Dawn on the Water
My favorite time on the water with lobstermen is the first couple of hours of the day.
Most of the time lobstermen leave the docks before sunrise so you have to get up and be ready to go by 4:30 or 5 am. The harbors are bustling at this time of the morning with boats coming in for bait and fuel but the light is softly colorful and the water is usually quiet full of reflections.
Most lobstermen consider it a point of pride to be out of the harbor before the sun comes up.
Steaming out to the traps is when the boat is readied- bait is defrosted, coveralls put on, tools located, radio chatter monitored, the day greeted.
In the summer, by the time the sun lifts from the horizon the first traps are on board and the first lobsters are in the holding tank. 
It is a beautiful time of the day with thoughts of traps full of lobsters and memory cards full of great images.
Ahhhh, Soft Light at Last!!!
What a difference soft light makes! Remember my post a few weeks back when I was lamenting how hard it is to photograph the details of lobstering when both the sun and the contrast are high? Well I had another chance to go out on a lobster boat and finally I had beautiful soft light to capture all that goes on when traps are being hauled. The soft light didn’t last very long, maybe a hour or so, but it was lovely. When the sun did come out I put my camera away and helped the crew process the catch.
The only problem with soft, beautiful light is trying to decide which of all the beautiful photos are the best ones…a problem I love to have!
At it Again!
Brenda and I have just returned from our latest trip to the Maine Coast and I think it was our best trip yet. I don’t think it was because the subjects were any better or prettier or the light was any better than our past trips. I think the reason is that we are better. We are better approaching people, being friendly and getting the best out of them. And we are better at going slowly now. Where we once rushed around trying to take everything (because we needed everything) we now go with more consideration and concentrate on just the best situations.
Once again, I remain amazed how warm and generous, patient and friendly the fine fisherman folk of the coast truly are. Here is a selection of my favorite pictures from last week. Hope you enjoy them!
