Downeast Maine (Puffins, Whales, Lighthouses)

Join us as on an instructional photo tour and workshop to the remote Downeast Maine Coast. We will travel by land and sea to photograph Puffins, Seals, Whales, Eagles, Lighthouses, and other coastal landscapes. We will also visit Campobello Island in Canada.

We will photograph some incredible landscapes including Quoddy Head Light which is the eastern most point in the US. This tour will involve wildlife, landscape, night, and macro photography.

Washington County has everything except crowds, traffic jams, and red lights. The region has every northern forest habitat: mature hardwood, mixed growth, and thick stands of boreal softwood. It has fast and slow rivers, marsh and bog wetlands, rocky coasts and mud flats, grasslands and blueberry barrens. It has two national wildlife refuges and one of the best offshore nesting islands on the east coast. All of Maine’s most highly sought-after species are found here, sometimes in abundance.

Wildlife: We will visit the world famous Machias Seal Island. We will be taking two separate boat trip to a remote island off the Maine coast to photograph puffins, lighthouses and seals. This is weather permitting. This trip includes the boat ride for the puffins $300 value.

From the blind on the island we will target puffins, razorbills, and terns. Some of the birds are just a few feet away. Can you image having hundreds of puffins within 10 feet of you. On the boat ride back we will look for seals. The Boat rides are included in the tour fee. On the ride back to we will explore some hidden gems and quaint fishing harbors, lighthouses and seaside cliffs.

So why take two boat rides? Occasionally the boat rides are cancelled due to bad weather. Since the trips are sold out it would be really hard to reschedule. This will give us two shots at getting on the island. It is an incredible experience that you would want to experience twice anyways. Each day would also have different lighting conditions. We also will be taking a third boat ride to photograph whales, eagles, seals, and lighthouses. This will be scheduled during the late afternoon light to sunset

This trip has other wildlife opportunities. Bald Eagles are seen everywhere. This is moose and black bear country. We will point out any wildlife we come across.

Landscape, Close-up and Night Photography

We will photograph coastal communities and fishing villages. This is an area of stark beauty and simple living. Lodging and dining opportunities are plentiful but not extravagant. Chain restaurants are few and far between. You won’t miss them.

We will visit several lighthouses including Word Famous Quoddy Head Light. This candy cane colored lighthouse is the easternmost point in the U.S. We probably will be the first people to see the sunrise in the US

This instructional photo tour will include several different types of photography. We will have several opportunities for Wildlife, Landscapes, and Macro photography.

We even plan to photograph at night. How many people have images of lighthouses at night? We will also photograph the milky way (if the weather cooperates).

We also will have time for classroom instruction including some lessons on Lightroom which is the go to program for photographers.

We will visit nearby Campobello Island in Canada. It is a beautiful island off the Coast of Maine but located in New Brunswick Canada on the Bay of Fundy. Campobello Island is one of three of the Fundy Islands; the "Fundy sisters" as they are sometimes called with the other "sisters" being Grand Manan and Deer Island. Campobello Island will capture your heart with breathtaking views, unspoiled nature at it’s best. We will visit the summer home of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, and a great lighthouse. To visit Campobello Island from the US, you must bring your passport. We will maximize our time in the field shooting a multitude of subjects as well as incorporating classroom instruction, critiques, and photographic assignments each day.

We will photograph one of the last places in the busy eastern seaboard where you can get away by yourself in tranquil pine forests, or walk for miles on the salt-sprayed shoreline, exploring and discovering secluded tidal inlets, and the uncrowded pleasures of coastal life. Windswept coastal headlands, tidal flats, coastal islands, preserved peat bogs, beaches at low tide, boreal and northern hardwood forests, grasslands and meadows. For an unforgettable walking or hiking experience come and enjoy the tranquility and outstanding natural beauty in such abundance in our area. These towns create an unforgettable experience for travelers who long to find the traditional Maine way of life.

When: June 14-18, 2021

Price:

$2795 includes Hotel (4 nights stay at Oceanfront Hotel), Two puffin boat rides ($300 value) and a Whale and Lighthouse boat ride. Weather permitting

Deposit: $300

To Register and Get More info:

Please visit our website and click on the Photo Tours Link

http://www.sphotography.com

Lodging:

The Rooms are included in the price. A beautiful oceanfront hotel with a conference room and onsite conference room. Please contact us for details.

Skill and Fitness Levels:

Anyone with an interest in photography from a beginner to professional photographer who has a love of being outdoors and nature. There are several short hikes on this trip. All hikes are easy.

Group size: Our groups are small in size . This group size allows for flexibility in our plans if interesting and unexpected photo opportunities present themselves. Also it will allow us to work with each participate to provide complete, informative, helpful lessons.

About Us: John Slonina is a professional nature photographer who has been photographing the nature for over 25 years. He has been published in multiple books, magazines, and calendars. He has a love of natural history as well. You will receive education not just in photo technique, but also in the natural world. Understanding the natural world not only increases your appreciation of nature but also helps you become a better nature photographer.