You may have heard me talk about how photography is my therapy.
Well, that's true. But it's also something I LOVE to do. I'd do it most every day and night if I had the chance. I would never want it to be my "job", mind you. I want to keep it as something I look forward to doing- for me and me alone.
That's why I took advantage of a 3 day weekend we had last weekend, and left at 10am on Thursday and drove 339 miles to Lubec Maine to start a 4 day trip to photograph what I wanted, when I wanted, without any firm plan. And I did it alone.
This is how I rolled: coffee in the cup (and a full big ass thermos in the back seat so I don't have to stop for it along the way), the camera gear (tripods and such), and of course- BLUEBERRIES.
Blueberries are my go-to snack on many roadtrips. Love em.
I headed straight to Lubec Maine, and that night in a small inn, I walked into a restaurant and me Jim - from Cape Porpoise (another place I love to photograph)
Jim is a fan of my photography work, so I chatted with him, his wife, and his best friend out on the deck as the sun went down.Nice guy!!!
I stayed at an AirBnB - right next to the West Quoddy Head Light Lighthouse. I think it's called "West Quoddy Station" -
Pretty sweet room for a really good price!
I crashed for a a few hours, but got up at midnight and headed out to the lighthouse in hopes of shooting the light with the Milky Way behind it.
And this right here- is the 5th picture I took that night-
And Im pretty sure I got it right. <grin> (You kidding me? I was over the friggin MOON with this shot!)
This shot is what it looked like. Very little editing added to it because the shot didn't need it. The view was SPECTACULAR!
Here's another couple angles-
I was out there all night, pretty much by myself- and it was incredible.
Nights like this make all the driving and prep work worth it. It's like Mother Nature is giving me this gift just because I went looking.
Next morning I was up and headed to the Boot Head Preserve in Lubec. It's a long stretch of beach with high cliffs along the shore. It's part of what they call Maine's "Bold Coast"
The trails there lead you to some really beautiful spots!
Of course, no road trip is complete without a stop for some ice cream, right?
Guess which one of these flavors I chose?
Answer: Don't be ridiculous - i ordered them BOTH!!! Haha- do I look like a one scoop guy to you???? hahah -
And along the way I saw this in the parking lot of a small harbor -
It reminded me of the memes- TELL ME YOU'RE IN MAINE WITHOUT TELLING ME YOU'RE IN MAINE
All the lobster and clam scraps from a fishing boat, left for the gulls and wildlife to feast on. Haha...
Did another full night of shooting in Acadia. This one is from Little Hunters Beach at 2am
I've got 1500 images to go through (saw a ton of bald eagles too! more on that later) - so Im only posting a few here.
Spent Saturday night in a bar in Northeast Harbor, having lobster tacos and watching the Celtics lose (AGAIN).....
On the bright side, the tacos were awesome!
So- I got a ton of photos to go thru - but I will leave you for now. I will say- taking four days to go do something I love is truly good for my soul. I'm not trying to get away from Valerie, or home, or work - (ok, well kind of work - I mean, it IS still work, right?) - I'm just trying to reduce the "noise" of life. The constant pressure that comes with the territory. And I'm so lucky Valerie is as understanding as she is when it comes to me doing that. Hell- she probable LOVES THE QUIET too!!! hahah -
So it was an excellent weekend that really felt good to me. It's something I do a couple times a year, and I already can't wait to get away again.
(Is that bad???)
Anyway- hope you folks had a good weekend as well - and hope you enjoy the upcoming 3 day weekend too -
g