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.
A timelapse video has been my method to capture the grandness of a summer sunrise. But without a few properly positioned clouds to glide through the shot, the footage can look flat. Consider using a camera drone instead to provide the dynamic motion you’re looking for. Here are my examples.
A sunrise timelapse video can be amazing. But unless you’re running your timelapse for a couple hours, the sun doesn’t move enough to make a big impact in your shot. (Plus, after 30 minutes, it’s not really a sunrise anymore.) So, our star is only half of the equation to generate a beautiful timelapse.
Clouds are the other half. They’re often moving a bit faster, and when sped up by a timelapse, their motion is far more dramatic. Plus, clouds can help provide the deep, reflective coloring distinctive of any great sunrise.
Sure, clouds are technically the supporting players for this opening act, but they can steal the show when they’re in sync with their star.
Conversely, without properly positioned clouds in your shot, a sunrise timelapse can look… boring.
In Search of the Perfect Timelapse of a Summer Sunrise For the past few years, I’ve been vacationing in southern Maine by the stunning mud flats in Cape Porpoise. And I’ve woken up at the crack of dawn each morning with the hope of capturing a ‘perfect’ sunrise timelapse.
I use my little DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera, which is a great tool for timelapses. You just set it up on a tripod, program the timelapse sequence, and then it does all the work. It can even add a little panning motion.
But the odds of success each morning have not been in my favor.
Stormy Sky Surprisingly, a stormy cloud mass can make for an interesting sunrise timelapse. But then it’s more about the cloud dance. The sunrise becomes a background player, if you can still see it. This happened during my Sunday timelapse this year.
Barren Sky My Monday timelapse captured a mostly barren sky and a tiny ball of fire. I felt the few wispy clouds just weren’t enough to fill my digital canvas.
Perfect Sky As I’ve described, the perfect recipe for a spectacular sunrise timelapse is a good balance of clouds moving about (but not in front of) the rising sun. That finally happened on Thursday.
Anyone will always be at the mercy of the weather. So, if I’m able to capture one great cloud-fused sunrise during a vacation, I feel lucky.
Camera Drone in the Sky Timelapses add motion through time acceleration. But as I’ve mentioned you need a few clouds to accelerate. If you could add motion to your shot without having to rely on clouds, that could be a better way to get the job done.
I discovered that a drone beach shot rushing towards the sunrise can be a game changer. It’s not a timelapse, but the drone’s motion through the landscape instantly creates a cinematic video.
No, the clouds don’t move (if there are any), but it doesn’t matter. The dynamic motion zipping across the mud flats blows away any cloud. My camera drone has instantly taken my multi-year sunrise video project to a whole new level. Look at the visual energy it created for my Friday sunrise.
