A Portrait of Maine

The beauty of Maine is such that you can't really see it clearly while you live there. But now that I've moved away, with each return it all becomes almost hallucinatory: the dark blue water, the rocky coast with occasional flashes of white sand, the jasper stone beaches along the coast, the fire and fir forests somehow vivid in their stillness.  — Alexander Chee

Remove the lens caps from your eyes, pick up your camera, fully engage your senses, and join Reid Callanan this fall on the spectacular coast of Maine to discover a true sense of place through a creative photographic adventure.

Sebasco, Small Point, and Popham Beach are home base for the week, and the coast from Harpswell to Boothbay Harbor is our playground during this five-day workshop. Explore the backroads, sand beaches, fishing villages, waterways, revitalized small cities, along with the jewels and gems that Reid has uncovered since he first set eyes on this coastal region of Maine as a teenager. Join him and use the power of photography to reveal truths about a place—about Maine.

Photographing the coast’s unique landscape, light and color, architecture, history and culture, its people, and spontaneous moments all combine to create a unique portrait of Maine. Photographers at intermediate-level technical ability (iPhone users too) are welcome; for we are all—in some form—reaching for a higher level of seeing the world. To do so, we need to transcend our equipment and return to a childlike sense of wonder and observe the world around us with clarity and excitement.

Our days together are filled from first light to star-filled evenings. Classroom sessions include presentations on the important building blocks of image-making by looking at the icons and little-known photographers from the history of the medium, daily photographic assignments, image reviews, and group discussions. Making new images of coastal Maine to better understand and appreciate “place” fills the rest of our time together.

Our home for the week is the gracious and spacious Sebasco Harbor Resort. Only one hour north from Portland’s Jetport, Sebasco offers breathtaking ocean views on 550 acres. We enjoy all the resort has to offer including newly renovated accommodations, two waterside restaurants, a comfortable classroom, an Olympic-sized saltwater pool, and maybe even a visit to their Fairwinds Spa. Rick Berk, a photographer and resident of nearby Bath, is in charge of logistics and provides technical support for all cameras, lenses, and software concerns.

Join Reid and benefit from his long history in Maine for a colorful autumn week traveling and photographing along the storied coastline.