Eastern Maine Camera Club

Probably a bad title because I can't tell you where to photograph Moose.  I can tell you I wouldn't go to Portland thinking I would see a Moose.  I can suggest how I look for moose. My best luck for seeing moose has been out of a boat.  My favorite season is September when moose are going into their rut.  (late September, early October). Bulls are looking for cows. Cows are pursued by bulls. By the end of the first week in October, the rut ends and moose return to their lives of eating and resting as they prepare for winter. Photography is spectacular because by September their antler growth has completed and the velvet dries and falls off.  

Where and when do I look for Moose?  Early Morning, late evening.  I go to the North Maine Woods and Aroostook County.

Aroostook County Moose

Photo Hints

Mark Picard, a wildlife photographer specializing in Moose photography taught me to have my camera ready with "Drive By" settings.  A moose might not wait for you to fiddle with the settings.  He also taught me to have the speed high enough to make the moose sharp not blurry. The camera is in reach, maybe on my lap.  I am using auto ISO and do not allow the speed to go below 500.  I have my longest lens on my camera.  The F stop is set to F5.6 or F8.  

As a side note.  I have a "Little Black Book"!  The boring reason for the book is to write notes of what to have/do in what situation.  I also have a list of what I need for what I am doing,  I have downloaded the camera manual on my I pad. I also downloaded a book by David Bush about my Sony.  David has published many how-to books for many cameras.  Why do I like David?  He will say there are many ways to do the same thing but this is the way he does it.  For me, that helps.  On lazy, sitting on the couch moments, I read Davids book, fiddle with the settings, take practice pictures of my toes, and write the results in my black book.  Google David Bush (your camera) for a look.

Ecotat Garden and Trails

One of the hidden jewels near Bangor, in Hermon, is Ecotat Gardens.  The acreage is home to over 55 gardens containing 280 varieties of trees, over 1500 varieties of perennials, and an abundance of animals, birds and insects.  The gardens are free to the public and photographers are more than welcome to use the gardens whenever they want during daylight hours. They appreciate donations.  I love it here as a place to practice different flower photography techniques.  I also have seen the gardens used for family photos. 

“The mission of Ecotat Trust is to preserve and expand the gardens and trails for the enjoyment and use of future generations. The name “Ecotat” was formed by combining portions of the words “ecological” and “habitat” – words describing the 91 acres of land located on Route 2 in Hermon, Maine, at the intersection with Annis Road at the top of Miller Hill.”

Ecotat Gardens and Trails

Photographer Tips

* Don’t just stick to eye-level shots. Strive to be unique.

* Shoot from a higher angle. This is actually quite easy to execute. Especially since you’re taller than most flowers.

* Go lower. You’ll have to stay really close to the ground, but the shots you get are definitely worth it.

* To help you stay clean while shooting, bring a rag or an old yoga mat you can lay on.

Wait for the flowers to be still. 

Camera settings suggestions. 95 percent of the time I shoot at aperture priority.   I love a soft/blurred background behind flowers.  I will shoot at F2.8 and F5.  Blurred backgrounds make the flower stand out. If you are outdoors and it is a bright day, consider underexposing slightly by -1 stop, to bring out the details of the flower, the leaves and stem.

Too much wind?  Moving flowers is another technique.  To make a swirling flower set your camera at its lowest ISO (50).  F18 and set the camera speed around (ish) 1 second. Using a ND filter also helps but is not needed.  This is just a crazy fun.  The method.  Move your camera and chimp.  Try different swirl movements and pick out what you like best.  

The Blue Hill Fair is a win, win place to photograph. You will find lots of quality things to take pictures of from farm animals to people.  The non-photographers will enjoy the sites and (Mike) the food.  " A Down to Earth Country Fair. Always scheduled around Labor Day weekend".

As many know I am a horse girl from way back.  When Mike and I got married, instead of building a house, we built a barn.  The horses lived downstairs and we lived upstairs.  We had a plexiglass window in the living room floor to keep an eye on the pregnant mare when she was going into labor.  That said, I love workhorses!  My favorite place to see workhorses is at the Blue Hill Fair.  The most interesting part is seeing how loved they are.  Last year there was a very elderly, very frail, farmer with over 2 tons of horses.  I bet he didn't weigh 120 pounds. When he was done with his pull the crowd gave him a standing ovation.  It was impressive.

In addition there are many other things to photograph, sheep, oxen pulls, cattle, night lights on the rides, dogs, and lots of people.  Check out the schedule on the website.

http://www.bluehillfair.com

Photographers Tip

Keep an eye on the background.  I have liked to stand at the gate where the animals come in and out.  In this spot I have a clear view of the horses coming towards me with just a food stand in the background to show we are at a fair,  I use a fast shutter speed (over 500) and shoot near f 5.6 to blur the background.  I use my ISO to bring the shutter speed over 500.  You will need to do this on a grey, overcast day.  Why a fast shutter speed?  In shooting animals I am looking for sharpness.  In my opinion, the horses have a lot of moving parts that look wrong when they are blurred.  My opinion,  your photos you do what you like.  Bring your longest lens but don't sweat only having a short lens.  You are able to get close.

Beware! There is lots of dust.  I wrap my camera in a towel when I'm not using it.

Have fun!

Hastings Falls

Taking I 95 North a couple of hours from Bangor into Aroostook County you will come to the town of Patten and the interesting Patten Lumber Museum  just outside the town. The Museum is home to many outbuilding depicting the life of the men who lived in the Maine woods cutting trees/lumber to be shipped all over the world.  I always marvel at how difficult a lumberman’s life was.

Traveling farther north to the Hastings Falls Rd in Merrill, ME is the very unique Hastings Falls.  The Hastings Falls Rd is an ok road but I’m not sure I’d bring anything with a low clearance.  The road sort-of-ends and becomes a 4 wheeler trail.  The hike is approximately a 1/2 mile, easy to follow and not too steep until you get to the falls.  Where I shot the pool at the bottom of the falls was steep but there were sturdy trees to brace on. Hastings Falls isn’t big, but it is very much worth photographing.  What I loved about the falls, was the large river eddy flowing in a circular upstream direction.

Photography Tip.

I think all waterfalls are best on an overcast day.  That being said we were here in the afternoon on a cloudy day,  I would wait until the sun was behind the cloud to shoot. I used a neutral density filter to give myself control over exposure and the creative control over shutter speed. The slow shutter speed was able to slow up the eddy enough to show a full swirl.  I changed my ISO and F stop to try different shutter speeds.  My favorite was 5 seconds.

18mm lens was on a tripod using a polarizer and a 10 stop ND filter.  

5 seconds at F/11. 50 ISO

Eastern Maine Camera Club is starting a new Blog series highlighting places to shoot around Maine and beyond.  The hope is to create ideas of where to find a place to make your creative side be very happy.  Maine is a beautiful place.

Maine Forest and Logging Museum. "Located on Blackman Stream in Bradley, Leonard’s Mills is at the actual site of an early pioneer settlement, identified by the remains of a stone dam and the foundations of several houses. Today, Leonard’s Mills is “alive” once again, as the Museum is represented by an authentic reconstruction of a logging and milling community of the 1790s." 

Photo Tips

The grounds are open every day during daylight hours. Blackman Stream winds through the grounds with a historic mill and covered bridge.  Bring a polarizer.  The stream makes a nice leading line to the buildings.  On Thursday mornings until October the buildings are open.  I have practiced HDR in the building.  Bring a tripod.

Directions

From Bangor and Brewer, take ME Route 9 from Brewer 4 miles towards Eddington. Turn onto ME Route 178 and follow towards Milford for another 4.5 miles. A large sign will be on the left but the entrance and Government Road will be on the the right directly across from the sign.