A Maine Wharf

A seagull biding his time on Maine Wharf (not to be confused with the Maine State Pier next door)

And here is a copy of the August 2012 First Friday Art Walk map, featuring my listing:

Spend

Clever marketing at the Shanghai Tokyo Restaurant on Congress Street. If you are curious, the rest of the sign said something like "spend $50 and get a $10 gift card" or something similar to that.

Umbrella Weather

An umbrella taking a break in front of the Public Library.

A man checking out the new Fallen Firefighters Memorial next to the Central Station.

Wet brick on Middle Street.

Parkside Question

Question mark on the corner of State Street and Grant Street.

Factory

These photos were taken back in May and are of an old factory on Read Street. Although the building seems to be partially occupied, it's in rough shape and therefore quite photogenic. I can't help but to wonder what it it looks like inside and what the view from the roof is like.

Reader Photos: July 2012

Time for some reader submitted photos! These images were sent in via the Portland Daily Photo Flickr Group or by email. Thanks to all the contributors for sharing their unique views of the city.

Portland Fire Engine Co., by Kate Clark. [FMI - www.portlandfiretours.com]

Night Back Cove by Barbara Carter

Fort Gorges by gborn207. 

Ice & Fire by Zach Beane.

Portland Observatory Panorama by TimothyPatrickMcMahon.

Lobster Time by Jill Cournoyer.

The Inn on Peaks Island by origamidon.

Now Arriving: Portland, ME

A jet coming in for a landing at PWM. Taken from Veterans Bridge.

Derail

A section of railroad tracks near the Veterans Bridge.

Speaking of the bridge, here's how the old one looked this past weekend. I wonder if any of this will be recycled or if it just goes off to a landfill somewhere?

Before & After: Union Station

Portland's Union Station is the subject of this "before & after" post. This beautiful train station, made even more attractive based on what currently stands in its place, was built in 1888 and demolished in 1964. A positive outcome of this was the creation of Greater Portland Landmarks, which:

"...Promotes preservation and revitalization of historic buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes and encourages high-quality new architecture to enhance the livability and economic vitality of Portland and surrounding communities"

Before photo via the Library of Congress website. 

The Shack

One of the fishing shacks on South Portland's Willard Beach. An alternate shot from this post.

Western Cemetery

These photos are from Portland's second oldest cemetery, Western Cemetery. According to the Pubic Works website, this burying ground was created in the 1700's and is 12 acres in size. It's no longer active but is a "significant element of the Western Promenade open space."

A good resting place.

A row of old tombstones.

First Friday - August 2012

I have been kindly invited by the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization to put my photos up for the First Friday Art Walk on August 3, 2012 at their Hill House. Come check out some of my "greatest hits" in person on the First Friday or throughout the month of August when the building is open. As a digital photographer I rarely see my photos in printed form, so it's been a fun experience seeing them in this new way.

Neighbors

Close quarters on Maple Street.

Rainbow over the Hill

These photos are from last night's rainbow/thunderstorm/sunset from the corner of St. Lawrence and Monument Streets on Munjoy Hill. The colors in the sky were pretty interesting for a few minutes! 

Veterans Bridge - Night

A nighttime view of the new Veterans Memorial Bridge from the Portland side. I appreciate the aesthetics of the lighting. Makes me wonder what the Casco Bay Bridge would look like with some lights like this. 

Behind the Photos - July 2012

I think it would be appropriate to occasionally post about my photo gear, given the subject matter of this blog. Here is a photo of ironically low quality, taken with my laptop's webcam, of the gear that creates the photos on this site:

In the front is the Nikon D90, and the lenses from left to right are: Nikon 50mm f/1.8D, Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G, Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G,  and a Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6EX. None of these pieces of equipment are really top-of-the-line, but they cover everything that most hobbyists such as myself could want or need. Prior to purchasing this used D90 body last spring, I used a Nikon D50 for about five years. The lens I use the most is the 50mm, which is one of the cheapest Nikon lenses but also one of the best when measured by quality vs. dollars spent. The Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens, my newest lens, also gets a lot of use for photographing street scenes and buildings. I think in the next installment of "Behind the Photos" I will go into more detail about one of my lenses or perhaps on my post-processing techniques.

This post is also a good place to share some of the places where my photography has been spotted. Between selling photos, letting people or companies use them for free, or discovering that business or websites are using my photography without credit or compensation, you might have seen one or two of my photos in random places. Here are a few recent examples (the photos in these examples were sold or used with my permission unless otherwise noted):

On the back inside cover of the 2012-13 Portland Buy Local Guide in an ad for Casco Bay Eyecare, Portland's leader in eyecare and eyewear since 1998. 

I have had many photos on the Gr8PortlandME website (there's another one of mine up now) and on their Facebook page. 

Occupy Maine photo on The Maddow Blog on MSNBC.com. This was not authorized, but I would have let them use the photo if my watermark wasn't cut off and the photo was credited. 

I spotted this one randomly at a convenience store.  Since this appears to be a poster for a small non-profit organization, I would have provided a full resolution copy of the image for free.

I occasionally get photos on the front page of The Consumerist, a subsidiary of Consumer Reports, because I load my photos in their Flickr photo pool. 

Okay, that's all for now. I will have a few more screenshots of my work to share next month and in the meantime feel free to send me a heads up if you spot one of my photographs somewhere random.

Moon Over MECA

The moon rising over Maine College of Art, looking down Casco Street. 

Exile on Congress Street

Looking West on Congress Street. The building on the right is the  Winslow Lofts building. 

Woodman Building

Last month I posted a photo of this building (named the Woodman Building, 1867) hiding behind some telephone wires. Here is a view of the building without any obstructions in the foreground, made possible by using a wide angle lens. 

Little City

A view of the sky and the central Portland skyline. This was taken shortly before these shots of the supermoon.

Horton Place

Looking down Horton Place, a timeless little dead end road off of Dow Street in the West End. 

Old Port Skyline

A summertime view of the Old Port and beyond from across the harbor. 

The Whole World

Public art on the corner of Commercial and Franklin Streets. [Anyone remember the name of this sculpture?]

Under Veterans Bridge

I'm not sure when construction crews will start tearing down the old Veterans Memorial Bridge, so I've been busy getting some photos of it from various angles before the opportunity is gone. These photos are from underneath the bridge on the Portland side. The best way to get down here is via the railroad tracks that cross Cassidy Point Drive. Be mindful that the tracks are still in use and that the Amtrak Downeaster tracks run under the bridge also.