Sunday on Orr's and Bailey Islands & Chance to win a matted print!

A 21 image handheld panorama taken from the road above Mackerel Cove on Bailey Island on Sunday.  I love the  way the Cove curves around all the boats in such an embracing way.

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Once again, Mackerel Cove, but taken from across the golden rod field. 

I drove up to Orr's and Bailey Islands with my mother and daughter last Sunday and we had such a nice time, driving all around. 

This is a 15 image handheld panorama of Lowell Cove on Orr's Island.  The light wasn't quite as pretty as in the other two panoramas, but it's also a very sweet little cove and I fully intend on making Orr's and Bailey Islands my new muses!

Coming across the Orr's Island Causeway, I noticed a huge fog bank off in the distance between the sort of alley of evergreen trees bordering the waterway on the left side. 

This tiny house sits right before the beach at Mackerel Cove on Bailey Island.  I took a small panorama to include the house, close up and the view of the harbor beyond.  I can't imagine how many people could've lived in this house, it was so small.

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You can see these and more in my Orr's & Bailey Island Gallery.

Also, please don't forget to like and share my CFW Photography Facebook page with your contacts all through September for a chance to win an 8x10" print archivally matted to 11x14" on Bainbridge mat of my most popular image, Portland Harbor Skies (below):

Portland Harbor Skies!  I'm going to choose one winner from all the people who have liked and shared my page since I began it. The drawing will be announced on September 30th, so don't forget to like and share my page! 

New Work from last week's trip to Deer Isle, Maine

The Deer Isle Bridge at twilight, as seen from the beach on Deer Isle.  I love the streaming headlights from the big truck that rumbled across as I took this 15 second exposure, and the resultant reflection in the mirror-smooth water below.  What you CAN'T see in this peaceful image is the CLOUDS of mosquitoes that were so numerous around me that it was loud in my ears.  Or the fact that there were constantly at least 20 of them clustered on the backs of my hands, ankles and neck, so I was swatting them the entire time I stood there waiting for the right light!  :-)

Stonington Harbor, Deer Isle, Maine, by twilight.  Not as many mosquitoes on this night, because there was a brisk enough breeze that they couldn't manage to come out in the force that they had the previous night!  Phew!

The view opposite the Deer Isle Bridge just at sunset.  A 12 image panorama.

Northwest Harbor, Deer Isle, Maine, just off Bridge Street after sunset.  A 10 image handheld panorama.

And last but not least, a VERY fogged in Deer Isle Bridge.  You could barely see beyond a car-length ahead on the trip across.  I'm so glad I stopped to take the picture, as it has a very eerie feel to it, doesn't it?  I love how you can just see the detail of the ocean on either side of the bridge but nothing else, as if the world has disappeared.

You can see all of these and more in my Deer Isle Gallery.  

I am doing a special giveaway next month:  I am asking for everyone to like and share my Facebook Page for a chance to win an 8x10" print of Portland Harbor Skies (below) matted to 11x14" with Bainbridge Archival matting.  At the end of September, I am going to choose a random "like & sharer" of my page and I will mail the matted print to the winner (a $60.00 value).

Imagine how nice this would look, hanging on YOUR wall! 

Garrison Cove on Bailey Island

Garrison Cove, Bailey Island, at sunset.

Abandoned Dreams. . .  My daughter and I had a lot of fun shooting this dreamy old house in the buttery early evening sunshine until the man next door kindly told us that no one was allowed on the property. . .  Oh well. . . Got a few nice shots anyhow!

Garrison Cove lobster boats with a nice view of the famous Cribstone Bridge just beyond.

A little starlit view of the clam flats along the road in Harpswell.  I liked these silhouetted islets and the moon looking like a big star.  It was a beautiful visit all around to Bailey Island and I was sad to leave at the end of the day.

You can see all of these shots and more at my new Bailey Island Gallery.

New prints at Kennedy Studios today!

Well, I have finally bitten the bullet and will be selling archival matting at my Kennedy Studios location!

Hollywood Head Light

Beltane Sunrise 1

Snow Day!

July Clouds

Lighthouse Waves

I'm bringing all of these, among many others. . .  AND, as always, you can see all of these and many more in my gallery.

Rose Without a Thorn

Rose Without a Thorn

I took this shot the other day of one of the roses from the bouquet my daughter and I gave my husband for Father's Day.  I thought they were the most phenomenal color--sort of a peachy orange and they were absolutely mesmerizing to look into the centers. . . 

You can see this and many, many more flowers in my flowers gallery.

Love Cupcakes!

Vanilla cupcake

On the menu for the day

Anna Turcotte, owner of Love Cupcakes

The sweet little traveling cupcake stand

Chocolate cupcake

A couple of weeks ago, I visited Love Cupcakes in Falmouth to take some pictures and get some delicious cupcakes for dessert!  Anna Turcotte has been in business since June 1st 2012 and she's doing really well!  

If you can imagine the following two things, you've got a great idea of the kind of fare Anna sells: succulent, moist strawberry cupcakes that actually are made with fresh strawberry filling and the buttercream frosting has pureed fresh strawberries in it.  Or what I bought the day I visited: Orange creamsicle cupcakes with orange rind in the batter and buttercream (possibly orange juice too?) 

Anna is really friendly and kind and more than willing to make what you're interested in.  You can see her website here And you can find her open for business Thursday through Sunday, rain or shine, from noon to sell-out, which often happens quite fast as you can imagine! 

Don't miss this fun experience this summer! 

Daffodils!

 

I drove down to Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, Maine last week and was lucky to capture a bunch of images I was very happy with of the thousands of daffodils that bloom there this time of year.  They stretch from the top of the hill above the river all the way down to the bottom and down a beautiful wooded path.  The light was gorgeous and warm that early in the morning.  It does your heart good to see so many daffodils blooming at once.  Birds were singing all around me and I was just about alone with all of those flowers.  Ahhh! 

You can see all of these images and many more in my Flowers Gallery.

As always, thanks for looking,

Cindy

The First Breath of Spring in Southern Maine

There are crocuses blooming all over my neighborhood, in little patches surrounding shady trees, by people's front steps, in splashes of color in people's gardens and forgotten pockets of people's yards.  It's always so exciting to see the first breath of Spring in Southern Maine, so I put on the lens I'm testing out right now and got my clothes dirty the other day, lying stretched out across the ground to get some pictures of these beauties.

You can see all of these shots and more in my flower portfolio.

Speckled Axe Coffee

My favorite: The Ghanaian Chocolate Mocha Latte!

Dan, serving his artfully decorated (or barista'd?) creation to me.

Dan, pouring a beautiful design in my latte.

A heart-shaped latte!

Pouring steamed milk into a latte.

Bethany Moran serves up a beautiful cup of Java!

A little cup of heaven. . .

They also do pour-over coffee--a type of slow process coffee that results in an absolutely delicious taste.

Speckled Axe Coffee's Facebook Page

A friend recently introduced me to my newest addiction: Speckled Axe Coffee.  Located at 567 Congress Street (very close to the corner of Forest and Congress (in the old Central Yarn location, for those of you who know Portland, Maine) they have great hip Indie music on the speakers that is at just the right volume for chatting with a friend as you enjoy some of their incredible beverages.

I personally love the Ghanaian Hot Chocolate, which is a sort of Mocha Latte made with Omanhene chocolate from the lush forests of Ghana in Africa: Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company Wiki  The drink is rich and deeply chocolatey, but with just the right touch of sweetness and coffee goodness. 

So far, all the staff I've encountered at Speckled Axe has been super nice and more than willing to answer questions and allow me to stick my camera in their faces as they attempt to do their jobs.  The cafe walls are painted a very beautiful kind of burnt Sienna or dark orangey-brown and has hardwood floors and wooden tables.  A lot of light pours in through the front windows, making it a wonderful place to spend a little quiet time getting caffeinated.

You can see all of these pictures and many more on my website: Speckled Axe Gallery on CFW Photography

Photography 101 Class at South Portland Community Center!

I'm excited to announce that I'll be teaching Photography 101 at South Portland Community Center again this winter!  It's coming right up, starting Tuesday, January 29th and running through March 12th.  You'll not only be learning how to take a better picture with anything from your cell phone to a dSLR, but we'll be talking about the various apps and websites from flickr and 500px to Instagram where you can showcase your new talents!  It doesn't matter if you've never taken a picture in your life; just bring whatever form of camera you have and be prepared to have a lot of fun as we experiment and learn about taking a great picture!  Click on this link to bring you to the South Portland Activity Registration Page and then you should find my class, Photography 101 on page 3.

If you can think of anyone who might be interested in taking this class who is in the area, please forward this post to them.  It doesn't matter if you aren't a South Portland resident.

Hope to see some of you at the class!

Best wishes, Cindy