Unexpected Beauty

The first secret to great travel pictures is to “Leave home”, per Steve McCurry, whose work is well known. Remember the wonderful picture of the Afghan girl with the piercing green eyes? As in all things now, I encourage you to Google him. His latest  book is Steve McCurry, The Iconic Photographs. His pictures are travel photography at its finest and won’t fail to inspire you.

I traveled to Maine last year to help Mom prep the family home for sale. Of course I wanted to be out taking pictures rather than cleaning house. But I learned something in the process. Even though I wasn’t free to roam for hours with camera in hand, I did sneak out and was lucky enough to get several good pictures. One was taken close to the house.

I drove along a back road in the very rural area for a while, seeing nothing particularly interesting. The paving ended and I decided to keep going. I was rewarded with a magnificent quiet pond and deep blue light.

I didn’t know Knight’s Pond was there.  Like many beautiful Maine places it was undisturbed: simply nature at her most beautiful.  I parked and sat on the shore taking pictures as the sun set. It was quiet, except for the wonderful call of a loon in the distance. Click on the image and I bet you can hear her.

There was a great sense of adventure in simply finding the place. In spite of my hankering to get out, travel for miles and get the defining image of Maine, it was right under my nose.

Not long after that, the morning fog hung like a shroud over everything. Fog is a photographer’s friend. It brings an otherwise uninspiring scene to life.

So, I hotfooted it to Belfast harbor, twenty minutes from the house. Fog and boats are magical. Sure enough the sun was coming up but was still mostly concealed, a yellow disc fighting to get through.

If I get several good images in a trip  I am happy. “Have camera- will travel”. Easy. Get on the plane and go.