Acadian Ridge Trail

Posted by on Dec 15, 2018 in Hike
Acadian Ridge Trail

The Acadian Ridge Trail is located in the northern section of Mount Desert Island near the Kitteridge Brook Forest. As far as I can tell, the trail is on private, conserved property maintained by Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Friends of Acadia. Janice and I walked the path one-way and wandered back to our car, past the festive sculpture, along Norway Drive. The person who told me about this …

Shore Cottage

Posted by on Dec 12, 2018 in Architecture
Shore Cottage

Here are some shots of a lovely home on Somes Sound here on Mount Desert Island. I took these with a Fuji XT-3 and a manual-focus Rokinon 12mm lens. The trick to taking these kinds of architectural interiors is to make sure that the camera is both level and plumb to ensure that vertical lines in the scene remain vertical in the photograph. With the camera plumb, you may find that you are …

Fuji XT-3 First Images

Posted by on Nov 23, 2018 in Cameras and Lenses
Fuji XT-3 First Images

I sold all of my Canon gear and switched to a Fuji XT-3. It was a big decision to sell my 5DII and 5DIII bodies, a dozen lenses, and Canon 600EX flashes, but it was time to make a change. My primary motivation for the switch was to move to smaller and lighter gear. As much as I loved my Canon cameras and glass, I didn’t like the neck, back, and arm pain I would often get from carrying …

High Surf at Seawall

Posted by on Mar 4, 2018 in Places
High Surf at Seawall

Seawall is a section of Acadia National Park located on the western side of Mount Desert Island. The park’s Seawall campground, picnic area, and scenic roadway that runs right along the water are the main attractions. A seawall is usually a man-made wall or embankment erected to prevent the sea from encroaching on or eroding an area of land, but this Seawall is natural. Designed by God …

MDI Photo Club

Posted by on Dec 9, 2017 in Architecture, People
MDI Photo Club

The MDI Photo Club met at La Rochelle, better known as the Maine Seacoast Mission, for its December outing. We were able to photograph both inside and outside this classic Bar Harbor summer cottage. For the group photos I used a Canon 24mm tilt/shift lens which allowed me to get correct perspective for the rear of this lovely building. The tall guy third from the left is me taking the picture …

Hadlock Brook and Hemlock Bridge

Posted by on Oct 26, 2017 in Hike
Hadlock Brook and Hemlock Bridge

Janice and I hiked up to the Waterfall Bridge in Acadia National Park during a heavy rain. We knew the water would be flowing heavily, but still we were amazed by just how much water runs off the mountains of Mount Desert Island during a storm. On our walk long the carriage roads starting at the Parkman Mountain parking area, every culvert, spout, and normally dry stream was gushing water. …

Perpendicular Trail

Posted by on Oct 17, 2017 in Hike
Perpendicular Trail

The Perpendicular Trail is located in Acadia National Park on the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island. Being one of my favorite trails in the park, I chose to photograph it from end to end.

Though only a mile long, the Perpendicular Trail is not for the faint of heart because your heart will get a workout as you ascend the trail’s 704 stone steps. For even more …

Great Cranberry Island

Posted by on Sep 2, 2017 in Places
Great Cranberry Island

The MDI Photo Club gathered on Great Cranberry Island for a morning of exploring and taking pictures. Many thanks to Howie Motenko and Brenda Beckett of Acadia Photo Safari for shuttling club members from Northeast Harbor to GCI.

I took these shots with an iPhone 7. The blue image is a reflection of a boat house “garage” door that had a blue canvas-like tarp hanging on …

Algerine Coast

Posted by on Apr 22, 2017 in Places
Algerine Coast

The Algerine Coast stretches from Pretty Marsh to the Seal Cove town dock. Nobody seems to know the true origin of the name of this section of shore on the western side of Mount Desert Island in Maine. The folklore mentions Algeria, pirates, gold, and a man named Smith who came came from France in the early 19th century, but the truth remains a mystery. Many thanks to my friend Linda and …

MDI Photo Club Portrait Workshop

Posted by on Mar 4, 2017 in Lighting, People
MDI Photo Club Portrait Workshop

The MDI Photo Club held its March “outing” indoors at the Harbor House in Southwest Harbor. With temperatures that morning starting in the single digits and only climbing into the low teens, it was a good day to be inside. I taught an informal portrait workshop on lighting, working with a model, and what’s so great about the inverse square law. I set up a mini-studio with small flash …