For quite a few years Bonnie and I have had the privilege and the pleasure of conducting photography workshops based at the Seawall Motel in Southwest Harbor, Maine. Our hosts have been Dave and Vickie Lloyd and their family, whom we have come to know as dear friends. Dave has been an encyclopedic source of information of all things Acadia, whose guidance has made my job as a workshop leader nothing short of sheer fun.
Dave is retiring this year after 20+ years at the helm of the Seawall ship; and we wish him and Vickie only the best that the coming years have to offer.
On Friday evening the Maine sun set behind the freshwater pond at the Seawall as it has set for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years, but on that evening the light was very special and the color seemed a fitting salute to someone who has made of this land a haven of peace and Beauty for all who visit.
A focal length of 58mm, relatively normal-land, gave me the angle-of-view I wanted with little compression or magnification. An aperture of f/18 provided depth-of-field, and a shutter speed of 2.0 seconds at ISO 100 gave me an overall very slightly darker-than-medium exposure.
The background forest of this image is in Acadia National Park, but the truth is that Dave and Vickie have always treated their land as if it belonged to all of us and they were merely the stewards with the good fortune to have been assigned to take care of it.
Beautiful shot! I’ll eventually have to make my way up there.
Hi Chris. Thank you very much for joining us and for your very kind words. I believe you will find your way to MDI and will be very glad for having done so. Looking forward to seeing you and Sue in September. Walk in Beauty.
Thanks for sharing this image and story. That is one of my favorite places on this planet. Mother Nature was giving the place and everyone there a big hug as the day came to a close. I am glad you were there to to be part of it, capture it, and share it.
Hi Nancy T. It’s always something to look forward to when you join us, and this week is no exception. I have just shared with someone my favorite memory of being on MDI with you and my picture of you sitting in fall-foliaged, frost-encrusted blackberry bushes, intently involved in creating macro images. It is part of my definition of happiness. Take good care of yourself and be very safe.
A beautiful way to close a chapter!
Hi Joani; it’s great to hear from you! I hope you have been well. Indeed, this week has given me a memory of our time here that will be with me always. The rock, water and light of Acadia are a magic of which I never tire. Be well and stay safe.
You captured the moment! Beautiful!
Hey Ron; it’s always good to have you join us. The moments we have experienced in this place will always have captured me; and I have no desire to attempt to escape. I hope you are doing well. Thanks very much for your kind words. Walk in Beauty.
Such tender thoughts and feelings for a place, its beauty, and its people. That’s part of what makes you so much more than just a photographer.
Howdy Donald. I hope all is well in your part of the mountains. Thanks for joining us. I appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments very much, and I am deeply honored to be seen in your eyes as more than a photographer.Be safe and well my Friend.
Another award-winning photographic gem! I have yet to venture all the way to Arcadia, although I know I would find it incredibly stunning, as I do with the Maine coastline I’m familiar with, from York to Camden.
Hello Win. It’s always good to have you join us.I am grateful to have your kind and thoughtful words. I am familiar with the land you have mentioned and know it to live up to the accolades you have suggested. I came through Camden on the way up the coast; the schooners in that harbor are always a sight to see. I believe you will make it to MDI and will, in wondering at the majesty of Pemetic, ask yourself why it took you so long. Be well, my Friend, and stay safe.
I can envision myself standing there and experiencing the peace and solitude that such a scene evokes. Beautiful capture!!
Hey John. knowing as I do your love of the natural world and the peace it invokes, I easily imagine you here and wish that it might be so. Hope all s well with you and look forward to our paths crossing down the road. Thanks for your kind comment.
Don, that’s a poignant tribute to your friends and a place you’ve come to love. The image is so fitting for that. If that is a sunset of an era, it’s setting in a burst of beauty.
Hey Ray, the waxing of your words with such lyrical expression brings peace to my heart. Thank you for those kind words. It would have been wonderful for you to have joined this adventure. I am still hoping that our paths are destined to rendezvous down the road in a place of great Beauty where creative photography is all we will have on our minds. Have an excellent week and take good care.
Thank you to Everyone for joining me and for all of your kind thoughts and expressions. I’m looking forward to the second week of our adventure as Sunday nears. Be safe, take good care and walk in great Beauty!