GIANTS OF THE SEA

Wildlife photography can lead to wonderful moments in life and I had my good share over the last 19 years. One of the most touching happenings this year took place in Canadian / American waters near Eastport, Maine in September and I like to share some very emotional moments with my photos.

We just had arrived for a visit in Eastport and wanted to explore the small town and check out the possibilities and schedule for a whale watching tour by boat for the next day. The office of Eastport Windjammers looked inviting and when we asked for boat departures the friendly lady in the office just said, the boat is leaving in 10 minutes. I asked, do I have still time to pick up another lens from the car? She agreed and called the captain to wait a few more minutes. I ran to the car and picked up quickly the Z 100-400, which was the right choice for this adventure. And so an unforgettable whale watching tour took its course shortly after…

The captain (who told me he was in his other job actually a school teacher) and the tour guide on board were very knowledgeable, shared lots of information, and found pretty soon an area where humpback whales and fin whales were present. The crew stayed in contact with other whale watching boats and they all helped each other and reported any sightings. Not all whales have been so close to the boat as the one above and so I cropped some of the pictures below. It’s just amazing to see these giants surfacing, forcefully exhaling air from their lungs, and finally diving down again into the ocean.

Not all wildlife encounters were gigantic. This little Harbor Seal enjoyed itself in the clear water near an island.

On the way back to Eastport, just a few yards away from the pier, the captain stopped the boat and our guide pulled  an ”educational lobster trap” onto the deck. There were indeed a few lobsters in it and so we learned a lot about lobster trapping, size regulations, baiting, and the economical challenges a lobster man is facing. It is hard work and our respect for all the lobster men deepened even more!

DIGGIN’ FOR AN OLD STORY ABOUT LIGHT…

Lobster boat leaving harbor at sunrise ------   

Commitments kept me grounded today, at least photographically seen, but there is always the chance to go into the photo library and dig out an image that has not seen the light of the day yet. I have created a book about the coast of Maine some time ago, sure sign that I’m in love with this area, and I like to return to the photos I made in 2013 at the Atlantic coast of the United States.

I can ensure you this is not just nostalgic thoughts of an aging man. It was the incredible light Joan and I have experienced during early morning and late afternoon hours that made us fell in love with Maine. Well, Joan may add that 50% was the limitless availability of fresh lobster and I have a hard time to argue about that…😉

Back to the light, I think during our visit in Maine it was the first time that I started really to understand what the term “quality of light” means. The photo above is not in my “coffee-table book” (Deutsch: Bildband), but if there is ever a second edition, I will consider this picture. Light as seen makes story telling a breeze…

VISUAL STORIES - COAST OF MAINE

I’m excited to announce that my latest photography project has been finished. It is called VISUAL STORIES- COAST OF MAINE and you can find it by clicking on the COLLECTIONS - tab above (or just HERE). The photos in this slide-show-like gallery are an excerpt from a book about the coast of Maine that I created already last year. I can tell you, it is the most difficult task during the whole process to downsize the number of pictures even more from an already existing project, like a book. The book is much bigger but I wanted to show you the essence of what we have seen, without making it too big. The coast of Maine is a wonderful place and has so many different things to offer. I want the photos tell the story about this great part of New England in the Northeast of the US, hence the title VISUAL STORIES. I hope you enjoy.