Photo Friday: Maine

Rolling out of my bunk at the hiking hostel, I slipped into my clothes and padded out the door to the porch, barefoot.

I pulled on a pair of socks and grabbed my boots that sat by the front door. The sun was up, but below the ridge, giving that soft early morning light that allows for lovely fill light in the shadows. Soon it would rise above the crest of the treeline and surrounding mountains. I wanted to make images before the harsh light cast strong shadows on the river.

The Carrabasset is a tributary of the Kennebec, flowing off the flank of Sugarloaf Mountain, and down into Kingfield, Maine. I assumed I would cross it in my hike to Mount Abraham as well. Here in Maine, I was working towards my completion of the 67 Highest Peaks in New England.

The mosquitos were ferocious, and I did not want to stay out long to become breakfast for the hungry little bloodsuckers. Pointing the camera in several directions yielded good results. I later decided to run an algorithm on the processing software that mimicked an infrared image. It produced the most pleasing look.

I would have much preferred to shoot in true infrared, but my days of carrying a dedicated film camera and red filtered lens were past.

Infrared film is a tricky beast. What you’ll get after processing is unknown at the time of exposure. Perhaps that’s half the fun?