📸 MAINE PHOTO WORKSHOP: Puffins, Seascapes, Landscapes, Lighthouses and More

Highlights of MAINE PHOTO WORKSHOP: Puffins, Seascapes, Landscapes, Lighthouses and More

• Quintessential Maine including puffins, seascapes, landscapes, West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, creative images, ICM, pareidolia, Razorbills, and other birds! And did we say Puffins, those cute football-shaped, Penguin-like, with their colorful, mini-toucan beaks

• Starts 8pm 7/26, ends 10am 7/30. July 26, 27, 28, 29, 30: Spend one of the day on a boat ride, photographing puffins and other birds and the rest of the days wandering around small seafaring towns, lighthouses, beaches, etc. No super long lens is needed for the puffins!

• Machias Seal Island with the largest Puffin Colony on the Maine Coast. Migratory seabirds including Atlantic puffins, Razorbills, Common murres, and Arctic terns use this island for stopovers and breeding. Machias Seal Island is the only place accessible from the USA where the public can photograph Atlantic puffins from land, and Bold Coast Charter Co. is the only USA tour authorized to make landings on the island. Long lenses are NOT required. We have tickets for a boat ride to see and photograph puffins, razorbills, seals, a lighthouse, etc. As long as the weather cooperates, we will also have the opportunity to make a landing on the island and photograph puffins and razorbills up close from a blind. The island has many birds! Some of the puffins and razorbills are just a few feet away. Note that this is the only location in the United States where we can step foot on an island inhabited by puffins, this is very different from other boat tours that are unable to do so. However, please keep in mind that this trip and the landing is subject to weather conditions. We will have photographic opportunities on the way to and from the island, we will spend ~ 2hrs on the island (about 1 hour in the blind).

• Includes:

  • Boatride & island landing & puffin photography from the blinds (weather permitting)

  • Lodging included (meals and transportation are NOT included)

  • Insight and advice from Two OM System Ambassadors (Any camera system welcome; We can help anyone with any brand improve their photography).

Description of MAINE PHOTO WORKSHOP: Puffins, Seascapes, Landscapes, Lighthouses and More

Join us for an unforgettable photography adventure along the Bold Coast of Maine! Immerse yourself in the quintessential beauty of Maine as we capture stunning seascapes, landscapes, and the charming West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. But that’s just the beginning!

Prepare to be enchanted by adorable puffins, those football-shaped wonders with their colorful, mini-toucan beaks. Our journey takes us to Machias Seal Island, home to the largest puffin colony on the Maine Coast. Here, amidst breathtaking natural scenery, migratory seabirds including Atlantic puffins, Razorbills, Common murres, and Arctic terns grace us with their presence, offering ample opportunities for captivating photographs.

One of the highlights of our trip is a day spent on a boat ride, where we’ll get up close and personal with puffins and other fascinating avian species. Feel the thrill as you capture these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat, against the backdrop of the rugged Maine coastline. But our adventure doesn’t is more than that boat ride. The rest of our time will be spent wandering through quaint seafaring towns, discovering hidden gems, exploring picturesque beaches, and admiring historic lighthouses. Throughout our journey, you’ll receive invaluable insight and advice from Lisa and Tom, two OM System Ambassadors.

Regardless of what camera system you are using, our experts are here to help you enhance your photography skills and unleash your creative potential. Come and experience quintessential Maine including puffins, seascapes, landscapes, creative images, ICM, pareidolia, did we say puffins, and other birds. If you want to photograph puffins this is a trip for you. You will hear the pitter-patter of cute little puffin feet right above you! No super long lens is needed! as you will photograph them with an average zoom lenses (12-100mm, 70-200mm, 40-150, 100-400, etc.). Don’t miss this opportunity to embark on a photography workshop like no other, where every moment promises to be a masterpiece in the making. Join us on the Bold Coast of Maine and let your creativity soar!

📸 With a limited number of participants, dive deep into the art of seascape photography, and learn essential and creative tips and tricks to elevate your photography skills.

• Limited number of participants with TWO leaders

• Lodging included

• Transportation, meals, refuge/preserve fees (if applicable), incidentals are not included.

• We will have fun!

• Dress in layers

Accommodations

This trip includes small-town motel rooms.

We will call the Sunrise Coast of Maine home for this excursion. Tucked into the far northeast corner of Maine is the fishing village of Lubec. Once a thriving fishing community, Lubec is now a quiet coastal town surrounded by the remnants of their fishing legacy and the rugged, sprawling Bold Coast. Lubec features West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, rustic fishing harbors, and many photographic opportunities along the coast. Machias means “bad little falls” in the Passamaquoddy language means, after the beautiful and rugged waterfalls located on the Machias River in the center of the community. “Of balsam & blueberries, lobsters & lighthouses, puffins & whale watching, sunsets over the bay…More than the just the sights, smells, and sounds…Machias, It’s a feeling.” It’s called the Sunrise Coast of Maine because the sun’s rays first touch the United States here each morning along Maine’s “Bold Coast”.

Things to bring:

• Enthusiasm (any skill level welcome)

• Camera (any model)

• lots of memory cards

• ALL of your camera batteries

• Tripod for long exposures

• Snacks and water

Length of Tour: -Days/4-Nights

Brief Itinerary

Day 1 –  7/26 - Arrive in Machias, Maine check into your hotel.  Dinner time and location TBD for meet and greet.

Day 2 –  7/27 -   Create a plethora of Quintessential Maine photographs

Day 3   –  7/28 - Depart from Cutler Harbor 7am for landing on and photography in blinds on Machias Seal Island.

Day 4   –  7/29 -  Create more Quintessential Maine photographs, build on creative techniques

Day 5   –  7/30 - Photograph sunrise and other subjects.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1- Arrive in Machias Maine and check into your hotel.  We will meet this evening for dinner and a meet and greet for 6pm. During dinner we will discuss the trip to the puffins, how to photograph them, etc.  Get to know one another.

Day 2 – Breakfast, lunch and dinner time TBD. Photograph opportunities as they arise. Review camera settings. We will get up early for sunrise.

Day 3- Weather permitting, depart from Cutler Harbor 7am and arrive at Machias Seal Island about one hour later. Machias Seal Island is the only place accessible from the USA where the public can photograph Atlantic puffins from land, and Bold Coast Charter Co. is the only USA tour authorized to make landings on the island. Long lenses are NOT required. We have tickets for a boat ride to see and photograph puffins, razorbills, seals, a lighthouse, etc. As long as the weather cooperates, we will also have the opportunity to make a landing on the island and photograph puffins and razorbills up close from a blind. The island has many birds! Some of the puffins and razorbills are just a few feet away. Note that this is the only location in the United States where we can step foot on an island inhabited by puffins, this is very different from other boat tours that are unable to do so. However, please keep in mind that this trip and the landing is subject to weather conditions. We will have photographic opportunities on the way to and from the island, we will spend ~ 2hrs on the island (about 1 hour in the blind). Approximate numbers of nesting seabird species are as follows: 5000 Atlantic puffins, 4000 Razorbills, 800 Common murres, 800 Arctic terns, 200 Common Eiders. In addition to the puffins and other nesting migratory seabird species, the tour will provide an opportunity to view seals, usually both Common seals and Grey seals, Bald eagles, porpoises, dolphins and pelagic seabird species.

Upon return to Cutler harbor, we will eat lunch and return to our rooms to recharge before we meet for dinner.

Day 4 – Photographic opportunities as they exist.

Day 5 –  Get up early for sunrise photo walk.  Workshop ends 10am.

Activity Level Rating: 2 (Note: 1 is easy and 5 is difficult)

General workshop rating is 1.

Puffin rating is 2.

Participants should be in good health and self-sufficient enough to carry their own gear. Participants should also be able to climb in and out of boats in sometimes slippery conditions carrying photo gear. They should also be comfortable with boats and changing sea conditions. The trip to photograph Atlantic Puffins will involve traveling 10 miles out into the Gulf of Maine aboard a 40-foot boat. It is about a 45-minute ride each way.

Getting onto the island from the boat can be an adventure all in itself, from Bold Coast Charter Co: Island landings involve participants transferring from the tour vessel into a large outboard-powered skiff which is navigated to a designated landing area on the rocky shoreline. Depending on the sea conditions, there is a possibility of wet feet, although most days we manage to keep everyone completely dry. While assistance is provided at every stage of the landing, conditions are slippery, and a degree of physical mobility and surefootedness is required.

Skill Level and Photo Equipment Recommendations

• Wide angle lens, medium telephoto(40-150mm OM, 70-200mm Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc.), telephoto (100-400mm) ( 200-500mm- optional)

  • Bear in mind multiple participants will be in a blind.Too much gear could make it difficult to move around.  We recommend bringing no more than two cameras bodies each with a lens attached into the blind. Too tight for a tripod, you can easily handhold or rest the lens on the bottom of the blind window.

• All your batteries and SD/Compact flash cards

• Filters (optional, bring them if you have them:

  • polarizer

  • ND (neutral density) for landscape photo opportunities.

• Tripod and/or monopod. Handholding is best when in the blind. There will be opportunities for landscapes/seascapes prior to and after the puffin excursion and a tripod allows for long exposures

• Optional: Laptop, binocular

Pack for change of weather.  Its Maine! Raincoat, hat, pants, shoes, etc. Bug spray, sunscreen, etc.  Bring a Windbreaker and pullover to keep warm on the boat ride.

Itinerary Changes

The trip itinerary is developed many months ahead of time. Occasionally, despite our best planning, changes may occur during the trip, or we may be forced to alter our plans. Changes may occur because of weather, road conditions, safety concerns or other circumstances. In these situations, it is the leader(s) responsibility to carefully consider and implement appropriate alternatives. Any additional costs incurred because of changes will be the responsibility of each individual participant. Refunds will not be issued as a result of itinerary changes.

Travel Insurance

As with all tours, we recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to help cover your investment, for covered reasons

Please note that this and all classes/workshops have no refunds. By signing up for our classes/tours/workshops, you agree to our terms and conditions, see http://www.lisaandtomphotography.com/p/workshops.html