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The Moon

22 images Created 6 Apr 2015

My love affair and obsession with the moon probably started from my mother, who would get so excited when she saw the moon coming up that she'd let out a gasp, frightening us and making us wonder what was wrong, only to have her reply, "The MOON!". Thanks mom. I love you.

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  • A full moon rises over Southport as seen from Five Islands, Georgetown. The town was throwing their annual holiday celebration, complete with tree lighting and fireworks, on this beautiful December night!
    Five Islands Supermoon
  • You have to want it. Yesterday was my birthday, and my wife and I had a full day of hiking in Camden Hills and then walked across the Rockland Breakwater to the lighthouse there. We were both tired when we got home, but I had been begging her to let me go out and capture the full moon all day. So, instead having a nice dinner at home and relaxing, we got back in the car and drove to Portland to dine at our favorite restaurant, Boda. We met my best friend from high school there and had a wonderful dinner, which conveniently wrapped up around 8 o'clock, giving me just enough time to get to Back Cove to try and capture the moon coming up over Portland. When we got there, my hopes were dashed, the Portland Observatory didn't seem to have the normal bright spotlights shining on the exterior, so you could barely make it out among the skyline. I asked Kim to drive further down Baxter Boulevard to try and line it up behind the large church, but after standing and waiting there for a while, I got discouraged. I really wanted to get it coming up behind the observatory. I walked around a bit more, and then I saw it the blood red moon was starting to show right in the saddle of Portland between Munjoy Hill and Congress Square. I grabbed my gear and ran back to the north, hoping that I could capture some of the magic I was seeing. The observatory still wasn't lit, but the streetlights below seemed to be casting some glow on the building, at least enough to discern the iconic windows that go up the structure. The moon rose, and I followed it to the north, moving with it, and stopping every few feet to fire off a frame. A lot of them came out blurry, because I was moving so fast to keep up with the moon, I wasn't giving the camera and long lens enough time to settle down. But, in the end, I got a few frames that were just what I had in mind, the moon rising perfectly behind the Observatory, casting a dramatic silhouette.
    Full Moon Behind the Portland Observ..tory
  • The Maine State House in Augusta, Maine is the state capitol of the State of Maine. The building was completed in 1832, one year after Augusta became the capital of Maine. Built using Maine granite, the State House was based on the design of the Massachusetts State House (Maine was formerly part of Massachusetts, and became a separate state in 1820). The building was designed by the renowned architect Charles Bulfinch of Boston. A gilt copper statue of Minerva, the draped female figure of Wisdom, by William Clark Noble of Gardiner, surmounts the dome. Speaking of the dome, many of you will remember it as a pale green color. That's because chemical reactions cause the shiny copper to turn green over time. Since it was replaced last year, it will appear brown for approximately 35 years until the copper oxidizes to a green once again.
    Maine State House Moon
  • Visit Boothbay Harbor in the winter, and you'll see a town transformed from a kitschy tourist trap into a true Maine fishing village. Most of the stores are closed, the streets empty, and the windjammers and tour-boats gone. It's a welcome change of pace for me. I find myself overwhelmed and annoyed at all of the commotion in the summer. Although I do love going out on a whale watch or catching the ferry to Monhegan from here, and those certainly wouldn't be as fun this time of year.
    Boothbay Winter Sunrise
  • A full yellow moon rises behind the spire of one of the defining features of Portland's skyline, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Congress Ave.
    Cathedral Moon
  • I won't be forgetting tonights adventure anytime soon. Here I was, surrounded by some of my favorite photographers, capturing a stunning moonrise behind one of the most photogenic lighthouses in the world. It was so incredible to witness, and our planning paid off perfectly. We were in the exact right spot to capture it coming up behind the lighthouse. Nubble gives and gives.
    Full Moon Behind Nubble
  • A crescent moon hovers over fir trees on a sloping shoreline with the first light of day creating a beautiful burning red in the sky, while below the flowing waters of the ocean and Kennebec Rivers pass, catching the reflection of the moon.
    Crescent Moon
  • As one of the premier photographic destination in New England, and even the world, Nubble Lighthouse is a tough place to get an 'original' image. Last year, Michael Blanchette captured a stunning view of this lighthouse during a full moon that left us awestruck. Some could be discouraged following in the footsteps of brilliance, but I was personally inspired. It made me want to get down here and make a powerful moon image myself. 

The opportunity presented itself yesterday evening, with a full moon and predictions of clear skies. Since I've had use of a 400mm lens, it's been fun to getting the moon to appear larger by compressing scenes that are far away. Using the photographer's ephemeris, I saw that the moon would rise over Nubble from about 20 degrees southwest on Long Sands Beach. My photography buddy Adam Woodworth joined me, and we climbed through waist-high snow drifts to get into position.

This wasn't the image I had in mind. A bank of clouds obscured the horizon and blocked what I was hoping would be a moonrise directly behind the lighthouse itself, creating an extremely dramatic silhouette. What we got instead was perhaps even more beautiful, and definitely more believable. The moon broke through the clouds just above Cape Neddick, right where the ephemeris said it would, and Adam and I went to town trying to keep up with it's rapid movement across the sky. We would stop, make a few frames, then pick up the camera and jog a few yards to the left every minute or so until we had gone about 30 yards from our original location, all in that waist-deep snow. Haha! What a blast!
    Moon Over Nubble
  • A full moon hangs over Rockport Harbor, casting a dazzling reflection in the water around the Becca & Meagan, a red lobster boat moored in the harbor. On the hill behind the boat are two large homes, one is an old church in the process of being renovated and added on to.
    Rockport Moon
  • One of Camden's historic windjammers, the Appledore, sails across Penobscot Bay under a full 'Harvest' Moon.
    Windjammer Moon
  • A full yellow moon sets behind the Winter Street Church in Bath, Maine. You can see Waterfront Park, shops on Front Street, and a house on the hill. The Kennebec River is full of ice, floating by in large pieces. Holiday lights still decorate the trees in the park. 

To capture this image, I positioned myself across the river with a 400mm zoom lens.
    Winter Street Moon
  • I didn't think that I would have time to catch the full moon last night. Since I usually get out of work around 8, I was at peace with the idea of not catching this one, and already looking forward to my next opportunity. But wouldn't you know, a slow night allowed me to leave at 7, giving me seconds to spare in arriving at this destination by moonrise at 7:30.

I wasn't totally sure that I would see the moon through the bridge, I thought the angle might be too extreme and shut off the small 'window' from the perspective needed to line up with the moon. I also wasn't sure exactly where I needed to stand to catch it coming up like this, dead center underneath the bridge. You should have seen me, I was pacing back and forth across the stony beach behind Cook's back and forth, watching the horizon for the first sign of the moon. Oh, when I saw it... I was so excited! Yes! It was an amazing sight to behold.

The Cribstone Bridge spans the divide between Orr's and Bailey Islands known as Will's Gut. It is a National Historic Landmark and a Civil Engineering Landmark. It is the only bridge of its kind in the world.
    Moon Under the Cribstone Bridge
  • A full moon rises behind Indian Island Light in Rockport, Maine.
    Indian Island Lighthouse Moon
  • Probably the most beautiful moonrise I've witnessed so far.
    Full Moon Behind the Breakwater Ligh..ouse
  • Unbelievable experience last night. Chris Lawrence of Maine Photography is the man! Every time I've gotten together with him, it's been great. Last night was made even more special by the fact that Kim, my wife, and Caroline, my sister, got to join us. Who would say no to boating from Portland Harbor out to a private island, passing 3 lighthouses on our way to photograph a 4th? Just incredible. Cushing Island is quite a place, with beautiful old brick buildings, various military relics, and some really beautiful shoreline on the north side of the island with a great view of Portland Head Light. I could eat it with a spoon. Delicious! 

Anyways, I'm getting carried away. Chris has ventured out here 3 times before to catch the moon rising behind Ram Island Ledge Light, and I can see why. What a great photo op!
    Red Moon behind Ram Island Ledge
  • A nearly full moon rises behind Munjoy Hill and the Portland Observatory, a historic martime signal.
    Moon Behind the Portland Observatory
  • I got up early this morning to catch the full moon coming down over Bath. After the fun I had making image of the moon over Portland last month, I am eager not to waste any opportunity.<br />
<br />
Getting this shot wasn't easy. I had to scramble through a lot of brush, along with the nice layer of ice we had from the last storm and dripping water coming from the overpass on the Woolwich side of the river . I found my spot and set up with the long lens. I experimented with different exposures to try and retain some detail in the moon, but it was just too bright to keep the city well-exposed at the same time. I made multiple exposures, thinking I would combine them later on the computer to get the moon right, but when I tried this it just didn't look as pleasing as this version with the blown-out moon. I guess I would say that the impression of the moon is what's important here.<br />
<br />
The light was pretty incredible at this point. The deep blue hour, with the first light of day coming in behind me, really cast a beautiful glow on the city along with the artificial lights. A couple of clouds lined up to the side of the moon, filling my frame and catching some of the moonlight. The Kennebec River was full of large chunks of ice, moving downstream, causing the streaks in this long exposure.<br />
<br />
The city skyline is dominated by the steeples and bell towers of City Hall, First Baptist Church, and the Winter Street Church. You can also see the holiday lights still in the trees down in the Riverfront Park.
    Bathed in Moonlight
  • An incredibly beautiful full moon rises behind Our Lady of Peace Church in Boothbay Harbor. I took this photo from almost 5,000 feet away at the Boothbay Harbor Yatch Club. A 400mm lens compressed the scene to make it appear very large in the field of view.
    Boothbay Harbor Supermoon Vertical
  • A full moon lights up the sky over Custom House Wharf and Harbor Fish Market in Portland's Old Port.
    Portland Waterfront Moon
  • The appropriately named harvest moon rises behind this icon of Maine's most lucrative harvest, lobster.
    Harvest Moon
  • A full moon sits perfectly on the Cribstone Bridge connecting Orr's and Bailey Islands in Harpswell.
    Moon Crossing
  • A full moon rises behind the iconic white church in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
    Boothbay Harbor Full Moon
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Benjamin Williamson Photography

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