There is a high wind advisory in effect for coastal Maine this evening.  I thought perhaps that might render some decent wave activity as the tide started rolling in on Little Hunter’s Beach.  On my way to the beach along the path to the park loop road, this tree stump caught my eye.  I think it was all the various textures that captured my attention.  What I thought might be another “rock and water” scene for my photo of the day turned out to be something completely unexpected. I love it when that happens.

• I used the Aperture priority setting – ISO set at 100.  My camera settings are 1/8 sec. f/5 65mm
• I used my tripod and the Live View window and set focus on the fungi on the cut part of the trunk.
• Exposure Compensation was set to 0.00.
• In Lightroom, I fiddled with the highlights, shadows and vibrance settings and used the sharpening tool to add some crispness to the bark.  I did not crop this photo.

I’ll include a couple of my shots from Little Hunter’s Beach.  I’m not particularly happy with either one but have some thoughts to improve these shots in the future.

I have not ventured to Hunter’s Beach Cove for several weeks.  It was time for a visit.  I love the old log bridge along the trail.  It is weathered and starting to become moss covered.  It feels ancient and timeless.

• I used the Aperture priority setting – ISO set at 100.  My camera settings are 1/4 sec. f/5 46mm
• I used my tripod and the Live View window and set focus on the front log posts.  Again, I left my reading glasses in the car so it could be crisper!  I did my best!
• Exposure Compensation was set to 0.00.
• In Lightroom, I did not do any adjusting except to slightly crop to center the bridge

It was an overcast, dreary evening.  I captured some photos on the cobblestone beach and I’m including a couple of the best ones below.

I’m cheating today with regard to my daily photographic upload.  It was raining this morning and I had other obligations up until I needed to start work.  And now that I’m done work, I’m too tired to attempt a nighttime excursion given the dark, cloudy skies.  So, with that in mind, I decided to post a photo I took back in August 🙂

My son and daughter-in-law were visiting and we attempted to drive up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain for the sunset.  Unfortunately, we did not plan well and the entrance to the summit was closed due to a full parking lot.  We turned around and drove back to a small pull-off by the side of the park loop road that offered a view overlooking Eagle Lake.  It turned out to be the perfect spot to set up my tripod and we watched a spectacular sunset over Eagle Lake.

• I used the Aperture priority setting – ISO set at 100.  My camera settings are 1/13 sec. f/16 120mm
• I used my tripod and the Live View window and set focus at infinity.
• Exposure Compensation was set to 0.00.
• In Lightroom, I adjusted highlights, shadows and vibrance settings ever so slightly

Tomorrow I’ll be back on target with a “day of” photograph.  Enjoy!

Today was a busy day for me.  My cousin Terry and her husband Frank are on the island celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary, and this morning we got together for a walk along the carriage roads.  It was great to see them.  It’s literally been years!  We parted ways in Bar Harbor – and I grabbed some lunch and headed back to the village green to catch the shuttle to the campground.  My timing was off so instead of waiting almost an hour for the next shuttle to the campground, I hopped on the Sand Beach shuttle, got off near Thunder Hole and walked along the cliffs.  It was a beautiful day, and there was a nice breeze.  I found a spot to relax, take some photos and I even laid down on the rocks for a short “nap” with the sound of the waves lulling me into a “light” sleep.

No tripod with me today since I was hopping shuttles and hiking.  I just enjoyed the waves crashing on the rocks as the tide was coming in and captured some quick photos.

• I used the Aperature-priority setting and had it set to f/9.  My ISO was set at 100. The final shot was recorded at 1/250 sec. f/9 120mm
• I used the viewfinder and autofocus
• No tripod!
• Exposure Compensation setting was at 0.00 for this photograph
• In Lightroom, I did not alter the photo much from the original – very minor adjustments to highlights and shadows.

On my way back to the campground, I walk through a beautiful Ash forest and the Flat-topped Aster (Doellingeria umbellata) were flowering in drifts under the canopy.  Not as focused as I would like without my tripod, but my goal was to just capture the scene.  It was magical.

It’s been a long day.  My work day started at 7:00 am and it was the busiest morning of the entire summer in the campground.  That’s not what I would have predicted.  On top of that, I had chosen to spend part of my work day today shadowing the crew at our Schoodic Woods campground – 1 1/2 hours drive north.   I left for Schoodic around 12:30 pm.   I love the Schoodic Peninsula and thoroughly enjoyed my time spent there.  But, driving back to MDI I could tell I was losing steam and the long day was catching up to me.   And then, I entered the island and noticed the dense fog bank starting to envelope the coast.  I could tell my photographic journey was starting to have a serious impact on me!  My enthusiasm to get a good photo opp today gave me a second wind.  All I could think about was getting back to the campground, grabbing my camera and heading to the cliffs.  The combination of the fog bank against a colorful sunset promised to be inspiring and I did not want to miss it.

I set up my tripod at the exact point where I captured the sunrise photo earlier in this blog series – over Otter Point.  I took a number of pictures facing that direction but also changed perspective and swiveled the camera 180 degrees in the opposite direction.  That was the photo that most inspired me.  The simplicity of the scene and the subtle light was irresistible.

• I used the Aperature-priority setting and had it set to f/16.  My ISO was set at 100. The final shot was recorded at 1/13 sec. f/16 24mm
• I used Live View and manual focus for this shot
• My tripod was set up and I used the timer
• Exposure Compensation setting was at -0.03 for this photograph
• In Lightroom, the adjustments I made were to Highlights, slight adjustment to Shadows and Vibrance settings.  I did slightly crop the photo, and adjust the horizon line a bit 🙂

Just for fun, I zoomed in on the water below where my tripod was set up and slowed down the shutter speed so I could get a “dreamy” photo of the water churning around the rocks.  Caught a gull enjoying a marine life snack!

It’s been awhile since I strolled around one of my favorite gardens here on Mount Desert Island – Thuya Gardens.  I drove over there after work today and parked off Route 3 and hiked up the Asticou Terrace access to the garden.   There were still some fall perennials and annuals blooming and I took a number of close-up shots of some of the best examples.  After a couple of tours around the garden, I came upon some monarch butterflies feeding.  There is a section of the garden where they have some native milkweed planted and I had snapped a few photos of the caterpillars earlier in the season.  I took a few quick shots of the adult monarchs – and thought this one turned out pretty clear.

• I used the Aperature-priority setting and had it set to f/4.  My ISO was set at 400. The final shot was recorded at 1/1000 sec. f/4 120mm
• I used viewfinder and auto-focus
• This garden requires permission to use photographic equipment so I did not use my tripod
• Exposure Compensation setting was at -0.03 for this photograph
• In Lightroom, the adjustments I made were to Highlights, slight adjustment to Shadows and Vibrance settings.  I cropped the photograph to zoom in on the monarch.

I thought I would share my photo of the caterpillar photo I captured earlier in the summer.  I really like this angle.

There is a “social” path that leads off of the Quarry Trail in Acadia.  I noticed it a few weeks ago but never ventured down that elusive trail.  I suspect it has its origin in the village of Otter Creek, intersects the Quarry Trail and leads down to the Park Loop Road near where there is access to an old fishing shack on Otter Cove.  This morning I decided to walk down this path to explore – figuring that I would be alone since it is not a marked trail.  I was right.  My goal this morning was to find an interesting shot of the incredible diversity of moss and lichen in the forest.  I do not have a clue as to what species of moss and/or lichen are attached to this tree trunk but if you look closely there are several different plants/fungi growing here.  I understand that mosses are indeed considered plants but lichen is a type of fungus.  I just love the textures and colors.  I need to look for a guide that will help me identify the species in the photo.  For now, though – just enjoy!

One thing I will note.  When I got my tripod out to set it up for this shot, I realized two things.  One – I had forgotten my reading glasses!  That meant I was limited to using the autofocus and viewfinder.  Good Grief!  Two – I had never used my tripod to take a shot with the camera turned vertical.  It took me awhile to figure out how to manipulate my tripod to angle it appropriately!  Good learning experience!

• I used the Aperature-priority setting and had it set to f/5.6  My ISO was set at 400. The final shot was recorded at 1/10 sec. f/5.6 70mm
• I used viewfinder and autofocus
• Tripod shot for sure with the timer set on release mode dial
• Exposure Compensation setting was at -0.03 for this photograph
• In Lightroom, the adjustments I made were to Highlights, slight adjustment to Shadows and Vibrance settings.  I did sharpen the photo just a bit.