Maine - Portland Head and Nubble lighthouses

eoren1

As I mentioned in another thread, the wife and kids are away so I hopped in the car for the quick 2 hour drive up to Portland Head lighthouse. I was intrigued by shots I saw here where others had managed to get below the lighthouse and onto the 'beach' area that is fenced off from above. Managed to find a very friendly station manager who pointed me to the right spot for hopping the fence. A careful scramble over boulders and I had arrived!

1. Portland Head from the 'normal' vantage point


2. And from the 'beach'


3. Sea was just choppy enough to produce some great breaking waves


4. HDR from the other side of the lighthouse - notice the people scrambling in the rocks below. Played with the color a lot in Photomatix and still not crazy about it.


5. Nubble lighthouse. A quick 1 hour drive back toward Boston and I had arrived at the Nubble lighthouse. That fisherman was nice enough to have positioned himself rather perfectly in the frame:wink


6. A bit of HDR magic to bring out the green moss


7. Sweet, sweet light


8. This one was made with the help of Marc Muench and Tom (Hawkeye978) who had posted a shot from here on the Muench University and gotten some great suggestions for a reshoot URL="http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1073979&postcount=123"]link[/URL. Hope you don't mind that I took the comments and ran with them:D


9. And one last wider version

RogerLund

Cool series, they work for me. :0)

redleash

It is nice to be so close to great subjects--and be able to go out and shoot them. It sounds like you had a great day! Oh, and some nice results also. I like #2 a lot because of the bird. The shot looks rather flat to me but capturing that BIF raises this shot to another level, IMO. To me, #5 is the best shot--I like the lighting and colors and softness of the water. It would be a very attractive shot in any event, but the bonus of the fisherman also raises this shot to another level--IMO it is OUTSTANDING! I do wonder, though, if you might crop out some of the bottom--the rocks don't add anything and a wider, more panoramic view (on my screen) works better for me. I cut it just at the tip of the big triangular rock. I really like #9, this time with the rocks in it. It's got the "sweet light" you found and the rocks seem to point towards the lighthouse, leading my eye right to it. Very attractive shot, I think.

Thanks for sharing an excellent series!

Lauren

eoren1

Thank you both for the comments.
Lauren, I decided that the colors of the first few bothered me and just replaced them with a slightly warmer WB.
Also, took your suggestion about the fisherman and reworked that crop:


Better???
Thanks again,
E

redleash

E-

I like the change in #2--the deeper blue sky gives a nice contrast to the bird and the lighthouse. I like the fisherman much better now--I'm anxious to see what others say so I will stay on the alert for updates to your thread. Keep up the good work!

Lauren

eoren1

Thanks again Lauren - I'm much happier with the WB now and the new crop.
E

cj99si

Yup, You gotta hop the fence to get the good stuff!

Doug Solis

Very nice series overall. I to like #2, the seagull really adds to the whole compo.

I really like the #5 that you recropped, love the fisherman.

I think my fav is #9 (if it were cropped to remove the foreground rocks) I agree they don't really add to the compo. It must have been later in the day for this shot and the reflections in the water add a lovely touch. I also like the shutter speed used to slow the water down to a fogy milky consistancy.

Well done.

Ann McRae

Hey E

These are great and get me thinking about October 6th! I land in Boston at 5 and my roomie and I are heading to the Portland Head Lighthouse vicinity then on to Bar Harbour the next day. Any tips?

Really love the colors in the Nubble Lighthouse shots.

Are you coming on the shootout? I hope so!

ann

eoren1

Ann McRae wrote:

Hey E

These are great and get me thinking about October 6th! I land in Boston at 5 and my roomie and I are heading to the Portland Head Lighthouse vicinity then on to Bar Harbour the next day. Any tips?

Really love the colors in the Nubble Lighthouse shots.

Are you coming on the shootout? I hope so!

ann

Heck ya I'm coming
With a 5pm landing, I don't think you'll make even the Nubble light in time before the end of dusk. That one is only an hour north of me (so 1 1/2 hr from Logan). The Portland head one is further up.
You may want to drive into the city and hit Fan Pier for some nice sunsets across the skyline
If you do get to Portland Head in the light and you're up for the walk down to the 'beach', look for the boulder over the fence as your jumping over spot. Then head (gingerly) down the boulders for the much better vantage point.
All I got for now. I'm planning on a leisurley drive up the coast starting early Wednesday.
See you soon!
E

grimace

Beautiful series!!

hawkeye978

Great series, E. Glad you could get to the lighthouses. I really like the perspective in #2 and 3. There is another way down that doesn't require hopping the fence. If you walk along with asphalt path that follows the cliff there are obscured openings in the hedges there. If you walk through and up you are on top of the cliffs and can scramble down to the 'beach'.

Great perspective on Nubble. I don't usually go that far over. I particularly like 7, 8, and 9 and especially 8 for some reason . I really like the wider versions too. I wonder how a little darker sky in 8 and 9 would look?

eoren1

hawkeye978 wrote:

Great series, E. Glad you could get to the lighthouses. I really like the perspective in #2 and 3. There is another way down that doesn't require hopping the fence. If you walk along with asphalt path that follows the cliff there are obscured openings in the hedges there. If you walk through and up you are on top of the cliffs and can scramble down to the 'beach'.

No need to hop the fence??? Way to take away all the fun out of getting down to the beach

hawkeye978 wrote:

Great perspective on Nubble. I don't usually go that far over. I particularly like 7, 8, and 9 and especially 8 for some reason . I really like the wider versions too. I wonder how a little darker sky in 8 and 9 would look?

It can get slippery out on those rocks but is well worth it! Thanks for the Muench University discussion. I was literally reading it as I set up some of the later dusk shots.

E