Asticou Azalea Garden in Acadia NP

Sometimes someone wants to show you something and as you are approaching it, you are underwhelmed.  OK, you tell yourself, I'll be polite and make the best of it.  And sometimes, just some times, it turns out to be time well-spent.

That's what happened to me at the Asticou Azalea Garden in Acadia National Park in Maine.

Annette was taking a photography workshop up there and the instructors invited me along on the garden photo shoot.

When we were pulling in to the parking lot there was only a little, 2' by 2' sign that indicated that anything was there.  If it weren't for the instructors, Annette and I would have never stopped in here.

The parking lot could hold less than a dozen cars.

Even the sign at the foot entrance to the garden was understated.

So I listen to the instructor.

• "Look for the fiddle head ferns."  
• "Try to shoot from the shadow side of the  flowers.  It will make them glow like they were lit with a light from within."  
• "If a large overall scene doe not work for you, look for the details."  
• "Simplify and isolate."

OK.  I'll give it  try.

I was very pleasantly surprised!  So surprised that after the workshop, Annette and I came back to the garden to get more images!

Fiddle Head Ferns

Simplified and Isolated

Look at the sun shining through the petals!

The instructor allowed me to borrow a close up filter to get really close!

Isolated Stepping Stones

Sand Garden Detail 

Birch Bark Details

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Wave Action

Some of the most fun I had during our recent trip to Maine was taking long-exposure (multiple seconds) pictures of waves.

While Annette was participating in the Photography Workshop, I went out near Thunder Hole with the wife of another workshop participant.  No sense in sitting in the room!!!

I went out on the rocks to the left of the Thunder Hole observation area and searched for a composition that I liked.  It wasn't hard!

I had envisioned swirling waves on the rocks.  I was not looking to freeze the sprays of water that happen when the waves crash into the rocks.  Therefore, I had to get the length of the shutter opening up to several seconds so that the waves were not frozen in place.

Unfortunately, it was still in the afternoon and, although it was foggy, the sun was still above the horizon.

So I started with ISO and turned it down to the lowest ISO possible in my camera (100 ISO).  Then I chose the smallest aperture available (F22).  Being on Aperture priority mode, the camera chose the shutter speed.  But at that time of day, it was still less than a second.  Too short for my purposes!

So I put on a 4-stop neutral density filter.  Now we were getting close, but I still wanted a longer shutter speed.  So, I put on the circular polarizer and adjusted it until the scene looked the darkest.

Finally, I had a shutter opening of several seconds!

I took a couple of pictures and checked the back of the camera.  Oh, wow!  I think I might get something here!

I shot a lot of pictures because you can never predict how the waves will look in the image.  Every one is different.

I would probably stayed there until dark, but my companion was not a photographer and after a short time, wanted to move on.

See what you think of these images.  I would love to see your comments!

Annette was intrigued by these images and had to have some of her own.  So after the workshop, she and I went out to the same place and took some more pictures.  However, the tide was much further out when we arrived there.  So the rocks that were catching the waves when I was there earlier, were completely exposed and nearly dry!

So...Take the picture when you see it.  You never know if it will be there when you get back!

Fog. Help or Hinderance?

Annette and I recently returned from a vacation trip to Cape Cod and Maine.  It was a great trip.

Maine, to us, was a very relaxing place, even though Annette was involved in a Photography Workshop, which had her rising way before sunrise!

The first part of the week was beautiful weather, by conventional standards.  The skies were blue.  The sun was shining.  The temperatures were in the upper 60's F.

The latter part of the week was dreary, by conventional standards.  Foggy, overcast skies were the norm.

Yet both conditions were great for our photography.

Let's start with the fog.

For photographers, fog is an eraser.  It erases (hides) a lot of background clutter.

Fog is a soft box creating wonderful soft lighting without the harsh contrast and shadows of bright, mid-day sun.

Fog sets a mood.  Sometimes it is a dreary, melancholy mood.  Sometimes it is a mysterious, threatening mood.

Here are a couple of pictures from the trip where fog played an integral part of the image.

The above image is a view of the coast line, at least as far as you can see with the fog!

These are the waves near Thunder Hole.  The fog hides anything in the background, whether it is a ship on the water or more rocky shore.

This picture and the next show how much the fog obscures anything around the boat.  They were taken in Bar Harbor from the area where the tour boats take on passengers.

Early morning fog.  The boat was only 100 yards from where I stood.

One other lesson:  When we drove past this cove the first time, there was fog in the distance, but the whole cove was visible.  But we didn't stop.  Instead, we drove a mile or so past it, took some pictures and came back.  Then it looked like this.

So...Take the picture when you see it!  Don't assume it will still be there when you come back!

Talk to you later!