Overview
Join Maine photographers John K. Putnam and Benjamin Williamson from July 28 – August 2 for an epic photo workshop featuring three of Maine’s most significant icons… Acadia National Park, the Atlantic puffin, and lobster! We’ll kick off our workshop with a lobster bake at John’s home in Southwest Harbor where we’ll have a chance to meet and mingle. We’ll spend the next day and a half exploring Acadia National Park where we’ll bring you to some of our favorite spots around the park. Between outings, we will be in the classroom listening to lectures, editing, and sharing images. On the afternoon of the 30th, we will drive to Lubec, Maine, which will be our home base for the next three nights. The following three mornings we will depart from Cutler Harbor to the Atlantic puffin nesting colony of Machias Seal Island, maximizing your chance to fill your memory card full of close-up shots of puffins! In between these excursions, we will visit several locations along the spectacular coastal landscape of Maine’s Bold Coast, including Quoddy Head State Park where we will have the chance to photograph dramatic cliffs as well as the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. This workshop is open to 12 attendees and includes three instructors.
Basic Schedule
Day 1: Afternoon Lobster bake and meet and greet in Southwest Harbor.
Day 2: Sunrise field trip to Acadia. Break. Lecture, slide show, and editing. Sunset field trip to Acadia.
Day 3: Sunrise field trip to Acadia. Check out of Bar Harbor accommodations. Editing and slideshow. Drive to Lubec. Check-in at the Eastland Motel. Dinner. Sunset field trip.
Day 4: AM departure for puffin tour. Afternoon break. Dinner. Sunset field trip.*
Day 5: AM departure for puffin tour. Afternoon break. Dinner. Sunset field trip.*
Day 6: AM departure for puffin tour. Say our goodbyes.*
*If the timing works out and the conditions look favorable, sunrise field trips while in Lubec might be an option.
This workshop requires a good amount of physical mobility. Though we will never be taking long, strenuous hikes, we will be walking distances up to a mile or more. The footing in Acadia is often uneven, rocky, and root-covered. Roads can get us only so far and flat paths are rare… and we will leave both. Aside from Acadia, the landing at Machias Seal Island requires a certain amount of agility, read more about this below.
About the Puffin Tour
Machias Seal Island is the only place accessible from the U.S. where the public can photograph Atlantic puffins from land, and Bold Coast Charter Co. is the only U.S. tour authorized to make landings on the island. The birds are viewed from hides and are often only a few feet away. Large, telephoto lenses are not necessary. I use a 100-400mm lens which I find to be perfect. All that said, landings on the island are not guaranteed. Neither are departures to the island. Bold Coast Charter Co. has been running this tour for many years and they put the safety of their passengers above all else. If a landing is not possible the boat will instead cruise the shores of the island where we’ll have the chance to photograph puffins swimming in the water and flying through the air. We may also have a chance to photograph harbor seals and gray seals resting on the rocks.
Getting onto the island from the boat can be an adventure all in itself, from Bold Coast Charter Co:
Island landings involve participants transferring from the tour vessel into a large outboard-powered skiff which is navigated to a designated landing area on the rocky shoreline. Depending on the sea conditions, there is a possibility of wet feet, although most days we manage to keep everyone completely dry. While assistance is provided at every stage of the landing, conditions are slippery, and a degree of physical mobility and surefootedness is required.
I encourage you to read the Bold Coast Charter Co. FAQ page which can be found HERE -but please direct any questions you may have regarding the tour to J.K. Putnam Photography.
*Bold Coast Charter Co. does not offer refunds for non-landings, therefore, J.K. Putnam Photography cannot either. You will be fully refunded the cost of the Bold Coast Charter tour ($250 per day) in the event of the Bold Coast Charter Co. tour being canceled.
What to Bring
Photo Equipment:
As far as camera equipment goes, a Digital SLR or mirrorless camera is your best option. My favorite lenses are my 14-35, 24-105, and 100-400 but we will make anything work… though a telephoto lens is recommended for photographing the birds. You will need a laptop with editing software installed (my preferred software is Adobe Lightroom which is what I will be using for any editing demonstrations).
- DSLR or mirrorless camera
- Wide-angle and telephoto lens
- A sturdy tripod and head
- Rain cover for your camera
- Camera backpack. A backpack is necessary for the Machias Seal Island landing… you must be hands-free. If you sign up for this workshop you will receive 15% off your next f-stop purchase at fstopgear.com!
- A laptop with editing software installed
Clothing and Other Gear:
The most recommended piece of gear is a pair of sturdy shoes. Many of our locations will be uneven and rocky, so hiking shoes are very helpful. I also recommend layering your clothing. The temps we will be working in will change, starting cool in the mornings and warming up throughout the day, and then dropping again at night. You will want warm clothing for windy days and for the boat ride out to Machias Seal Island. Other suggested items are found below.
- Insect and tick-repellant
- Sunscreen
- Rain Gear
- Headlamp
Price: $2995
Register NowJoin our mailing list to be the first to know when registration for future workshops opens! SIGN UP HERE
Included in the price are the lobster bake, three instructors, classroom space, snacks and drinks in the classroom, motel accommodations in Lubec, three puffin tours, and bagels and bagged lunches on days 4, 5, and 6.
Attendees are responsible for:
- Personal Accommodations during the Acadia portion of the workshop (nights of July 28 & 29).
- All Meals (other than the meet and greet dinner and bagels and bagged lunches in Lubec)
- Your Own Transportation (we will carpool if we can)
- Park Entry Fees
We suggest booking accommodations in Bar Harbor ASAP. We have arranged for a reduced rate with Stay Bar Harbor, all of their properties are within walking distance of our classroom space. Contact Brandon Monroe at 207-266-9136 and tell him you’re with J.K. Putnam Photography. Accommodations In Lubec at the Eastland Motel will be made for you and are included in the price of the workshop.
Acadia park passes can be purchased in person at the following locations:
- Hulls Cove Visitor Center
- Sand Beach Entrance Station
- Bar Harbor Village Green
- Thompson Island Information Center
- Blackwoods Campground
- Schoodic Woods Campground
- Seawall Campground
You can also purchase a pass online HERE.
A $500 non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking to hold your spot, the full payment is due 60 days ahead of the workshop start date.
Cancelations:
Cancelations made 60 days in advance will receive a full refund for any amount paid over the non-refundable deposit. Cancelations less than 60 days before the start of the workshop will receive no refund. If a canceled spot can be filled before the start date of the workshop a full refund will be given, including the deposit.