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.
Failure can often lead to success. After I crashed my camera drone, I was crushed. Happily, my drone was not. Then, I discovered a flying trick that every novice should consider. Here’s how it enhanced my aerial footage.
I finally bought a camera drone to start this new hobby I’ve long wanted to try. Then, I got to work studying how to fly it. I trusted my DJI Flip’s intelligent flying modes to protect my investment against disaster, because I didn’t have enough faith in my novice piloting skills. I was worried about crashing my little drone.
But my Flip survived its impact with that tree. So, I wiped the egg off my face and was determined to learn how to properly fly my little drone.
I continued slowly, and my patience finally paid off when I discovered a key aerial storytelling trick.
Fly Slow and Smooth Generating cinematic videos with a drone is all about flying it ‘slow’ and ‘smooth.’ All those establishing shots you can think of from movies… yes, slow and smooth.
And if you’re looking to create more motion in your drone footage, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fly faster. Instead, just fly your drone lower. Moving over a landscape close to the ground produces more movement than from higher up.
Happily, these flying strategies are relatively easy to accomplish. And just as importantly, they don’t put your drone at significant risk.
So, as I explored flying my drone manually, I intentionally followed the slow/smooth rule and practiced simplistic flying routines.
Up. Down. Forward. Back. Sideways.
The most aggressive maneuver I attempted was elevating my drone as it simultaneously moved forward.
Embrace your Inner Rookie How fast can my drone go? I have no idea. I haven’t tried to find out. Could I always see my drone as I flew it? 100%.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
And as I flew in the dullest of ways, that’s when my adrenaline levels finally began to stabilize, and the tension melted away.
And guess what? I decided I’m just not going to fly my drone over water. I’m not going to fly it over a mountain ridge. I’m not going to fly between two objects and try to thread a needle. I’m never going to worry if my drone has enough battery power to make it back.
I’m just not going to push it. This isn’t a sport for me. It’s a new hobby with an expensive piece of gear I’d like to keep in one piece.
Barrett’s Drone Footage from the Mud Flats of Cape Porpoise, Maine Even with my self-imposed training wheels in place, my conservative flying style still enabled my DJI Flip to capture the incredible beauty of our world with motion. Often, just getting your drone in the air to is enough to recording stunning clips.
And that’s exactly what I did… I think I captured some nifty footage during my training flights on the mud flats of Cape Porpoise, Maine.
Here’s a video compilation of my manual maneuvering along with a few auto QuickShots (courtesy of the drone’s built-in code).
(Yes, my flying style was boring, but my shots were not.)
How to Quickly Edit your Drone Clips I put this edit together using a couple tools:
The DJI Fly mobile app for basic video editing and music
Final Cut Pro for precision edits and speed ramping
I should mention that you can quickly perform a punchy edit just using the DJI Fly app on your phone. There’s even a 1-click editing solution. It’s not perfect, but you can generate and share a dynamic video with your phone in just a couple minutes. Impressive. Most impressive.
When Less is More A little drone can go a long way. I mean that both literally and figuratively.
You don’t have to fly your camera drone like it’s capturing a stunt shot for “Mission Impossible.” I say… keep it all entirely ‘possible.’
And while many pros out there may yawn at my stubbornness to avoid all risk, I’m entirely pleased with my creative results to date.
Others may like showing off their camera drone crashes to the world, I hope to never do that again.
