First Light | South End

First Light | South End

Although summer is on its way out – it continues to give us gorgeous mornings and beautiful weather. I made the most of it this weekend with a sunrise paddle, launching from New Castle and heading towards the South End, with the hopes of capturing great light and reflections at high tide. When I arrived under the Route 1B bridge this scene nearly knocked me out and I knew it was worth the early wake up.

Solitude

Solitude

I decided to get up for sunrise knowing that the fog would still be hanging around on Friday morning. Instead of heading to my usual spots, I decided to venture out to New Castle for some images of boats along the coast in the moody fog. After finding this beauty in the calm water, I knew the early wake up was worth it.

Nightfall Over Portsmouth

Nightfall Over Portsmouth

A beautifully serene evening over the Piscataqua River with Portsmouth in the distance and working waterfront of Kittery, Maine in the foreground.

Early Morning Light Over The Marina

Early Morning Light Over The Marina

The early morning light grazes the undersides of the clouds.  The spring sunrises and sunsets have been beautiful – all of the early and late date color helps to forget about the snow.

Wood Island Amidst The Sea Smoke

Wood Island Amidst The Sea Smoke

This winter has been remarkable in terms of the volume of snow and the intenseness of the cold.  One of the amazing sunrises I’ve ever seen was watched from Great Island Common – and while Whaleback Lighthouse and Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse are my favorite vistas – this image of the Wood Island Lifesaving Station brought a new almost mystical feeling to the structure that’s fallen into significant disrepair.  The color of the massive sea smoke is from the day’s first sunlight and gives the scene an awesome feel. You can almost make out the fishing boat beneath the bird that is heading out to sea.