black and white photography Archives

Bailey Island Maine Lobster Shack

May 30, 2021 by Kirk

Maine is such a huge state it’s almost impossible to see every part of it. One place I have never visited is the Bailey Island lobster shack. This island is located south of Brunswick and Harpswell and is a quintessential coastal Maine location. The main resource is lobstering and it is in evidence everywhere. A friend showed me a photograph of a lobster shack that sits out on a rocky point in Mackerel Cove on Bailey Island. I knew right away I had to photograph it. This proved to be a little more difficult than initially thought. It was low tide and the access was very tricky. From the road I had to climb over a guard rail and down a steep embankment to get onto the tidal plain. But it was worth it. The sun was in and out and I had to wait for the right light before making the photograph below.

Luckily the rocks and seaweed added a foreground element leading up to the shack. The calm water added just the right element, a mirror like reflection! I now have several wonderful images of this iconic lobster shack and can’t wait to bring our tour group up here in June. There were many other fabulous images around Mackerel Cove. One of them was this derelict lobster boat which was pulled up on the beach at the head of the cove with the name “Full Throttle” which was appropriate for an abandoned boat.

Cape Ann Photo Tours will be leading another group up to Mid Coast Maine in September so be sure to click the link and check it out. This tour takes in Boothbay to Camden which is a pretty large area. If we have time we might even make it down to Bailey’s Island. My co-leader for this tour is Jim Scouletis a well know photographer here in Massachsetts check out his website here.

Up to the Gunnels – Schooner Sylvina W. Beal

May 29, 2020 by Kirk

Harold Burnham is going to rehab this old schooner the Sylvina W. Beal over the next two years but for the moment she has been tied up next to his shipyard in Essex, MA. This gave me a great opportunity to check out my most versatile lens the 16-80 mm or in 35mm full frame terms 24-120mm. This is a great range and which these images will give you an idea of. The morning was very still and the water was barely moving when I arrived in Essex. The reflections were outstanding and gave me some very nice images of this vessel at high tide.

The reflections, peeling paint, and old hull made for some intriguing compositional elements. In black and white this became even more apparent.

Walking around for different vantage points gave me some even more exciting images using this great all-purpose lens! I shoot mostly at the wide and long end with very little at the 35mm/50mm mark so this latitude was a true god send for this particular project.

The old abandoned hull of the schooner Maine sits sunk in the mud near the Burnham Shipyard in Essex. The long throw of the 16-80 gives some nice perspective on this rotting relic.

Another shot using the 16-80 at 16/24mm also gives some nice perspective. I really enjoyed the outing with this lens as I find myself using it more and more as my go to lens. Below is the video on my experience photographing the Beal.

Foggy Morning Walk

November 19, 2019 by Kirk

Unless the weather is really lousy out I try to take about an hour walk around Rockport or Gloucester looking for interesting images. Last week I decided to also film it for my weekly vlog on YouTube. It was a fun experience and more like what I like to do photographically. I’m not really much of a tripod guy but I do try and get out for some stick landscape work once in a while. This particular morning the light was find of flat and it was kind of foggy but I enjoyed it just the same. I used a fun Fuji rig for this shoot the Fuji X-T30 and the XF 16-80.

Here are some of the images from the shoot.

Colorful work dinghy's sit idle at the Rockport town wharf — Colorful work dinghy’s sit idle at the Rockport town wharf.

Dinghy triangles — Dinghy’s waiting at the Rockport Town Wharf form interesting triangles.

Lobster traps and buoys wait to be used behind Bearskin Neck in Rockport.

Lobster buoys and nets — A potted plant dies away with old lobster buoy’s and fish netting behind Bearskin Neck.

Old wooden lobster trap and buoys. — Old wooden lobster trap and buoys behind Bearskin Neck in Rockport.

Bailers and buckets — Cut off Chorox bottles and a pale sit inside a row boat filled with water.

Here is the YouTube video on my Foggy Morning Shoot