Best photos 2019

This spring I purchased a new-to-me Nikon 7300 and added a few lenses to my hobby kit. Clumsiness prevailed until I finally bonded with my new equipment. Part of our agreement was that if I provided decent light, a flawless subject matter, and a bit of finger-crossing for luck, I would be granted some palatable photography to accompany my stories. These are my top 5 photo memories from 2019. I welcome you to share your favourite photos from this past year. Just tag. Best Photos of 2019, or share your link below.

5. I creeped around the shoreline of Lake Mantane pushing back branches and side-stepping around rocks, looking for the right symmetry in the reflection. This shot was right out in the open on the roadside. I was scared to take a breath in case a ripple formed on the surface of this moody lake.

4. At least once a year I visit Hopewell rocks and walk on the ocean floor. When I compare this photo to photos I have taken in past years, I really notice the erosion happening at the base of the middle flower pot. If you have ever wanted to see this park, don’t wait much longer – collapse is inevitable.

3. “Follow me, I know the exact spot,” I said as I turned and walked up the road. My sister, niece and her friends followed me skeptically from the lower parking lot to the upper parking lot of Keltic Lodge in Ingonish, Cape Breton. I know this spot well. Just below the start of Middle Head Trail, you can look across to Cape Smokey. Just beyond the point is the ocean.

2. It is hard to resist closing your eyes, spreading your arms out, and absorbing the moment, while standing on the enormous rocks of Nova Scotia’s ocean coastline. Peggy’s Cove lighthouse is an Instagram favourite. Sunsets of blue, gray and yellow imprint on you.

1. I knocked on the door – no answer. I knocked again, louder this time. No answer. A third time I almost took the door off the hinges. No answer. With my ear pressed up against the door, I listed for sounds within the home. Nothing. A debate raged inside me: is it better to ask for forgiveness, or wait for permission? The back yard of this vacant cottage on Rue Mont-Joli, In Perce-QC, had the best vantage point in all the town. As bold as brass, I walked into the back garden, up to the high ground where there is a bald spot. From here I took many pictures. I imagined the owner as a painter, and he or she sets up their easel and paints the iconic rock daily. More likely, it is worn bare from trespassers like me.

Merry Christmas from Maritime Mac.