summertime waves

Something about summer makes me want to go to the beach. Florida still courses through my veins, yet beaches nearby are hard to come by. Sand Beach at Acadia National Park was good for my soul, but the water was far too cold for my tropical blood.

Longtime followers may remember my out-of-focus shots from Monet's house and gardens last year. I decided on this trip to try a few. I think this one turned out the best.

(ISO 100, f/14.0, 1/100s)
Related link: DPS article on intentionally taking shots out-of-focus

jordan pond, vol. 2

We went for a ride around the park on our last full day in town. We stopped by Jordan Pond, which we'd seen from above on a hike earlier. It looks a bit different up close, yes?
(ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/200s)

doubled back

On our second day's hike, we walked past this weathered stump on the descent. I thought, "Wow. That'd look great in black and white!" Fortunately, our dads wanted to take a break shortly after, so I doubled back to catch this one. The midday sun was pretty harsh, and I stacked some filters to get the depth of field I wanted. The vignetting was a side effect.
(ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/50s, 0.6 ND filter, circular polarizer)

coastline

Growing up in Florida, I'm still awed when I see craggy coastlines like those in Maine. As a climber, part of me wants to put my shoes on and climb them too!
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/125s)

realized

It was somewhere near this flower that I realized my mistake and frantically went back through the gardens we were in, trying desperately to recreate some of the shots I'd taken in the last 20 minutes or so. The boat cruise was a lost cause.
(ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250s)

in the weeds, vol. 2

Following our Cadillac Mountain hike, I noticed an old work truck rusting in the weeds behind our motel. I couldn't just let it sit there without taking a portrait or two.
(ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/20s)

the reason

Shooting the quick sunset at the summit of Cadillac Mountain was the reason for much of my dissatisfaction. I was shooting in aperture priority mode, dropped my exposure to two stops underexposed, and forgot to reset it for our harbor cruise the next morning. Translation: all of my shots from the boat were severely underexposed and full of noise when I corrected them in post. Guess I'll have to go back to Maine with new glass and a lesson learned!

(ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/30s, eV -2.0)

unsure

Upon returning from Maine, I had about 450 shots. I culled them down to about half that, but I'm still not even sure which Maine photos are worthy of sharing. I wasn't able to get some of the shots I anticipated. The heat made me lazy, and I wanted to enjoy the trip beyond my lens. I'll go on popular opinion (of my household anyhow!).

(ISO 400, f/8.0, 1/15s)

jordan pond

I recently returned from a trip to Maine with my wife, father, & father-in-law. We did a bit of hiking. I took a few photos. Here's an interactive panoramic collage, stitched together by Photosynth. I think I'll take more of these in the future. It's pretty neat.

(ISO 100, f/10, 1/125s)

thirty clams (or so)

For my wife's birthday on Sunday, we took a trip to the Southwest Waterfront & bought some clams. I made linguine with clam sauce for her and her family. Delicious dinner. Fabulous company. She had a blast.
(ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/6s)

indiscriminate

With the canoe leaking all over my flip flops, I took great care to protect my camera by hanging it on my person. It wouldn't have helped much if we went over, but I was fairly certain that wasn't going to happen.

(ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/125s)

baiting and waiting

If you get upset when you don't catch fish when you go out, you're doing it wrong. It's called fishing, not catching.

(ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/15s)

a leaky canoe

Even on the calm Severn River, it's a bit hard to take a stable shot in a boat, much less a canoe. We moored ourselves to this decrepit dock...and promptly snagged the bottom with our rods in opposite directions.

At least the beer was cold.
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/160s)

a week late

As usual, I find myself with much to strive toward in capturing the beauty of fireworks. Perhaps it's because I like them so much that I find my photos don't do them justice. Or maybe it's because I see such great shots by Luis Gomez & Foggy Dew that gives me motivation to improve my own next year!

(ISO ???, f/9.0, 4.0s, 55mm)

the view

By virtue of her new job, we were able to watch the fireworks with a different vantage point this year. It wasn't too crowded, and we didn't have to deal with the fubar of Metro at Rosslyn like last year.

(ISO 800, f/9.0, 1/5s)

vineyard vines, v2.0

Virginia is apparently becoming quite the oenophile oasis. It didn't take me long to find an industry page, and each winery I've been to toots their own horn quite loudly. I'm not well-versed enough in wine tasting to tell the difference, but I did enjoy most of the wines at Breaux last weekend.
(ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/30s)

vineyard vines

No, not funny colored britches with tiny embroidered whales!
(ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/125s)

cooled off

It was a hot day. Finding shady spots in the breeze helped. So did cool bottles of their crisp summertime whites.
(ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/125s, 4x close-up filter)

geaux-ing tasting

We took a trip to two local wineries to belatedly celebrate a friend's birthday. We spent most of our time at Breaux Vineyards in Purcellville, Virginia. Coincidentally, it was also our anniversary, and we were able to enjoy some time with friends who attended our wedding a year ago.

(ISO 200, f/8.0, 1/400s)

independence

Whatever your political stripes, we can all agree on days like today that they should be red & white with our field of blue nearby. I'm hoping to snag some fireworks shots this evening, but I'll have to do so without my cousin's long zoom that she let me borrow last year. Have a splendid Fourth of July!
(ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/250s)

somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high...
(ISO 200, f/9.0, 1/125s)