Kirk, Author at Cape Ann Photo Tours

Location Scouting for Fall 2019 Workshop

October 13, 2018 by Kirk

This past Monday my workshop partner David Sokol and I made a trip up to the Franconia area of New Hampshire to scout out locations for our October 2019 workshop. We visited the Inn at Sunset Hill where our workshop is located. What a great place! Judy was a welcoming face at the front desk and Dick the owner gave us a tour of this wonderful facility. We are looking forward to visiting here in the spring and fall for many years to come.

Fall Foliage Sugar Hill — The Episcopal Church in Sugar Hill, NH has a very colorful tree out front.

Turning leaves — Leaves turning color Sugar Hill NH

Foliage, hills and mist — Clouds and mist fell over the hills in Sugar Hill NH

Fall Foliage and barn — The fall foliage springs up behind a barn in Sugar Hill NH

After scouting around Sugar Hill we headed to Topsham Vermont. The reds and oranges were not as prominent as the yellows but they were still very vibrant. The mist and light rain put a damper on things but allowed us to shoot most of the day.

Church steeple and foliage — Groton VT church steeple during foliage season

Next we shot down 302 to the Kancamagus Highway to shoot a Sabbaday waterfall which was running at a good pace. Dave had his circular polarizer and I had my 6 stop cpl dark from Breakthrough Photography. This was a bit to much for water falls at 2-3 sec of exposure but I made it work. Sabbaday Falls is a short walk from the parking lot and when the water is flowing and the leaves have turned and are lying on the rocks it can make for some great photography.

Fall foliage and waterfalls — Water rushes by fall foliage on rocks at Sabbaday Falls in NH.

Fall foliage at Sabbaday Falls — Water rushes past rocks covered in colorful leaves Sabbaday Falls, NH

All of the waterfall shots were done in the 2-3 sec range with the Breakthrough Photography new magnetic holder system which I will be doing a review on when I have used it more. It was pretty easy to use and the results were great. The color is spot on and the circular polarizer (CPL) worked great. Taking the sheen off the rocks was just enough to make these images special. Please join David and I next year for our Fall Foliage and Waterfall Workshop in Sugar Hill, NH.

A Whale of a Photo Shoot

September 24, 2018 by Kirk

Yesterday was an incredible day! I was up early to go out and make some shots for boat tours I will be offering in 2019 and the light and tide were incredible. I boarded my friends boat the “Sea Chase” a wonderful 38 ft former fishing charter boat that will provide a super platform for photo touring by water. the first thing that we ran into was the incredible light shining through the waves breaking at the head of Straightsmouth Island. Besides the really cool color and light, the breaking waves also lined up with Thacher’s Island.

Breaking waves — Waves break off Straightsmouth Island in Rockport with the Twin Lights of Thacher’s Island in the distance.

After shooting this incredible scene we headed off shore about 5-6 miles where the whales were feeding. After some pretty boring photos of their backs our patience paid off and they started to sound which means they are headed down. This gave me an opportunity to photograph some flukes. Then they started to lie on their side and flap their fins in the water which is quite a site.

Whale flukes — The whales were sounding and showed us their flukes.

Unless whales are breaching (coming out of the water) then the photos are pretty boring, so it’s imperative to show some scale of these giant creatures. I used the whale watch boat Miss Cape Ann to give some perspective.

Whale fin slapping — Whales lying on their side slapping their fins.

It’s a good idea to always have a long lens with you when photographing whales. Since you will most likely be some distance from them it’s important to have a long focal length lens handy. Shoot at a high shutter speed like 1/1000 sec to stop the action and not get blurry photos. This may require rising your ISO up to 400 or more depending on the light. Good luck with your next whale shoot.

Sailing with Schooners

September 19, 2018 by Kirk

Here on Cape Ann with have a schooner festival every year. It’s a grand affair and it harkens back to 1928-1939 when schooner races happened regularly. This year the schooners Columbia and Bluenose 2, both replicas, one brand new and the other recently completely refitted visited Gloucester for the occasion. I was lucky enough to ride out to greet them on the schooner Ardelle. It was an incredible experience. Both schooners are magnificent.

The schooner Columbia sails by Niles Beach in Gloucester shadowed by a small Herreschoff designed sailboat.

When photographing sailing yachts it’s helpful to keep in mind some loose rules. If the yachts are large you need to show scale or their majesty is lost.

The schooner Bluenose 2 before entering Gloucester Harbor

Try to shoot with a long lens to compress the field of view and only include a portion of the sail area. If you can see people on board it also adds scale.

Showing action also helps to give a majestic view to large sailing yachts.

Adding context to the image gives the viewer a sense of where the yacht is. I was lucky here as as the schooner entered the harbor and we were behind and to the side which gives us some context with this image.

Ardelle and Bluenose 2 — Passengers aboard the schooner Ardelle watch the Bluenose 2 sail by.

I also chose to tell a story by using a 21 mm lens and showing the passengers on the schooner I was on. Again showing context.

schooners Ardelle and Lynx — Schooner Ardelle owner Harold Burnham talks with passengers as the schooner Lynx sails by.

The 21 mm lens again pulls in another schooner going by and one in the distance all while the owner of the Ardelle Harold Burnham holds court at the bow of the Ardelle.