Personal Work:
Seasons in New England are like the tide, the come and they go, bringing in waves of change. Our summer, my wife and I that is, starts out with Memorial Day on Cape Cod and ends with Labor Day on the cape. This year we did not start our summer on the cape because our wedding took place the weekend of Memorial Day. That didn't stop us from closing out an incredible summer with a weekend on the cape over the Labor Day holiday. Since I have known my wife this has been a tradition for us.
Throughout the summer we take weekend trips and occasionally a week or so and slow life down by spending as much time as we can on the beach. For me, I find extreme peace and some times solitude when I am out making photographs, while we are the cape. When I am out meandering the shores, dunes, backroads, tidal pools, I am searching for what I have never seen before, things that I have yet to encounter. I grew up going to the cape every summer. I have seen a lot, yet there is still so much I have yet to see, which is why I always have my cameras with me. Always in tote, my camera is never far unless I am in the water or doing such things as digging for clams.
This year in addition to spending a few hours on the boat checking the lobster pots, my father in law taught me the art of clam digging. Prior to Labor Day weekend any time I found a clam was in chowder or in a grocery store and once in a great while I would step on one just under the surface during walks in low-tide. Like the generation before him, he learned to dig for clams by walking the bay of the cape. Regardless of how much money I will make, I will always enjoy pulling clams out of the sea as much as lobsters.
This past Labor Day weekend we got in the boat and navigated out about 7 miles till we got to the location of the pots. I watched in anticipation as they came up. The second biggest lobster I have seen came up in one of the pots. Roughly 5lbs. The largest I have ever seen was sitting in a cooler and weighed in at about 17lbs. From what I have heard, when a lobster is to large, it is to "tough" and isn't that good. Unfortunately the 5 lb-er went back into the water, as she had a large amount of eggs underneath her. If they have eggs, back home to the deep waters they go.
I am happy to say we did get some lobsters and they were delicious. Next time I spend some time on the boat I will make some more photos and then show the end result. If you have never been to the cape, I suggest you book a week or two for next summer. If you aren't a fan of lobster, I suggest you give it another try, not because I am suggesting it, but because they are just swell!
Photography: Personal Work
This July 4th we spent the weekend on Cape Cod. We have been doing so for the last 4 years. Last year a hurricane came through and pounded the coast, flooded Provincetown, and delayed the celebration of the birth of America. This year was a much nicer weekend and with it I was able to capture some photos from a unique vantage point.
While I was out exploring parts of the outer Cape, I pulled out my handy dandy iPhone 6 and made a panorama, not featured here, shot, edited, and posted the image with the quote, "To explore is to learn." I strive to find what is unique about the places I visit, travel to, spend time at. I want people to see what goes unseen. I want to show others how I see what is around them that they otherwise are not viewing. I took a drive to a place I found last year on the 3rd. I stood on the bluffs and watched as the impending hurricane filled the bay side of the outer Cape with threatening clouds and a lighting show. I was eager to get back and see what it would look like with a nicer day. While the path is well walked, I have never seen a single person walking in or around that specific area. Off in the distance, down the beach, people can be seen exploring.
Everyone loves a great sunset, right? When the sky lights up like the inside of a fireplace, it commands your attention. I find joy in making photographs, I always have. I have also found extreme joy in closing out the day with an incredible sunset. I love warm, natural light that makes a late afternoon glow. While watching the sunset, we were surrounded by what seemed liked hundreds of people, more so than the pervious years. At least half the people that were walking the bay had their cell phones out. I found it quite irritating that people were to busy making photos of each other instead of watching the sunset. Occasionally I would see someone using their phone to capture a few shots of the sunset. Being one of the only people that had a real camera, undoubtedly, I was able to capture what others were either to busy to or unable to do with their phone.
Have you ever seen a sunset in black and white, see below.
There are places that we visit that hold special memories that have now evolved into places of new memories. One such place is Rock Harbor. After 4pm you're allowed to bring your dogs onto the beach at Rock Harbor. We have a new little dingo, hound, shepherd mix that we adopted back in October. This is his first summer at the beach and at the Cape. We are extremely happy that we have a place we can take him to frolic and play.
If you are familiar with Cape Cod, explore what you have yet to see. If you are new to visiting the Cape, get out and explore. It is easy to get caught up in the tourist traps, the fishing nets of the cliche establishments that everyone thinks are "the best." Find what you like, find what is unique, and find a place to call your own. To simply put, go enjoy Cape Cod.
Underwater Photography: A Wave of Trends
If you like to hit the "like" button on instagram, re-tweet things on that twitter app, check out wicked photos on 500px, and post on other social media apps and sites, chances are you are into some trendy things. There are nearly countless online avenues to see trendy photographs that are spreading around the world by the minute. If that sounds like you and your social media practices, you might be familiar with photographers posting underwater photographs as well as images of waves. Underwater photography and photography of waves is nothing new. However, with more people than ever owning great cameras, not just Gopro cameras, but dslr's, it has been getting easier to put them in unique places, such as underwater.
Cape Cod, First Encounter Beach
Every other day I come across an awesome image of waves, the ocean, surfing, something underwater. I have been inspired. I want to see what I can do that others aren't. I want to see what I can do with water and photography. When I was in Bermuda two years ago, I wished so bad I had an underwater housing for the 7d that I had with me. I didn't think to rent one. That is an easy option for people that have a great dslr and want to work on some water based projects. Projects with water, hmmm interesting. In fact, I am working on a water based photography project. I am not ready to discuss yet as we are still in the prelimb stages. We will announce sooner than later.
I chose an affordable option. I bought an inexpensive underwater housing for my 5d. I purchased a Diacapac Waterproof Case. Thanks to Amazon's shipping problems two weeks ago, it didn't arrive on time, as scheduled, and I was unable to use it for the intended project. No worries. No need to cry on my behalf and beg the Amazon gods for a refund, because we just shot with a few Gopros. Having spent the last week at Cape Cod, I had day or two to give it a try. Cape Cod doesn't get massive waves with amazing sunsets like some exotic locations, but what Cape Cod has to offer is unique to the North East.
Cape Cod, Eastham, MA
I threw the 5d in the bag, sealed it up, turned and ran into the water. I could hear my fiance still yelling at me for wanting to put my camera in the ocean. She thinks I am nuts for doing so. But hey, you know what, #yolo.. While Canon cameras do not come with gills, they can go underwater with the right case.
The tide was high. The sun was setting. I was in the water and had fun just pointing the camera in any direction with an intuitive angle. My goal was to simply see what came out of the camera. There was nothing under the water worth seeing. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to. The tide was rough for the bay, which means all the sand was being churned up in addition to seaweed and other ocean stuff. I was able to capture a few fun images. It wont be soon enough before I can get in the water with a camera.
Cape Cod, Eastham, MA