular light was fairly compressed, but I did use some tricks in Nik that helped bring out the details in the clouds, and from a directional standpoint, the polarizer was also very helpful. There does seem to be quite a bit of non-commercial residential and small business development up and down the Maine Coast, but there are still a number of historic fishing villages that continue to retain their original flavor. The real estate around Southwest Harbor is visibly changing, but the immediate harbor, itself, has held to is seafaring ways. Walk in Beauty and be well.
Howdy Vince; it’s good to hear from you. Thanks for your kind comment. Your research will uncover the places I’m thinking about that are still at the core of Maine’s fishing history. You may have to overlook many of the tourist amenities to spend time in them, but the experiential benefits you will gain will be more than worth the effort. But you still don’t want to miss Freeport for the obvious reason. Have a great trip!
Hey Nancy T. It was, indeed, a beautiful day in the neighborhood; and what a beautiful description you have drawn for us: accurate in all detail and filled with emotion. I can’t tell you how many times we thought about you during our week on MDI and wished you were with us, especially among the lupines. We have to talk soon – hopefully this weekend. Love & Hugs.
Thank you all, again, Everyone. You questions and comments make me know why I love this place and hope to be there again. Walk in Beauty.