Dave Thompsen Photography

Author: dpthompsen

  • Tugboat Independence

    Tugboat Independence

    An artistic photograph of the tugboat Independence moored at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
    Tugboat Independence

    The tugboat Independence moored in the Cape Cod Canal. Buildings and the training ship of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy are seen in the background.

    The Independence was built in 2009 by the Derektor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It measures 127′ long and generates 5,400 horsepower from its twin sixteen-cylinder diesel engines. For safety, tugboats generally have two of everything.

    Approximately 15,000 vessels use the 7-mile long canal annually. It takes and hour and a half to transit, a much shorter journey than going around the tip of Cape Cod. The majority of the cargo is petroleum products like gasoline and fuel oil carried in long barges that are towed or pushed through the canal, with the assistance of a second tugboat to ensure safe passage.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. I also processed the image to remove the color in all parts of the image except for the tugboat and water, making it stand out more clearly among the dense array of shapes of the academy buildings and ship in the background. Prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Dinghy at Wentworth-Coolidge

    Dinghy at Wentworth-Coolidge

    A photograph of a dinghy moored in the shimmering waters off the historic Wentworth-Coolidge mansion property in Portsmouth, NH.
    Dinghy at Wentworth-Coolidge

    The Wentworth-Coolidge historic site is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on the shores of Little Harbor. This was the home of Benning Wentworth, the first royal governor of New Hampshire. The Coolidge family owned the property from 1886 to 1954, developing it as a summertime artist community. The Wentworth-Coolidge Commission continues this tradition of sponsoring arts and music events on the site, which includes a short walking trail and is open for house tours.

    I’ve taken many photographs of this site, but particularly like the image with the dinghy in the foreground, taken from the Heritage  cruise ship operated by Portsmouth Harbor Cruises.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses High-Dynamic Range (HDR) technique and an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Available from my Etsy shop.

  • Wood Island

    Wood Island

    A photograph of the old Wood Island life-saving station in Portsmouth Harbor, NH.
    Wood Island

    Wood Island lies in the channel of the Piscataqua River at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor in Kittery, Maine. This life-saving station, part of a network of facilities built along the east coast to assist sailors in distress (a precursor to the Coast Guard), was built in 1907. Seen here in 2012, the building shows signs of age. Now, the Wood Island Life Saving Station Association has restored the building and is in the process of creating a maritime museum there.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Prints are available from my Etsy shop.

  • First on the Beach

    First on the Beach

    A photograph of a solitary soul, umbrella at the ready, sitting on Hampton Beach (NH) as the sun rises on a summer day.
    First on the Beach

    First on the Beach captures a beach-goer who arrived to view the beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic, beach umbrella at the ready at Hampton Beach, a barrier beach along the New Hampshire coastline. It’s noted very clean waters and is very popular for swimming and boogie-boarding in the summer.

    The Hampton Beach Village District website lists the many concerts and events held on the beach in the summer, including nightly concerts, weekly fireworks displays, and annual sand sculpture competitions. Their live webcam gives you a glimpse of the activity on the beach.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses High-Dynamic Range (HDR) technique and an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Prints are available from my Etsy shop.

  • Safe Harbor in New Castle

    Safe Harbor in New Castle

    A photograph of a lobster boat moored in the harbor near New Castle, NH.
    Safe Harbor in New Castle

    A lobster boat is moored in the quiet waters of Portsmouth Harbor seen from Goat Island in New Castle, NH. There’s a kayak put-in on this small chunk of land that includes a couple of homes and the Kittery Point Yacht Club. The island provides footings for two bridges that connect Portsmouth with New Castle, a charming village of about one-thousand people. It is the only New Hampshire town situated entirely on an island. Several other islands can be seen in this section of the tidal Piscataqua River.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Boston Waterfront Skyline

    Boston Waterfront Skyline

    An artistic photograph of the Boston skyline taken from across the harbor.
    Boston Skyline

    This view of the Boston skyline was taken while I was on a Boston Harbor boat cruise. The distinctive arch of Rowe’s Wharf is prominent from this vantage point.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • White Lake at Dawn

    White Lake at Dawn

    A photograph of White Lake with Mount Chocorua rising above the early morning mist in Tamworth, NH.
    White Lake at Dawn

    White Lake is a small, picturesque lake near Tamworth, New Hampshire nestled at the southern edge of the White Mountains. It opens up dramatic views of Mount Chocorua and other peaks of the Sandwich Range, as can be seen in this image where early morning fog settles in the valley below the mountain.

    The lake was formed when Ice Age glaciers retreated, leaving a depression that filled with water. The shallow waters appear very clean against a light sandy bottom along most of the lake edge.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses High-Dynamic Range (HDR) technique and an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Available from my Etsy shop.

  • Portsmouth Harbor Light at Sunrise

    Portsmouth Harbor Light at Sunrise

    A photograph of the Portsmouth Lighthouse on the coast of New Hampshire.
    Portsmouth Harbor Light at Sunrise

    Taken during an early springtime morning in New Hampshire, this image of Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse shows the trees just starting to leaf out in the background. Although the vantage point is Great Island Common in New Castle a half-mile away, a telephoto lens in concert with a tight image crop pulls in the houses across the harbor in Kittery, Maine.

    This is the only lighthouse along the New Hampshire seacoast located on the mainland. The original wooden lighthouse was established in 1771, and replaced in 1878 by the current 48-foot cast-iron, brick-lined tower. It is still an active navigational aid outfitted with a fourth order Fresnel lens made of green acrylic, visible for 12 miles.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance.

    The photograph was inspired by the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse postage stamp (Scott #4792), part of the New England Lighthouses series issued in 2013.

    Image of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse USPS postage stamp
    Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse USPS postage stamp
  • Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    A photograph of the Minuteman Statue at North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts.
    Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    This iconic statue in Concord, Massachusetts was sculpted by Daniel Chester French in 1875. It commemorates the Minute Men, colonists who organized during the Revolutionary War to form trained militia groups in anticipation of battle against Great Britain. These men were often farmers as indicated by the plowshare in the statue. Typically deployed as sharpshooters and skirmishers, they prepared their equipment such that they could quickly be ready to fight, hence the term Minute Men.

    The statue is located next to North Bridge which spans the Concord River. Rebuilt several times, the current bridge replica was completed in 1956. This was the site of the first day of battle in the American War of Independence, where Americans fired upon the advancing British troops, killing three of them.

    At the North Bridge location in the summer, one often sees volunteers dressed in Colonial period attire, role-playing to educate visitors about life during that era. The National Park Service operates a visitor center a short walk up the hill from the bridge, and features a short video on the battle and exhibits that include “The Hancock”, a brass cannon that was smuggled out of Boston in 1775 and was subsequently confiscated by General Gage of the British Army.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Prints are available from my Pixels shop.

    The composition was inspired by The Minute Man stamp (Scott #619) issued in 1925 which depicts the statue as well as tablets inscribed with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1836 Concord Hymn poem.

    Signature Aviation requisitioned this image for their terminal lobby at Bedford L.G. Hanscom Field in Massachusetts.

  • Gundalow Piscataqua

    Gundalow Piscataqua

    A photograph of the Gundalow boat sailing in Portsmouth Harbor, NH.
    Gundalow Piscataqua

    Gundalows were cargo boats unique to New Hampshire and Maine waters. They were used to transport goods along the estuaries and harbors of the region, particularly in tidal areas. Propulsion was a combination of drifting with the tides and using their single lateen sail, which could be quickly lowered to pass under bridges. The Gundalow Company in Portsmouth New Hampshire operates educational cruises aboard the newly constructed replica, Piscataqua, named after the river flowing through Portsmouth Harbor.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.