More than two dozen participants got up early for the 6 a.m. departure aboard the Balmy Days for the Sunrise Lighthouse Photography cruise on Saturday, Sept. 14. Some were repeat attendees while for many others this was a new experience. A handful of folks traveled a distance from points South and West of Maine just to join this cruise - including Ohio, North Carolina and Virginia.

Everyone aboard were treated to some stunning sights of the local lighthouses including, Burnt Island, Ram Island, the Cuckolds and Pemaquid Light. Everyone aboard got to see and make better than postcard pictures of the area lighthouses in the very best morning light. Seeing the sunrise over Ocean Point from the cruise was an added bonus. A couple of lobster boats nicely added to the scenes captured at Ram Island and at the Cuckolds light too. But the real star of the show was Pemaquid light seen from the ocean. The newly restored oil house in front of the lighthouse, that had been a victim of the past January storms, made for a memorable image to be made of shoreline at the Pemaquid lighthouse.

Whether you only had a cell phone camera or a more sophisticated DSLR camera, the ability to come away with some memorable images was an easy feat on this photography cruise. Unlike a Harbor Cruise, having assistance available to answer photo questions and to help line up shots is an attraction on a photography cruise.  

Some folks aboard were also participating in the Down East Photography Retreat that was also hosted by Mike Leonard and they continued on to make more pictures of the region. Those folks also received personalized Photoshop training as well as a couple of slide lectures - one that included how to capture images at night. Boothbay Harbor is a wonderful location for making pictures at night.

Leonard will be offering a program titled “After Dark” that talks about making pictures after the sun sets and before it rises at the Southport Memorial Library on Oct. 3 - more details will be coming about that program.