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Tag: New England

August 2, 2026

Seven Lighthouses in New England

You never know when you might encounter the perfect photo opportunity by a lighthouse. So why not be ready to record a little video clip as well? I’ve been fortunate to capture video b-roll of seven magnificent New England beacons across my travels, and here’s my little video tribute to them.

A few weeks after a wonderful experience capturing my drone footage of Goat Island Lighthouse in Cape Porpoise, Maine, I recognized my interest in this beautiful beacon wasn’t an isolated pursuit. In fact, this creative exercise was part of a larger visual exploration I’ve been organically pursuing for the past four years.

My travels have placed me near other New England lighthouses, and I’ve been drawn to them as well, recording b-roll video clips with the camera gear I carried at the time.

My Video Tribute to New England Lighthouses

I planned to use my DJI Flip drone for my Goat Island Lighthouse project, but my tiny DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera has been an indispensable tool for more spontaneous lighthouse spotting opportunities (such as during harbor cruises with my family).

So, I decided to review my lighthouse b-roll I’ve ‘randomly’ collected across the years, and then I edited together a few of these clips under a music track I created using Google Flow Music. 

Now, the pattern is suddenly much clearer to me: I love shooting videos of lighthouses!

Here’s my salute to seven of them…

From Connecticut and Rhode Island up to Maine

If you should be interested in checking out some of these lighthouses for yourself, here are their names and locations:
(listed in the order first seen)

  • Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Portland, Maine
  • Goat Island Lighthouse, Cape Porpoise, Maine
  • Peck Ledge Lighthouse, Norwalk, Connecticut
  • Sheffield Island Lighthouse, Norwalk Connecticut
  • Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine
  • Rose Island Lighthouse, Newport, Rhode Island
  • Ram Island Ledge Light, Portland, Maine

A Guiding Light

The destination for any creative process is often unknown. But the path that leads me to capture the powerful beauty of lighthouses appears well lit.

Yes, I will continue on this journey…

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April 6, 2025

Raindrops Shouldn’t Make You Miss Spring’s First Colors 

If you don’t mind getting caught in a rain shower, now’s the perfect time to snap some photos of early-spring flowers. Here’s what I saw.

Spring is always a magical time as nature’s colorful energies reemerge. But early spring in New England can be a cold and rainy period. This year in Connecticut is no different.

You can tell that the real spring surge is still at least a week away. But there are plenty signs that the big bloom is already underway. Early spring flowers have their date with destiny. As far as they’re concerned, it’s show time!  Lots of rain? No problem.

But that’s not an enticing set up for a photographer to take the camara out for a walk in the neighborhood. That said, you’d be surprised with what you might see. Just don’t forget to wear your raincoat.

That’s exactly what I did, and here’s what I spotted shining through the dreary weather…

Get Close… Really Close
I like to position my camera up close to the spring colors.
(It’s never about zooming in on a flower. You’ve got to really press your lens in.)
Yellow spring bud in ConnecticutCherry Tree Blossoms
Look for Daffodils
They’re among the first flowers to show up and always great to practice on.
Daffodil in Barrett's backyardDaffodil in Barrett's backyard close upTo be fair, the sun did peak out to illuminate this moment.

Find the Raindrops
If the opportunity presents itself, I always enjoy composing my shots to include a raindrop or two.
Purple flower bud after spring rainRaindrops on purple flower budWater droplet on red leaf

Use your Narrow Depth of Field
I used my old Panasonic Lumix LX-10 in manual focus mode to help me narrow the focus and play with some blur. That’s fun, but also challenging, because flowers don’t exist on a flat plain. So, you need to choose your focus point carefully.
Yellow flower after spring rainPurple flower bud after spring rainForsythia after spring rain

Join the Celebration
There’s nothing wrong with waiting a bit longer until spring is in full force to snap your photos. But I feel these moments of emergence are particularly special and shouldn’t be missed.

It’s been a long winter. Now’s the time to soak in some early color.

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