Portland Head Light and a Dory
Over the past winter, I took a photography trip to Maine. There are seemingly countless scenic small bays and harbors in Maine, filled with boats, lined with lobster shacks, docks, and homes. The coast can be rugged, and there are many lighthouses as well. My hope on the trip was to get some good cold weather photos, particularly of sea smoke. Sea smoke doesn’t form unless it’s very cold — perhaps zero Fahrenheit or so. The cold air moving over the warmer water creates a low-lying fog. If you were to catch this during sunrise, the effect can be magical.
On the coldest day of my trip, I went to Willard Beach in South Portland. It was about ten degrees — unfortunately, it just wasn’t quite cold enough. While there was no sea smoke, there were some interesting clouds in the sky being lit from behind by the post-sunrise light. I found a subject I liked, a yellow dory floating offshore. There was some ice encrusted on it. In the background, Portland Head Light. I took a few photos of the scene, and I think this is my favorite one:
Portland Head Light and a Dory
I had a really good sunrise at this location, which also features some old fishing shacks. I’ll share those in another post.
I’ve decided to head back to Maine in January, hoping for cold weather. Perhaps I’ll get my sea smoke!
