When life hands you lemons….make pictures:)!

Last Wednesday, I had been excitedly awaiting one of my favorite bands Pepper, to play at the State Theater in Portland, Maine. I’d seen them live at the House of Blues in Boston a few years back, and was excited to see them again. I had purchased my tickets to the Portland show months ago, and was eagerly awaiting the concert. I figured I would bring my camera gear too, as I usually do when heading to Portland, just in case. Good thing I did, as they cancelled the show (lemon!) at the last minute, after already arriving in Portland that morning….

So I headed out to visit Portland Headlight and see how it looked. When I arrived at the Fort Williams Park, it was overcast and the wind was bringing the oncoming storm. I could see it was low tide, and really wasn’t planning on staying very long. I slung my camera gear and tripod over my back, and walked out to the cliff, scaling the fence, stepping in snow holes and over the rocky crags, to gain the outer rocks above the precipice.

It was quite beautiful that day, with a hint of color and definition in the storm clouds, with elegant turquoise blue and white turbulent water below. Even at low tide, the incoming storm was creating large waves that would crash loudly into the rocks below, throwing high spray into the sky. I set up my tripod, and even though it was a beautiful and wild ocean, the low tide was hampering the image I was imagining. I took a few pics anyway, and thought I might come back in a few hours when the tide was further in.

Being in no hurry, with the waves getting bigger and closer, the water so green, the crashing so thunderous, I was drawn to stay a while. I’d photographed this scene many times before, but this was the most violent ocean I had witnessed here, and it was truly mesmerizing. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by, and my feet were cold and soaked through from standing in the wet snow. My hands were also starting to freeze……but the drama increased as the ocean came closer, and crashed even louder, so I decided to stay a ‘bit longer’…..

But the scene just got better and better, and I couldn’t leave it. I stood there for 3 1/2 hours soaked to the bone with fingers so numb they were visibly shaking near then end. But I knew I had something wonderful:), and was happy to retreat at high tide, with the storm now starting to produce sideways rain and sleet. These two images are dramatically different, and I’m not sure which one I love more. One shows the turbulence of the ocean, with white froth, and frozen spray shooting high in the air. The other is more dreamy, with it’s long exposure, and difficulty to time with the waves perfectly, to give a soft feel, while maintaining definition in the larger waves.

Be flexible in life, go with the flow, and when presented with disappointment or difficulty, see where it leads you, which is usually to someplace special……

Make the sweetest lemonade from your sour lemons people:)!!

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