"Such a beautiful golden sunlight against the blue sky of a late summer morning: my time in Portland was limited but I captured it in an instant to remember forever."
As someone who loves photography, it's also probably no surprise that I love to travel! And cruising is one of the best ways to see some of the best sights in the world in the limited time I have for travelling.
I was very excited to get back on a cruise ship after the long pandemic hiatus. My last trip was in 2019 to Cuba and it's fair to say that my photography skills (and camera equipment) has developed quite a bit since then. This time, I was heading for Canada and New England from the port of Cape Liberty in New York, for 9 days away from it all.
You get some unique views from a cruise ship. Usually, you'll arrive into a port early in the morning, ready to disembark on early-morning trips. As soon as my alarm goes off, I always go straight to my balcony to see what is going on outside.
On this particular morning, we were sailing into Portland in Maine. Just as I opened the curtains, I saw the incredible Portland Head lighthouse going past my window! That was lucky! I had to scramble to get my camera as soon as possible to try to get a shot while I could.
I just about managed it! It was important to get the shutter speed up high enough to capture this shot, with the movement of the ship as well. This was the only way to ensure the image would be sharp enough. At such a time in the morning, everything is quiet - all you hear are the sounds along the side of the ship of some other people admiring the view from their cabins.
Rarely am I out and about so early in the morning, so the chance to capture a sunrise in such a beautiful location was incredible! The clouds were perfect too on that day, as indeed they were for most of the trip. Such a beautiful golden sunlight against the blue sky of a late summer morning: my time in Portland was limited but I captured it in an instant to remember forever.
I later went to visit this lighthouse and managed to capture another photo, this time from the land. You may have seen the lighthouse in other photos and paintings, as it's a famous sight along the New England coastline.
This photo is of course now in my Sea, Beach and Dunes gallery, and I hope you enjoy it 😀😊