Classic schooners proudly display their American flags as they lie moored in the calm waters and early morning mist of Rockland Harbor in Maine.
Schooners, popular in the 18th to early 20th centuries for their speed, are sailboats having two or more masts with the foremast shorter than the mainmast.
A framed print of this image is on display at the Dover Art Center gallery in Dover, NH during the month of August 2025.
The Curtis Island lighthouse stands guard over Camden harbor in Maine, with vibrant summer greenery in the background and deep blue ocean waters in the foreground.
The brick tower, just 25 feet high, was built in 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is accompanied by a wood frame keeper’s house, a small brick oil house, and a toolshed.
The five acre Curtis Island helps protect Camden from the rough seas of Penobscot Bay, part of the Gulf of Maine, a large area of the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia.
A framed print of this image is on display at the Seacoast Artist Association gallery in Exeter, NH during the month of August 2025.
A sailboat approaches the drawbridge at Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine. This small peninsula shelters a small harbor and includes art galleries and gift shops. It is located at the end of the Marginal Way, a spectacular footpath along the Atlantic Ocean.
This image uses High-Dynamic Range (HDR) technique and an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance.
I was hiking on a short path (the Farley trail) at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm when this vista unfolded. This is the Little River, a short tidal inlet formed from the Merriland River and Branch Brook in Wells Maine. The meander of the river reaches out to the Atlantic Ocean (technically the Gulf of Maine here) and it’s bankful state at high tide nicely reflects the clouds that floated by on this summer day.
I used bracketed exposures processed with High Dynamic Range (HDR) software to add luminosity to the scene.
The reserve is part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, a collaborative program designed to protect these vital natural resources.
Also nearby is the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, providing additional views of the extensive salt marshes in this area.
Portland Head Light overlooks Casco Bay at Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Surrounded by beautiful grounds of Fort Williams Park, it is often the site of weddings and attracts lighthouse-lovers, sightseers, and harbor cruise boats. First lit in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. It stands 101 feet tall and its fourth order Fresnel lens has a range of 24 nautical miles. I captured this image while on a cruise of Casco Bay out of Portland.
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.
Blue skies and sunshine liven the scene this early morning at Popham Beach in Phippsburg Maine. Beach roses (Rosa Rugosa) are a hardy flowering shrub that tolerates salt spray, so can often be seen along stretches of coastline.
Fox Island, the nearest hill, is connected to the beach at low tide but becomes a proper island at high tide. Seguin Island can be seen further offshore – its lighthouse was built in 1857 and is now on the National Registry of Historic Places.
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.
Dave Thompsen Photography 