imagine Camden

Had the Penobscot Abenaki Indians had their way, Megunticook would have been the name for Camden, a town in Maine. But now with its English and less tongue-twisting name, Camden still stands out. It does not look commonplace and generic at all. Its history of economic prosperity provided Camden with a swath of picturesque 19th century houses, storefronts and churches amidst perched hills, pine woodlands, mineral rivers and jagged coast.


a river cascades into the public port
Canon EOS 350D, 15s, f/14, 18mm, ISO 100



the Chestnut Street Baptist Church of Camden
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1.3s, f/10, 18mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV


Some seventeen summers ago, a good friend invited me on a boat trip in Camden and since then, irrevocably, I have an affection to its scenic coast. Over the years, complaints have been widespread that the old-fashioned quaint village has been transformed into a commercial haven serving the vacationers and its public landing more like a marina for the moneyed jetsetters for their yachts, schooners and boats.


Canon PowerShot S40, 1/500s, f/2.8, 7.1 mm



the street leading to the public landing
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 10s, f/22, 18mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV


Notwithstanding the changes, Camden should still capture anyone’s imagination. My favorite place remains the public landing. Fronted by a dense network of public storehouses, bookshops, restaurants and boutique galleries, the marina is a treat to the eyes. Food is no slouch either and I’ve tried more than my share of its seafood restaurants and a local pub and they were no disappointment. For the photographer in you, there is even a wide stream that bisects the cape and pouring fresh potable water directly into the pier.


a river cascade at the public landing
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 25s, f/11,18mm, ISO 100




6AM sunrise at the marina
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/40s, f/5.6, 7.1mm, +2/3 EV


Whatever time you visit, whether it is twilight, noon or even early dawn as I often did, Camden is not bereft of postcard possibilities. Rife is more like it.


dawn at the public landing
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/30s, f/5.6, 7.1mm




boats rocking silently at dusk (winter)
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 30s, f/4.5, 18mm, ISO 100, +2/3 EV



twilight in the marina (summer)
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/500s, f/2.8, 7.1mm, +2/3EV

Rockland- wintry wonderland in Maine

Blame it on the movies, or Irvin Berlin’s song, but the season of Christmas bespeaks of images of white snowy scenes. At this time of the year, imagine this winter wonderland to be Rockland.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 25s, f/22, 47mm, ISO 100, +1.0EV


Nuzzled deep in mid-coast of Maine, Rockland sits in Penobscot Bay, one of the most scenic bodies of water in the Eastern seaboard of the United States. The county boasts of scenes that seem to leap straight out of a picturebook, with numerous 19th century wooden houses, quaint museums, inns and churches. More like a big movie set, it reminds me a lot of the hit TV series Murder, She Wrote. In my first visit in the summer of 1991, I was almost expecting Angela Lansbury to bike her way around the streets.


Rockland sunset from the Tradewinds Motor Inn
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/125s, f/3.5, 10.3mm


In the late 19th century, Rockland was a leading port for the export of lime rock. It still shows remnants of its industrial past: numerous limestone quarries and kilns, boat builders and shipyards, a hauntingly beautiful if not spooky lighthouse that sits at the end of ¾ mile-long granite breakwater, numerous boat landings and monumentally large marine relics everywhere. It also has homesteads, farms and plenty of museums.


an antique giant anchor near the public wharf
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/320s, f/3.5, 7.1mm, 2/3 EV



a giant bell/buoy in the same park
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/3.5, 7.1mm


Thanks to its lace-like coast, Rockland is accessible to scores of islands and a dozen of historic lighthouses. It is reputed to be home of the largest windjammer fleet in the US and is a self-proclaimed lobster capital of the country.


at the public landing, Rockland, mid-coast Maine, the US, 4:33 PM, after sunset
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 13s, f/5, 35mm, ISO 100, -1/3 EV


Today, its charm is not lost to the tourists whose number seems to grow each year. Like most other places in scenic mid-coast Maine, the city has undergone not so subtle changes. Touted as a new England idyll, Rockland, with barely 10,000 people living within its limits, is overrun by visitors every summer.


scene near the Rockland breakwater
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 15s, f/10, 22mm, ISO 100


In winter though, it is a different story. Being way up north, by December, the sun sinks early and it becomes dark before 4PM. Temperatures would already be near zero Celsius in the morning and would dip below freezing at night. Snow comes ahead too, before most part of Eastern US.


the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/250s, f/5.6, 7.1mm


By Christmas, Rockland would be white. Like clockwork, Rockland always manages to slide back to its rustic backwater self, slow and silent.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1.3s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100

10 tips in Aerial Photography, part 1

I am enamored by aerial photography. The patterns one can see from above are different and mostly are left unknown to the ordinary viewer on the ground. The earth from above takes on a whole new form. No wonder a lot of people attribute to flying as a spiritual experience.

Being a frequent flyer, I always try to get that window seat that provides the best view of the earth down below. But getting that right spot in the plane, away from the obstructing wing, is easier said than done. Luck plays a great deal in getting that enviable seat. Over the years of flying, I’ve learned some tricks of the trade which I am sharing here.

1. Study the flight direction against the map. Is the direction going northeast or directly west? If you’re a sunrise and sunset hound, determine which side of the plane faces west or east. What are the most likely attractions that one can pass? Short of asking the pilot, the actual flight path can only be acquired by experience so if you would take the same flight sometime in the future, check out now what the sights are below.

2. Be conscious of the flying time and the direction of the light. Sometimes, I purposely would sit where the sun is at the other side to get strong backlights against bodies of water. Check the weather too of your port of embarkation and the place of destination. Aerial photography is impossible in bad weather.

3. Be early in the airport. If it is possible to book a seat before the actual flight do so. International carriers allow you to choose a seat online although some of the good seats are often blocked. I have not tried this with domestic Philippines airlines which don't offer this service yet.

4. If you cannot get a window seat at the front, a section often reserved for the business class, settle for a seat at the back. The view of middle seats are blocked by the wing and the engine.

5. Keep a wet tissue. I find it useful in cleaning the windows (yeah, people stare at me).

to be continued

Here are a few samples of my aerial photographs.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/400s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 200
Laguna de Bay (?), Luzon, the Philippines



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100, -2/3EV
rice (?) fields at Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, July 31, 2008



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 200
ponds near Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, November 8, 2007



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
ponds in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, September 13, 2006



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1500s, f/8, 55mm, ISO 100
salt farms in Madura, East Java, Indonesia, September 13, 2006



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/800s, f/9, 55mm, ISO 100
river tributaries in West Madagascar, East Africa, November 16, 2005



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 200
Biddeford Pool, Portland, Maine, the US, December 18, 2006



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/5.6, 25mm, ISO 100, -1/3EV
an unknown development project near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/6.3, 55mm, ISO 100
Tango Island, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines, March 27, 2006



Canon EOS 350D, 1/1000s, f/6.3, 51mm, ISO 100
an islet near Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Sulu archipelago, the Philippines



Canon EOS 350D, 1/200s, f/11, 47mm, ISO 100
sanddunes north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa



Canon EOS 350D, 1/200s, f/11, 47mm, ISO 100
sanddunes north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa


For other aerial photos, check out My Islands of Sulu