Friday, July 11, at the Maine Media Workshop

At 3:50 am Friday morning, I was standing in the parking lot of the Workshop residences waiting for my ride. The moon was high, the darkness still and quiet. It has been years since I was outside at that time of the morning. I was riding with Paula, Nancy and John to Marshall Point, near Port Clyde, to shoot photos at sunrise.

As we neared Marshall Point, about 40 minutes later, pink was showing along the horizon. We wondered if we would get to Marshall Point before the sun broke over the horizon. About 15 minutes from our destination, we were all struck by the rosy glow that suffused a cove we passed. In unison, we decided to stop and shoot some images there, in the event that we didn't reach Marshall Point by dawn. It was a real Workshop moment. Paula pulled her car over to the side of the empty stretch of rural road and the four of us piled out, grabbed our cameras, scouted out a vantage point and started shooting.

The sun was still below the horizon when we climbed back in the car and we quickly finished the drive to Marshall Point. Other class members were already set up in the parking lot and along the line of rocks when we arrived. We joined them, just in time to take some images as the sun rose over the delicate line separating bay and sky - throwing a spreading glow of light over the water, silhouetting the trees and rocks and changing the tones from rose to warm golden as the sun started to ascend. It was very quiet. We could hear the water rolling in over the rocks below, the calls of a few sea birds and the click of shutters as we all sought to capture the moment.

A lot of the images, when viewed later, looked similar — differences of angle, height, lens length and sharpness. But more than the images, the moment was meaningful because we had gathered together, in the still of a Maine morning with cameras in hand, to witness the rising of the sun.

We gathered our equipment and headed down to Port Clyde, where we waited for the cook in the General Store to start making breakfast and to buy our ferry tickets to Monhegan Island. Port Clyde started to come to life with lobster fisherman loading traps, boats starting their morning journeys out into the bay and people arriving for the ferry.

The first ferry at 7 am was actually the mail packet. It was a 45 minute ride across Penobscot Bay to Monhegan Island, a small, rocky island about 12 miles from the nearest mainland. Monhegan is barely a square mile in area and accessible only by boat. According to Wickipedia, the name Monhegan derives from Monchiggon, Algonqian for "out-to-sea island." The island was known to Native Americans as a "prime fishing area;" today the island's economy is still based on those who make their living from the sea.

The explorer John Smith visited Monhegan Island in 1614. The island first served as a British fishing camp before becoming a settlement of the Plymouth Colony. Cod was harvested from the rich fishing grounds of the Gulf of Maine, dried on fish flakes (fish drying platforms) and then shipped to Europe.

A conical stone lighthouse was built on the island in 1824, by order of Congress and President James Monroe. The original lighthouse, damaged by storms, was replaced in 1850 by the current 48 ft. granite tower. When we visited, the lighthouse tower was surrounded by scaffolding for restoration. But the lighthouse and surrounding buildings are beautifully sited atop Lighthouse Hill. The Monhegan Island Light was converted to solar power in 1995 and is still an active aid to navigation.

When we landed in the harbor area, everyone grabbed an island trail map and started off to explore the island. Some of the class participants stayed close to the harbor, relaxing in the Adirondack chairs perched on the hill above the harbor. Hardier souls hiked around the island to the opposite shore and some of us followed paths through Cathedral Woods. Tall trees, their branches forming arches over the trails, carpet the ground with needles and provide shelter for ferns, wildflowers and mosses. In shaded glens, fairy houses hug the bases of the trees - intricate constructions of pine cones, wood bark and found objects.

The ferry was scheduled to depart at 12:30; we headed back, with memories of a beautiful morning on Monhegan Island. Our afternoon critique was scheduled for around 2:30. Claire pulled together all the images for our final, full class critique. (There would be another critique on Saturday morning but a few of us had to leave early to make travel connections.). After the critique of varied and lovely images of the Olson House, Pemaquid, dawn at Marshall Point and even some of the recently taken Monhegan images, we headed up the Main Street hill to the Workshop's Friday night lobster dinner. We enjoyed delicious, fresh caught Maine lobsters (and you can taste the difference), stuffed Portobello mushrooms, steamed corn, salad, and fresh strawberry shortcake while talking about camera lenses, beautiful locations to shoot and plans to keep in touch.

As the lobster dinner finished up, we returned borrowed equipment, picked up prints from the Image center and found seats in the theater for the evening show. The class instructors, teacher's assistants and the staff of the Workshop had assembed a two-hour, professional video presentation, with great music, to highlight the work of the all of the courses during the week. Amazing work by many talented people — all produced during an intensive, creative week. Around 10 pm, I thanked Alison and Claire for a wonderful week, said goodbye to as many of the Colors class members as I could find in the crowd and drove back to the Schooner Inn. I packed, set the alarm for 6 am and fell asleep, exhilarated and exhausted. You can view additional photos from Friday here.

By 6:30 am on Saturday, I was on the road, heading to Boston to return the rental car and catch my mid-afternoon flight to Chicago. My mind was full of all I had seen and experienced and the wonderful people I had met and worked with. I was inspired to return to Illinois and continue on my photographic journey to see the world in new ways, mindfully.

A QuickTime movie of the week's images can be seen here.

Thursday, July 9, at the Maine Media Workshop

I awoke early on Thursday, eager to take advantage of the lovely weather and the opportunity to see more of the Atlantic coast. I drove south out of Rockport to the Samoset Resort near Rockland. It was about 6 am when I parked in the deserted parking lot by the golf course and followed the path down the hill to the long rocky coastline and sweeping views of Penobscot Bay. The sore birds were soaring and there was a lone walker on the long jetty. After shooting some images, I drove slowly back to Rockport.

I was scheduled to meet Paula, John and Nancy at 8:30 for the drive to the Olson House in Cushing, Maine. The Olson House was the home of Christina and Alvaro Olson, was made famous by the painter Andrew Wyeth in his work entitled Christina's World. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the site was gifted to the Farnsworth Art Museum by John and Lee Adams Sculley in 1991.

We were given the freedom to shoot images wherever we wanted in the restored house and grounds. The light in the house was beautiful, clear, softly diffused by the subtle colors of the worn wood floors and the aged plaster walls. Strong contrasts of light and dark, Faded colors on doors and walls. The house was sparsely furnished; each room contained reproductions of Wyeth paintings that had been created in that room or spot. We shot images inside and outside for almost two hours.

Around noon we piled back into the cars for the drive to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol where we were scheduled to have lunch. But first, our foursome took a detour to the little port in Cushing, where we found a lobster boat loading up traps for their journey out into the bay. Fishermen were also unloading a fresh catch of lobster and we were allowed to take some "up close and personal photos" of the brilliantly colored crustaceans.

We arrived at Pemaquid Point after everyone else had finished lunch. We grabbed what was left and started exploring the area. Pemaquid Point has a lovely keeper's cottage and a dramatic position above slabs of granite that climb up the hill from the beach. The granite has beautiful color streaks, scattered tidepools and a rolling, crashing surf at the water line. We climbed over the slabs, hoping to snap a unique angle of an iconic Maine lighthouse.

Around 3 pm, we headed back to Rockport for our 4 pm critique. On the way, Paula introduced us to the Round Top Ice Cream shop near Damariscotta, Maine. It appears that people in Maine care about quality ice cream. They are "some pickity" about it. Round Top has a legendary reputation and an impressive array of flavors. It made up for the late and lean lunch!

Again, Claire magically asembed everyone's images into a slideshow and we all got to see how differently 15 individuals "see" the same boats, lighthouses, and rocks. The slideshow critques were one of the most valuable aspects of the workshop. It was creatively inspiring to see the images everyone had taken.

Our critique over, Alison went off to the "instructors dinner" and several of us decided to assemble in Camden Harbor for more photos and dinner. I drove down to the Harbor with Angela and Nancy. I'd raved to Angela about the small Italian restaurant where I'd eaten dinner on Tuesday night. She was ready to give it a try and persuaded Ed, Kevin, John W. and Laura to join us. John K. joined us shortly after we'd ordered. Lots more talk of photography, Maine, image-making and what we all do in our "day jobs." Angela suggested we develop a group website and continue to share our photos. I said I'd love to help coordinate a group photo book as a reminder of our colors class. The food was excellent and the company great. We broke up around 9:00, aware that Friday morning and our early departure for the dawn shoot wasn't far away.

We wandered out of the restaurant and around the Harbor parking lot, taking a few more photos as the light faded. I dropped Angela at the Workshop Residence Hall and headed back to the Schooner Inn, eager to see the latest images I'd taken. Additional photos from Thursday can be viewed here.

Wednesday, July 8, at the Maine Media Workshop

Wednesday morning was still a little misty. We all assembled at the Union Hall classroom at 9 a.m. Alison showed us some of her recent work and talked about how her work has continued to change. She showed us some of the artist's studio series and her soft focus, painterly beach scene series. She also talked about how she markets her work and the books she has collaborated on.

About 11, we broke into two groups. Alison and Claire had arranged for us to go to the Rockport Marine, right down the hill from the Union Hall, for an hour shooting time in the facility. Rockport Marine is a working yard for the construction and restoration of wooden boats. We were allowed into the shop where three boats were in various stages of restoration. This was another fairly low light situation, but a tripod was a bit of a hinderence in the tight confines of the facility. One of the boats under restoration was stripped down to its ribs and painted in the traditional bright orange, lead-based sealing paint. Those colors, plus the woodworking tools, the sweep of a boat hull up in drydock, the open bay doors, the workers in their overalls and protective hardhats, the boat's ribs, even the smells of wood shavings made it a fascinating place to explore for interesting photos that illustrated the art of wooden boat building.

While one group was shooting in the Marine yard, the other group had time to set up a one-on-one session with Alison about images they had taken.

After lunch we had our daily critique of photos from the day before. Again, it was fascinating and instructive to see so many images, with different points of view, of the same subject.

In the late afternoon, we drove up to Camden to shoot images at the local Farmers' Market. There weren't a lot of stalls but the farmers who manned the booths that were there generously allowed us close access: there was a green veggies farmers with "skapes," curly beans, cabbages, etc.; an aromatic bakery with fat loaves covered in rosemary; a local goat cheese dairy with a cheese and berry "torte;" a mushroom farmer, flowers, baskets and a 31-year strawberry farmer — or as he said it "fahmah." We took plenty of images and bought some of the offerings.

After supper at the campus, we all returned to the Union Hall for the evening's presentations. Alison presented a show of her work against some family history and the story of her personal photographer's journey. Her presentation was lively, touching and lovely. After Alison, the architechtural photographer Norman McGrath talked about the technical aspects of shooting buildings — inside and out.

After McGrath's presentation was over, I headed back to the Schooner Inn to edit the images I'd taken that day and get ready for an early departure on Thursday. We were scheduled to leave at 7:30 for the Olson House.

It was another late night and my mind was spinning with images, colors, lens information, etc. I was aware that I hadn't read a newspaper since Saturday or watched any television. Although I'd brought a sketchbook, there was no time for it. It was photography, all the way. Additional images from Wednesday can be viewed at photos.

Tuesday, July 7, at the Maine Media Workshop

Tuesday started off cloudy and misty. The class was scheduled to meet at Merryspring Nature Center in Camden/Rockport. After breakfast at the campus dining tent, we headed off to the Merryspring Center — 66 acres on an elevated knoll over a limestone base.

However, the prior month of cool rainy weather had delayed the blooming of almost all of the perennials in the park. There were a few peonies and irises, some beautiful birch tree clusters and lots of green shrubs. Once again, a tripod would have helped and I vowed to borrow one as soon as I could.

I concentrated on the irises and the birch trees.

After the morning's early shoot, we went back to the classroom for our critique. The participants who had used a tripod had better luck getting good photos in the low light, moody conditions. This first critique, in the classroom at the Union Hall, took quite a while. Each of us gave Claire 5 images from the morning shoot and we went through all the images, one person at a time. Alison commented on almost all of the photos — pointing out strengths and weaknesses in the images and making suggestions about how to push the creative envelope.

After the critique, most of the group walked back "up the hill" to the campus and had dinner. After the dinner, there was an opening in the Gallery at Union Hall followed by a presentation by another instructor.

I was excited about the color saturation of images taken in the cloudy, misty atmosphere. So I went down to Rockport Harbor and shot some "rain" images, stopped at the nursery to take images in their greenhouse, and then, in a light rain, drove up to Camden Harbor where I saw the falls, roaring over the rocks below the town library. I took photos of wet boats, the docks and the falls. Then I wandered into Paolina's Way, a small Italian bistro on the Harbor and had a lovely dinner while I watched the chefs in the kitchen. Another long, full day of image-making. This is really a full-imersion workshop! Here's a link to additional photos.

Monday, July 6, at the Maine Media Workshop

Monday's session started at 9 a.m. in the Union Hall in downtown Rockport. Our instructor, Alison Shaw, suggested we continue with our introductions by partnering with another participant, interviewing our partner and then introducing that person to the group. It was a standard "ice breaker," but it helped us get to know the other members of the class.

I partnered with Angela Possamoto, a middle school music director from Rochester, NY. In the course of my interview, I found out that Angela, like me, had become the chronicler of her family — taking photos of family members and events. She told me that as a teenager she had once been trusted with her father's World War II camera, something like a Leica. However, when she tried to develop the film she shot, nothing turned out. She didn't know it at the time, but such cameras used a lubricating oil that needed to be maintained. Her father later disposed of the camera; years later, Angela found a similar camera in a resale shop and purchased it as a reminder of her father.

Within the past few years, Angela said she sold her piccolo and used the proceeds to buy herself a very good Canon SLR system. She then did her research on how to use her new camera through books, websites and finally, local area classes. The Maine Media Workshop was her first intensive photography workshop. She was very knowledgeable about her lenses and camera — and generous about sharing both.

One of the aspects of the Workshop that I liked best was getting to know Angela and the other participants … all kindred spirits in their passion for photography and making images.

We continued the process of getting to know each other by viewing a selection of each other's images. Then in the afternoon, we headed out to Port Clyde and the Marshall Point Lighthouse. I hitched a ride with John Krauss, from Indianapolis (at one time the assistant mayor of that city). John is now a professor at Indiana University, teaches legal mediation, and runs a research institute for the university.

Port Clyde is a fishing port and home to lobster fisherman as well as the Monhegan Ferry, which we would take the following Friday. Nearby is the Marshall Point Lighthouse and keeper's home. Lots of photo opportunities. Claire (the T.A.) and Alison circulated among the class members, offering advice, suggestions and, for me, necessary tips about how to get my new camera to operate! Alison had said that she didn't want any of us "shooting in auto mode." We could use AV mode (aperture priority) or manual (all controls manually set). This was quite a departure for me; I had grown lazy with the point and shoot digital cameras and had to resurrect long-forgotten details of my manual mode, SLR, black and white film days. I've posted additional photos.

Somewhere in the flat rocks around the Marshall Point lighthouse, my prescription sunglasses decided to take up residence. I'd tucked them in to the open collar of my shirt and they must have fallen out when I leaned over to take a photo. That knocked me off balance a little but the afternoon was beautiful — mild, breezy and bright. I decided to chalk up the loss to my increasing focus on image-making. Lots of color, textures and reflections. I soon wished I had borrowed a tripod along with the macro to 100 mm lens I had gotten from the MMW store. When we got back to the campus, the group had dinner and then everyone dispersed to review images and get ready for the critique and events of Tuesday. It had been great start and a very full day.

Driving to Rockport, Maine

My drive from Boston to Maine proved more complicated than expected. I had reserved a car in Boston from Hertz. The rates in downtown were about half of what they were from the airport facility, so I took the "T" down to Park Plaza to pick up the car. However, the holiday weekend, the improved weather, and lots of people in town meant a very crowded Hertz office, unusually so for a Sunday morning. There were two employees and 24 people in line in front of me … and 22 behind me within 25 minutes. I got to the facility at 11:15 and left with a car at 1:45 pm! I was forced to call my hotel (up in Revere) two times, asking for an extension of check-out time. I worried that they would toss out my clothes and belongings!

Finally, back to the hotel, a quick pack up and I was on the road at 2:15 pm (about 3 hours later than planned).

The walk through Boston Commons from the "T" station to the Hertz office was beautiful. The sky was a gorgeous deep blue with scuttling white clouds. Crews were already setting up for bands and performances later in the day.

The drive up Rt.1 until it intersected with I95 was interesting … all commercial and retail, narrow two lanes each side, fast drivers or wandering over the lane drivers. Once on I95, driving was smooth up through Massachusetts, New Hampshire (I was in the state for about 25 minutes) into Portland. There I took a little side trip to Cape Elizabeth (in liu of lunch … I was grateful I'd eaten breakfast before my car rental adventure). Cape Elizabeth is home to Fort Williams and the Portland Head Light. See photos. For the first time, I could really smell the salt in the air.

The directions to the Maine Media Workshops proved not very clear once I drove north of Cape Elizabeth and got on coastal Route 1. Actually, not much coast was visible, just two lanes of highway between lots of trees for most of the route. The small harbor towns were 8 to 10 miles east of the highway. I had to stop twice to ask for directions. The last time, I was in Rockport but the clerk in the gas station didn't know what the Workshops were. Fortunately, an older woman was familiar with them and offered to lead me to the campus. She really went out of her way to help me find the campus. The roads in the area are very narrow, no shoulders, small street signs and only one sign when you hit the parking lot. I'd have been driving around for quite a while without her help.

I found out I was being housed in the Schooner Bay Motor Inn. I drove there and finally had a chance to read the evening agenda. Only to find out I had 20 minutes to call home and then get back to the Workshops for Orientation. Dinner would have to wait.

There are 17 students in my course. Most are over 35. "Day jobs" for participants include a psychiatrist, three high school/middle school teachers, two painters, two college professors, a lawyer, a music teacher, a professional rock climber and some retirees. They come to the workshop from Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, Minnesota, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida and New York.

We start tomorrow morning at 9:15 with a "getting to know you session" through our sample photos. Then we are scheduled to shoot in the field at Port Clyde in the afternoon. There is an evening presentation my video students and teachers. Should be a busy day! Allison Shaw wants us to shoot in manual mode … so I need to do some photography refreshers.

Finally, after the class dispersed, I tried to find someplace to eat. The first two restaurants I tried were closed and closing. Even the grocery store was closed. I was directed to Cappy's - a chowder house in Camden where I got some excellent Maine clam chowder and a salad. Nourished, I made my way back down Rt. 1 to the motel and started my blog.

But now I'm signing off. The photography refresher will have to wait to morning.

Evening in Boston

I've started the first leg of my Maine Media Workshop week by arriving in Boston today, July 4. When I left Springfield, it was raining and I understand it continued to rain almost all day. But Boston … Boston was beautiful, 69º, sunny, and celebrating the 28th year of Harborfest.

There were crowds of people all around the city, as well as street bands and performers. Also, there was quite a bit of imbibing going on. Using a Charlie Card, I hopped on the "T" and went down to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.

After a Boston dinner special of Maine lobster (There isn't much meat on a lobster…) at McCormick & Schmicks, I walked around the Market area and the North End until it started to get dark. Lots of people were walking towards the Charles River to watch the fireworks, but I hopped backed on the "T" and travelled all the way to the end of the line, Wonderland, in Revere, to my hotel.

Tomorrow morning I'll retrace my route down to the city center to pick up a rental car and start my drive up to Maine.

I'm attaching a few photos: McCormick & Schmicks, Cheers, Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall, people watching on the waterfront, boats in the North End harbor, and an almost full moon in a clear sky over Boston, July 4, 2009.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

The President's Henchman

The President's Henchman is now available. You can order it at any brick and mortar book store. Unfortunately, shelf space is a problem for even mid-size publishers — see Joe's blog for info on this. You can also order your copy through Joe's website or from any on-line bookseller.

Some 5 Star reviews are showing up on Amazon:
"I thoroughly enjoyed the way Joseph Flynn developed the characters and story lines with the Henchman" — Katherine M. Mahon

"Couldn't put it down" – Meghan

"The President's Henchman grabbed me from the first, and kept me up way too late …" – Mary Beth Coates

"This is the start of a promising series. Let us have more soon." – C. Peterson

"Flynn brings elements of suspense and political intrigue. He seamlessly connects the plot lines and leaves the reader with a sense of closure, but also with a strong desire to know what further adventures await the First Family." –Kaylee Gholson

So check it out! Read an excerpt on the website. Order your copy and let us know what you think of the book.

Thoughts on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2009

I have been touched and inspired by the enthusiasm, the commitment, and the connections expressed by people across America on the eve of Inauguration Day 2009. The historic aspect of President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony tomorrow, January 20, as the first African-American President of the United States, makes the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day all the more powerful. King's "I have a dream …" may not yet be fulfilled but we have moved closer to the possibility of its realization. That makes me proud.