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Beth is guiding us from one place to another.....
 Beth Conant is a stock photographer who
has come to this career late in life. She is a retired educator who now has
time to cultivate her love of photography. Her images include photos from her
years as a resident of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) as well as a growing
collection of Maine/New England images
. She now specializes in nautical/coastal imagery.
 Her images have been published
in Digital Photography and Mavista Magazines as well as several commercial
publications, on bookcovers, and for hotel decor. She was an early adopter of
the digital technology and shoots with a Canon 5D camera. She edits and
processes her work in PhotoShop and while she believes that an image should be
the best that it can be straight out the camera, she is also willing to enhance
a photo's beauty and saleability through the application of this
photo-enhancement software.
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Combining Photography With A Boothbay Harbor,
Maine Vacation
Photography 'mentor treks' are becoming increasingly available and popular.
These photography vacations
are often offered by professional photographers.
Boothbay Harbor from the Water
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Photography 'mentor treks' are becoming increasingly
available and popular. These photography vacations
are often offered by professional photographers.
The professional schedules the event, develops an itinerary, reserves hotels
and transportation, then leads vacationers to the
best locales for specific types of photography ,
often including instruction on camera technique, printing or other
photography-related topics.
These excursions can be pricey, but there is no reason that you can't
couple photography with your vacation without
this kind of support. If you are a professional photographer, you may not wish
to sign onto such an itinerary though you might appreciate some 'inside'
information about a region where your already existent photography skills might
pay off.
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Boothbay Harbor, Maine, is just such a
destination. Boothbay Harbor, located at the end of a peninsula jutting out
into the Gulf of Maine, is just over an hour from Portland, Maine and one of
the state's major airports.
Driving up routes 295 and 1 from Portland, Boothbay Harbor region can be found
with an exit from Route 1 onto Route 27 just north of Wiscasset. (This trip can
take longer in the summer when traffic often backs up approaching Wiscasset.)
The village is located just 10 miles down the peninsula and is a straight shot
from Route 1.
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The Harbor from the East Side
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This lovely, sheltered harbor and environs have been popular
destinations for the well-heeled from southern New England and New York
for decades. Before air conditioning, the cool sea breezes of Maine provided
relief from the heat and humidity of the city during warm summers. Summer
cottages dot the coast in this part of Maine.
The harbor is large enough to accommodate the frequent, large sailing and/or
motor yachts, but small enough to still remain quaint. It hosts a rather
generous commercial fishing fleet of lobster boats and fishermen who are
year-round residents of the area.
These boats give the harbor it's distinctly "Maine" flavor while the lovely
scenery, long, jagged coastline (The coast of Maine with it's many peninsulas
is as many miles long as the total distance from the southern tip of Maine to
Florida!) provides ample interest to sailors who revisit this area year after
year.
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Sail, rigging and mast of Bay Lady
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In addition to a cozy village with many shops (gifts,
candy, ice cream, galleries, jewelry, yarn, bookstore, men's and women's
clothing and souvenirs), to attract tourists, Boothbay Harbor also hosts small
cruise/excursion boats that are based in the harbor and take tourists
outside to view local wildlife, seals and birds on the outer islands, and
whales that feed here in the summer months in the Gulf of Maine.
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If you aren't interested in touring by
motorized boat, you might instead enjoy a sail on one of three
sailing vessels that leave the harbor
several times a day during the spring, summer and early fall months.
The East Wind, a replica of an 19th century sailing schooner; the Bay Lady, a
Friendship sloop that is another replica of an earlier lobster fishing
technology; or the Lazy Jack, a 2-masted schooner all go out for short cruises
around the outer harbor. They each have their charm and provide ample
opportunities to photograph the ocean, coastline and the actual boats
themselves (masts, sails and rigging).
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Photographing from the deck of a moving boat is
not necessarily an optimal way to capture local scenery, so plan to take your
fastest lenses and select a bright, sunny day to cruise.
If you prefer your landlubber’s legs under you when photographing, you might
wish to take the shore route. You can see many gorgeous sights right from the
shore in this area. There are ample roads that take you to the water and give
you good perspectives on the coastal boating scene right from your car!
Start by making a loop through the harbor. Don't neglect to get out and walk to
the Public Wharf and across the town footbridge where you will get a unique
perspective on the Harbor and a 'doorway' to the east side where you will find
commercial fishing outlets, motels, restaurants and residential neighborhoods.
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Winter Footbridge |
Fishermen's Humor and Our Lady of Peace
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It is here that the film "Carousel" was filmed with
Shirley Jones and Gordon McCrea back in the 1930's!
You will also walk past "Our Lady of Peace," one of the most photographed
coastal Churches in the United States.
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The
Fisherman's Memorial , a sculpted open dory boat,
across from the church faces the harbor and honors the many fishermen from this
area who have lost their lives on the seas. A short distance from the memorial,
you will find a giant, sculpted fisherman dressed in yellow slickers on the
grounds of Brown's Wharf Motel and Restaurant. With his pipe and white beard,
he is the epitome of the rugged Maine fisherman!
Walk out onto the wharf at Brown's to get interesting photos of large pleasure
boats in harbor for a rest from the arduous task of sailing the waters of
Maine.
The wharf and motel are decked in flowers in the summer which makes for picturesque
photo ops and the food at the restaurant is good too (open for
breakfast and dinner only...you'll have to lunch elsewhere)!
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Rugged Fisherman
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Boothbay Harbor Boat Yard
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If boat building (and repair) is something that
interests you, be sure to check out the west side of town where you'll find the
Boothbay Harbor Boat Yard (walk from the Public Wharf past theTugboat Inn
around the corner and it will be on your left overlooking the harbor).
This yard often has interesting boats up in the cradles where workmen refurbish
and repair hulls, masts and interiors of larger, wooden boats. Right now
(spring, 2007), the Bounty is in for repairs. This square-rigged, old vessel
was used to film Mutiny on the Bounty and Pirates of the Caribbean.
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| Okay, now that you've explored the harbor
area, it's time to check out other photographic attractions! Get back
into your car and head out toward Southport Island. (Check the Chamber of
Commerce site provided at the end of this article for a Harbor street map.) You
will cross a swing bridge with a deck that opens to let boats pass through Thompson's
Gut on their way out to the harbor. Just beyond the bridge on the left,
you'll find Robinson's Wharf where you can stop and photograph lobster
boats and fishermen off-loading their catch if you're lucky enough to be there
at the right time. Walk around the wharf to clear your lungs on the refreshing
scent of sea air! But be careful, because that air may also be filled with the
ripe smell of fish bait used in the lobster fishing industry. If you're hungry,
you can eat a seafood lunch right there on the wharf. Watch out for pesky
seagulls who may try to steal the food from diners unused to seagull's thieving
ways! Don't leave your food unprotected...perhaps this informal luncheon venue
is not for you?
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Cross the bridge onto
Southport Island. The island is about 10
miles long and the road will not afford many sea views until you reach the end
of the island where Cape Newagen opens to a public boat launching area
(accessible via Public Landing Road) and dock where you can step out of your
car to photograph 'The Cuckolds,' a lovely, small lighthouse that lies off the
tip of the island. Take a long lens for this one!
You will also find a small red house on an island across the harbor from the
wharf. This was the summer home of Margaret Hamilton, the green-faced, wicked
witch of Wizard of Oz fame. The home is still owned by her family though she
has been 'gone' for many years now.
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Winter in Cosy Harbor
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The road on the island makes a complete circle and if
you stay on it around the east side of the island, you will see a sign for Cosy
Harbor. Take a left to this very small fishing village and summer get-away that
is very picturesque and worth a stop. Turn around before you come to the wooden
bridge which leads to a private residence where tourists are not encouraged to
visit.
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Go back into town and as you are leaving, you will
come to the only traffic light near the grocery store in this sparsely
populated town. Take that right onto Route 96, Ocean Point Road.
This road will take you through East Boothbay where you will find more boat
building, a country store, a post office, a mill pond with lovely views, a
marina and churches. This place is the epitome of quaint New England/Maine
villages. You can park in the lot next to the Post Office and walk through this
very small village and explore the docks and wharves. Walk up the hill to the
store where you will find delicious coffee, tea and pastries, if you are
hungry, thirsty or just need a break.
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People Gather for the Show (Summer Sunset) on Ocean Point
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Recreation on Ocean Point's Rugged Shore
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Get back into your car and keep going across the small bridge where the water
reversed with the tides and stay on route 96 to
Ocean Point . You will know when you reach this
point because the ocean will unfold before you with Ram and other small,
picturesque Islands straight ahead. For the next mile you will loop around
Ocean point, a summer colony with turn of the century and newer cottages facing
the ocean where surf crashes against a very rugged, rocky shore. Ram Island
Lighthouse will be visible off-shore for about half of your loop. If you are
hungry, stop at the Ocean Point Inn for breakfast or dinner. Their dining room
faces Linekin Bay and is a relaxing place to take in the views over food. There
are numerous photo ops along this route no matter what the weather. Fog can be
as picturesque as bright sunshine and far more interesting, so don't let moist
summer weather put you off!
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There are often people walking with children and pets
along this route, so be careful and go slowly! Park your car (There are ample
pull-overs in this spot that fill early in the summer.) in Grimes Cove, the
public beach where you first encountered the ocean, and walk the loop with your
camera.
You will get a good, two mile stroll…one mile out and another one back! (Wear a
jacket or sweater if the wind is off the water. It can be chilly on the coast
of Maine even in summer.) There are colonies of butterflies in this area in the
early fall. You will see monarchs as well as other species along the public
footpath leaving Grimes Cove.
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The Boothbay peninsula boasts numerous sanctuaries set aside by generous
residents for public use. They are sprinkled around the area and provide ample
opportunities to get off the road, out of the car and onto wilderness paths
where you may photograph isolated coves, marshes and streams. A full
description of these reserves is text for another article though and too
complicated and detailed to include here. Suffice it to say, you will see these
areas marked by kiosks as you drive along and literature describing each can be
picked up at any one of them.
In the spring and summer, there are two, major events that bring visitors to
the region. In April, the Fishermen's Festival celebrates the livelihood of
local people and kicks off the tourist season with the crowning of a queen, a
parade, crafts fair, bubble blowing contest, codfish relay race, lobster boat
races, dory bailing contest, tug of war, blessing of the fleet and other
events.
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Young Man Struggles w/ Big Fish at Codfish Relay Race
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| June boasts Boothbay Harbor's contribution
to one of the state's Windjammer events. Windjammer Days brings the 2-masted
schooner fleet to the harbor for a mid-day parade that is a sight to behold!
The vessels anchor overnight in the harbor so if you miss the parade, you may
still capture these majestic vessels in the harbor til the next day when they
sail back to their home ports up and down the coast. These are not-to-be-missed
photography events worth the trip by themselves!
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Schooner Sails into Boothbay Harbor
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Next day schooners lie at anchor in the becalmed harbor
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There are additional attractions in the area (Railway
museum, Botanical Gardens, State Aquarium, miniature golf course, country and
yacht clubs). These stops are more commercial attractions for which photography
seems of less interest. A stop at the local Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of
Commerce will give you information and directions to any of these attractions.
Did I say that summer isn't the only time to visit Maine? Yes, the off-season
is also very photogenic though the months between November and May will find
the area with fewer accommodations and attractions available (cruise boats stop
making their out-of-harbor trips in October and many shops close their doors
for the season after the Columbus Day weekend). Still, fall, winter and spring
offer charms (and photo ops) all their own! Several of the photos included with
this article were shot in the off-season.
Once you get here, there are many places to stay including motels, hotels and
numerous quaint and cozy bed and breakfasts. Restaurants and 'watering holes'
dot the harbor where fresh seafood is the fare of choice! There are numerous
places where you can enjoy a Maine lobster dinner. Who could come here without
at least trying this wonderfully fresh, inexpensive and healthy delicacy?
Here is a link to local information, if you need to know more about where to
stay, eat or find directions to get around the area.
Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce,
http://www.boothbayharbor.com. Driving directions and maps may also be
found here.
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