Camping in the RV on Somes Sound. What fun
 Found ourselves in lovely Peru over the weekend for a family wedding. Beautiful area that I'd only passed through previously. This is early morning on Worthly Pond, and it's 'worth' the visit [hahahahaha. ahem.]
Afterwards we took the RV over to Bar Harbor, and camped right next to Somes Sound. First time camping for the boy, so really fun just to watch his face as he took it all in. More images from that experience later.  I have a new post up on dearsusan.net today. I so enjoy the engagement with other photographers that this platform offers. And, I tend to learn a lot as well.
For instance I've long been considering a move from Adobe's Lightroom product to Capture One [due mainly to the former's move to a subscription-only model.] By all accounts C1 is a superior RAW converter, and as such the move should be a no-brainer. But of course nothing is ever that simple. Simply learning the new interface and workflow is daunting enough. Add to that the inevitable 'it does this better, but this other thing not as well', and it's understandable why so many of us who 'want' to make the switch have put it off. I, for one, was going to wait for the next new hard drive. That's when I'll be forced to make the commitment in one direction or another. But that's a stressful time already, isn't it? No time to be learning a complicated new software along with all the other issues and upgrades. Ugh.  Little boy loves the moon...watches for it every night. Yesterday he found it round and orange, and if I don't miss my guess next to Venus. I watched it with him for a while before realizing that I needed to get dressed, run to the office to put together a camera bag and tripod*, and hike out to the cliff.
This is a 30sec exposure which allowed the surf to glow against the rocks. I intentionally packed an older wide angle zoom lens [the oft mentioned ca. 1995 Canon 20-35mm f2.8L], which was not the most optically perfect choice. I did this because it was a stop faster than the other obvious choices** and also perhaps just to be contrary, as Canon has all but denied paternity of the lens....there is barely a mention of the lens in company literature, absolutely no support, and no available profiles in Lightroom. 'My little bastard', I call him. ;) I played around with ISO and aperture a bit during the brief shoot. This one was taken at f5.6 which produced the nice diffraction star around the moon. The ISO was 800 which is most decidedly not the strong suit of my 5DS which shines at 100. There's just a bit of noise, but it could probably be tamed down a bit more. I won't deny for a moment that I approach photography from a technical and equipment-centric point of view. I used to own a film lab and camera stores...without this 'focus' [hahaha] I wouldn't have gone where I did. This is just one of the ways that I differ greatly from my neighbor John Paul Caponigro. In his talk here it's directly pointed out in case you missed it that you won't hear any discussion of camera brands or f-stops from him, and instead will receive a very well thought out, even cerebral, discussion of art and intention. My approach is very much rooted in 'pre-visualization' a lá Minor White all the way back from the lens to the sensor/film and post-production/developer and on to the print.. What can I say. Gear matters to me, from winches on a sailboat to the Michelin snows I run year-round on the SUV here in the woods. Cause and effect. Form follows function. It's a mind-set...one that I enjoy. Your mileage may vary. Buckle up. * With fond memories of friend Chris Warman...his old Gitzo and R.No.1 head are my go-to for these excursions. ** From my slim collection those would be the Canon 16-35mm f4L which would have been better optically and will go along next time, and the Voigtlander 20mm f3.5II which I sold during a purge thinking I'd someday buy a 24mm f1.4, but didn't. ;)  Oddly enough I enjoy driving around the rural parts of Maine...and keep in mind that most of of the state qualifies.
There is just something so real and honest about both the landscape and the people. Don't get me wrong...it can be bleak in a way that a lot of areas are these days...but it's familiar. Traveled to the western woods with my father-in-law the other day to look at a mower. Pretty memorable experience. And, as you can see, camo was the uniform of the day. Glad I had the Leica along for the ride.  Mornings here on the coast have often been foggy...leading to interesting formations over the water come mid-day.
 I have submitted images to professional contests over the years, but not often.
The first time was Communications Arts magazine I believe, and my shot was accepted to the annual...not as a winner or even an honorable mention...just in the third 'accepted' category. But I was published, very cool for a kid fresh out of photo school. I even stuck the original 8x10 b/w print in the back of the copy I bought. Wish that book had survived the moves. I did not submit again for a long time while running a business and then transitioning away from film, but picked it back up recently. My next submission to a Photographers Forum annual last year was accepted and published in the same manner. Again an 'also ran' but given the huge number of submissions not an insignificant accomplishment. I just received a letter of notification that the image above won something in this year's contest. They don't tell you whether you've won, placed, or shown...although I assume winner's receive a more flowery notification...but in any event it sure is nice to see your work acknowledged on any national stage. I'll let you know when I hear of how well we placed. :) The images above, which you've seen here before, were also included in a gallery and blog post I contributed to dearsusan.net earlier this month. In the comments [which were fascinating to me] I was asked more than once to expand on how some of them were created. Below was one of my more breathy replies that touched on three in particular...repeated here for posterity. :) [On the sand photo] The ‘almost identical dents’ are simply runnels carved into the sand by receding water [waves]. I think the optical confusion folks are experiencing is created by the lack of any scale or familiar object. This was very intentional, and I think the reason the images works. I’d go so far as to say that all of my successful images [I can’t speak for anyone else] are missing some natural element [intentionally] that [allows? requires?] the viewer to fill in the blank from their memory or imagination. I think that’s what makes some images memorable…the viewer owns them via their personal input.
So, again, the image was taken from a relatively close range, which may be throwing your eye off. Also, the slope is quite shallow on this beach allowing for lots of time for the water to do its work on the super-saturated sand, and if you find a similar beach to walk someday I believe you’ll see a formation like this. [The crows in snow] In the other shot the ‘stuff…drifting down the image’ is simply snow. Reviewers have suggested that flash was involved as well, but no. Just perfect snow and perfect light filtered through amazing clouds. It was just ‘one of those days’. I particularly like how the flakes appear white against the dark stone of the tower, yet gray against the lighter sky. Such was the weight and opacity of the flakes. Really quite remarkable. It was mid-week in January in Newport, Rhode Island. My son had been born that month and I needed to get some paperwork from the town office. The snow was quite heavy and rather than drive I knew to grab the camera and take a walk. Keeping it under my coat and out of the snow was a priority, but as I came down the walkway of a park I saw crows, a favorite subject, playing around this stone tower. One shot was all I got, but it worked beautifully. [The man in a t-shirt] The guy in the last shot is an amazing friend. He doesn’t complain, but he certainly does see.  We had a food truck lunch on the dock in Camden over the weekend. Fantastic.
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Thoughts and musings on the photographic process by a recovering film lab owner.
Some photo sites we enjoy:
Magnum The Online Photographer John Paul Caponigro Onne van der Wal Kirk Tuck By Thom Steve Huff B&W Mag LensRentals DearSusan Archives
April 2025
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