Summer Touring in Maine - an Eclectic Review - Page 12 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn for 2 nights on this trip, exploring Acadia National Park during the day. I've included photos from this trip in an earlier post in this report. We then headed back to Camden, where we were scheduled to take a photo workshop the following week.
Maine Media Workshop
I don't have a lot of photos from our October weeklong photography workshop - my backup hard drive with all the photos decided to die - and my other backup is at home. But, I wanted to include it here because it may be of interest to some.
What is Maine Media Workshops and College? It is a school in Rockport, just minutes from Camden, that offers a series of workshops for photography and videography - everything from one day to year long programs. I originally thought it was for professionals and aspiring students, but we found out they have lots of offering for everyone, including beginning photographers.
It is a residential campus, and you can stay on site or at a local hotel. They provide all the meals - which were good ( with lots of vegetarian options). They bring instructors from all over, so the programs are always changing.
We chose a week long workshop called "Fall Colors of Maine.". The instructor was Neal Parent, a professional photographer with a studio in Belfast. He is the nicest man, and has contacts with local folks that got us into some interesting places. Our class was made up of people with all different levels of knowledge. The workshop included class time as well as shooting in the field. This was great for people who needed help learning to process their photos with software like Adobe Lightroom.
Maine Media also has classes for beginning digital photography - a great way to learn about your camera and to get a chance to photograph part of Maine. I don't mean to be a commercial for the place, just that it has some unique offerings, since most photography workshops are for experienced shooters, or take place entirely in a classroom.
So, what did we shoot? We started at Rockport Harbor, which is just around the corner from the campus.
We took a trip to Belfast, where we visited Neal's gallery, and also had a chance to walk around the town, and go "backstage" at the local bakery.
(photo from Maine Media)
We visited Marshall Point and Fort Point Lighthouses - this one is Fort Point:
Stopping to take some photos at a local cemetery on the way home:
We also visited some farms, including one where they still harvest potatoes using horses:
Made a day trip back to Acadia (too long for one day!!!)
Stopped at the Pennobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory
And a photo of my favorite haunted house:
We spent one afternoon with a private tour of Rockport Marine - where they build and repair ships:
And, did some sunrise and sunset shooting around Camden Harbor
Oops - need to fix my crooked horizon
That's just a sampling of what we saw during the week - definitely fun and an opportunity to see some places we would have missed without a guide.
I'm sorry I sound like a broken record, but I just can't get over the charm and character of the area! That's one of the downfalls of living in Southern California. It's such a new part of the country that it's rare that we see the "old stuff" that comprises most of the rest of the country! I LOVE the haunted house! Having just got back from Paramount and Universal, it's hard for me not to think that your pictures are of movie sets!
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The photography workshop has been there for such a long time! I'm glad to hear it's still going strong. Your shots are beautiful. I know Neal Parent, at least I did long ago. Very talented man! And THANK YOU for the Acadia photos-- what a special place.
I'm sorry I sound like a broken record, but I just can't get over the charm and character of the area! That's one of the downfalls of living in Southern California. It's such a new part of the country that it's rare that we see the "old stuff" that comprises most of the rest of the country! I LOVE the haunted house! Having just got back from Paramount and Universal, it's hard for me not to think that your pictures are of movie sets!
Every time we pass that house, I have to stop and take a photo. There is a lot of charm to New England.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a cool thing to do! I absolutely adore the last shot and the sun in it. So beautiful.
Thanks. We enjoy photography workshops because you do nothing else for a week. Next one - Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in September.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
The photography workshop has been there for such a long time! I'm glad to hear it's still going strong. Your shots are beautiful. I know Neal Parent, at least I did long ago. Very talented man! And THANK YOU for the Acadia photos-- what a special place.
Laurie - Maine Media seems to have its ups and downs, but they have some good classes, and it is an immersive experience. So glad you know Neal - his expertise is black and white, and coastal shots, but he's very knowledgeable about this area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
More great pics! That seal is so cute! We've stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn - great place!
Thanks. We heard the seal was spotted swimming and fishing in the harbor earlier today, so we'll see what happens.
My next update will be about a day cruise we took on Penobscot Bay. For today, I'll share some photos I took this morning. I was out at the harbor boat dock before sunrise (5:20am). There wasn't much of a sunrise, and no color in the sky, but here's what I got today.
I hope I'm not boring you with photos. I know this isn't a photography forum, but there are so many things to take photos of around here.
Please don't stop posting the photos! I love the photography and also the subject! I can't get enough of all those pictures of the area. I need to take lessons from you! Seeing your pictures really makes me want to visit!
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I look forward to your photos every morning. Everything is wonderful from your darling dog, the sweet seal and your landscapes make me want to hop in the car and head over to the coast.
Thanks! Glad everyone is okay with the photos, because we have more coming up.
We had a little excitement here yesterday. Natasha managed to knock a completely full glass of white wine directly onto the keyboard of my 1 month old MacBook Pro laptop Yikes almighty! I cleaned it as good as I could, and took it apart to dry. We'll see in a day or two if it starts, but I imagine a trip to the repair center is in order. And, while the dog did it, it is entirely my fault since I was absorbed in finishing up some photo editing and wasn't paying attention.
So, after reloading the photos on my backup laptop, here are some from our Cruise yesterday out into Penobscot Bay. Captain Ben joined us for the check ride. This was Natasha's first cruise. I've lots of photos, so will share them over the next couple of days.
Part 1 - Getting out of the Harbor
Natasha is suited up and ready to go:
Here's the view of our slip, as we backed out. It's a great location, but quite tight to get in and out of.
Heading out the narrow passageway from our hideaway - it doesn't look too narrow here, but there are boats just to our left, and only a bit of room for the turn we have to make.
The neighbors come out to watch. It's always exciting to see if someone is going to wipe out a boat or two. No worries - we made it with room to spare.
Paul waves goodbye, after helping us with the lines as we left the dock:
Cruising past a couple of boats - these both happen to be from Florida. This is pretty common here.
Lou is trying to get Emily's attention - she's getting ready to sail on the big sailboat. I have to get Natasha and hold her up so she can wave at Auntie Emily (Ben & Emily came down to Florida earlier this year when we went on our Disney Cruise, to stay with Natasha):
The view as we leave the marina and congested part of the harbor by town:
The Camden Yacht Club - in the afternoons, this is quite often the site of weddings and other celebrations:
A couple places with great views:
The Kid's Sailing Club getting ready to go out for the morning:
Natasha enjoys the wind while she checks out the view. She wasn't bothered by the motion of the boat, but was not happy that she had to be tethered and couldn't go wherever she wanted to go!
Another look back into town - there was a lot of activity on the Harbor.
A good view of Mt. Battie:
Zefira - a super mega sailing yacht. Over 160 feet long with a 210 foot mast - ginormous!
Natasha gets to go up on the flybridge - still not sure what to make of this whole adventure:
Coming up next - More Photos from our Morning Cruise
Wonderful shots as you pull out of Camden. Is that a black cocker seeing you off along with your neighbors? Looks like a perfect day. Love the shot of Natasha looking straight at the camera-- what an adorable face!
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- and my other backup is at home. But, I wanted to include it here because it may be of interest to some.
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I absolutely adore the last shot and the sun in it. So beautiful. 
We've stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn - great place! 
Yikes almighty! I cleaned it as good as I could, and took it apart to dry. We'll see in a day or two if it starts, but I imagine a trip to the repair center is in order. And, while the dog did it, it is entirely my fault since I was absorbed in finishing up some photo editing and wasn't paying attention. 
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