Waiting For The Light

Every year, I anticipate the special light of August here in Maine.  The shadows lengthen and seem to deepen.  I begin to see familiar scenes I hadn't noticed before because of the way the shadows fall on and around them.  For instance, this scene is one I see every day when I go to the East Boothbay Post Office to pick up my mail.  But the day I went to Popham Beach, I saw it in the early morning light with the shadows falling on the white houses.  I quickly snapped a photo before my long drive south.

I've said it before and often:  Sunlight is best defined by the darks.  Be bold in the first wash.  Don't be fooled by the white of the paper into thinking it will be too dark;  you can always go darker in the next washes.