The best photos from a vacation aren’t always the ones you expect. Instead, they may be waiting for you around the next corner. Here are some of the images I discovered from my walks through Cape Porpoise, Maine.
One of the easiest ways to learn about a place is to simply take a walk and look around. It provides an entirely different perspective than driving about. Plus, you’ll find any number of photo opportunities while traveling on foot.
That’s exactly what I did across several mornings during our recent vacation to Cape Porpoise, Maine.
A Walk Back in Time
On my walks, I spotted a variety of interesting visuals that reflected the slower pace of this summer vacation spot. It felt like a walk back in time.
Steel Beams Instead of Lobster Boats
But all was not quiet and relaxed.
I also ran across a contrasting story for this sleepy town: a massive construction project – the $8.6 million rebuild of the Cape Porpoise Pier, used for commercial fishing.
I Met Cupid
Though all the machinery and steel in this construction zone certainly projected a different vibe, this space somehow still maintained an even and friendly energy.
I spotted a happy dog calmly watching the build. He looked out of an open window from a nearby truck. His human was one of the construction workers I chatted with. The man explained to me that his dog was a rescue from a life-threatening situation.
His dog’s name: Cupid.
Don’t Forget your Camera
You just don’t know the stories you’re going to find when you set off on a walk.
And this certainly isn’t just a vacation activity to practice. Whether you’re near or far from home, there’s often an unexpected photo around the next corner.
Or you can simply look straight ahead. Another headline may appear right in front of you.
Watching any sunrise is a meaningful experience, but I’ve learned that recording a timelapse video during a cloudless dawn doesn’t generate enough action. Clouds have to be in the shot for the timelapse to feature their secret dance. Here are a few examples.
I’ve effectively stopped taking photos and videos of sunrises. Why? Because every close-up shot of the early sun is the same.
Instead, I now focus on showing how the environment reflects or responds to first light. So that requires a wider angle shot where the sun isn’t necessarily center stage.
That creative approach is much more interesting to me.
The Dance of the Clouds
Often, the key ingredient is how the clouds are positioned and move throughout a sunrise. Their sped-up motion becomes the anchor for the entire scene.
Cloud support is always part of any successful sunrise timelapse video I record.
But there are many variables… How much cloud cover is there? How fast are they moving? In which direction? What are their colors?The permutations are endless.
Waking up at 4:30am on Vacation?
Which is why I always choose to set up my tripod for a summer sunrise timelapse whenever I’m on vacation in Cape Porpoise, Maine. (This is not a ‘once and done’ creative exercise.)
The place we stay offers a spectacular view over the mudflats near the ocean. So, if the weather forecast looks good for the next day, I set my wakeup alarm for 4:30am.
Yes, it may be counter intuitive to get up wicked early on a vacation morning. But that’s what it takes to capture the amazing colors in the sky before the sun shows up at 5am. And let me tell you… it’s worth it.
My DJI Osmo Glows with the Sun
I’ve been using my little DJI Osmo gimbal camera for my ongoing sunrise project over the past five summers, and I’ve found that each of my sunrise timelapses looks entirely unique. That’s because every morning brings a different cloud formation.
Of course, you can’t have total cloud cover. Alternately, you need some clouds in place. Otherwise, you’ll just have that little glowing ball moving slowly in an empty blue sky.
Nature Calls the Shots
I run my sunrise timelapses for an hour, auto-snapping frames at 3-second increments. That generates a 40-second video.
A lot can happen in the sky across an hour. So, what you start with may evolve into something entirely different that can make or break your results. But there’s nothing you can do… other than observe.
Nature is in control.
Which means you’re not going to get what you hope for every morning. But I’m pleased to report that I had some success this summer in Maine. And I have a new crop of Cape Porpoise mudflat sunrise timelapses to share with you. Here are the highlights.
Start Your Day
My ‘skill’ in capturing these stunning moments is mostly just about being able to stumble out of bed and show up on time to witness nature present its magical morning show.
And if the clouds should decide on a ‘pleasing’ sequence for a timelapse, you’re in for a treat.
Maintaining control of your calendar at work can be harder than you’d think. If you’re looking for ways to help reduce friction in your schedule, here are my suggestions.
Part of an occasional series about solving technology challenges in the workplace *
Does your job involve lots of meetings? Does your daily schedule get regularly consumed by meeting invites? Do you find this interfering with the rest of your work? If so, then it’s time to take a more proactive approach to managing your shared work calendar.
This is something of an art that each of us must ultimately curate for ourselves. And no matter where you are in your career, it requires ongoing attention and perhaps a few reminders.
So, here are my best practices.
Block ‘Focus Time’ for Your Own Work
Everyone usually has a plan regarding what they need to accomplish on a given day or week. But if you leave your calendar wide open, you may find a deluge of meeting invites redirecting your focus away from immediate priorities.
That’s why blocking time for yourself in your shared calendar is critical to maintaining the right balance in how you spend your time.
This is about actively architecting your day to optimize your own output instead of passively responding to a myriad ofother tidal forces that can drain your effectiveness.
Make Yourself Available Too
But if the nature of your job requires ongoing collaboration, then you also need to make yourself sufficiently available for these other meetings. Blocking off too much time can isolate you and frustrate others.
As in many other parts of life, this comes down to finding the right balance. So, it’s important to leave enough availability on your calendar for your colleagues to utilize.
How much time should you leave open? Well, only you can determine that. You’ll quickly discover if it’s not the right amount. Otherwise, you may find colleagues double booking your schedule.
Don’t Get Double Booked
If these double bookings conflict with your own ‘focus time,’ well, that’s easy enough to manage.
But what if they conflict with other important meetings? Well, of course you can’t attend two meetings simultaneously.
So now, you’ve got to figure out how to repair your schedule.
Pro Scheduling Tips
Here are a few more scheduling tips to help optimize your work calendar.
Choose the Best Times for Your Own Meetings All time slots throughout a day are not created equal. If you’ve got your own meetings to schedule, it’s important to pick the times that work best for you. (Everyone has a sense when they’re most effective during the day.)
Avoid Scheduling Meetings at the End of the Day If you can help it, try not to take that very last slot. Sure, it might be the only time that everyone has open. But no one will appreciate this. I recommend you wait a day to find a better option. Everyone will be in better spirits, and that alone can drive a meeting’s success.
Don’t Miss Lunch! If you’re not careful, you can easily find yourself without time to grab a bite to eat. So scheduling time for your own lunch is critical. There’s nothing worse than a mid-afternoon meeting on an empty stomach.
Playing Both Defense and Offense
Yes, you’ve got to protect your calendar for your own priorities. But if work is a team sport, you’ll always want to actively engage with others and satisfy group requirements. So, your success also flows through all those other meetings.
When you reduce friction in your schedule, then you can focus on doing your best work.Said another way, the more you can successfully manage the ‘when,’ the easier it will be to accomplish the ‘what.’
