Maine Lighthouses
Maine is famous for several things, from lobster to quaint fishing villages, from blueberry-carpeted landscapes to dazzling fall color. But among its most famous features, one stands tallest: the iconic Maine lighthouses. For a week in June we'll embark on a road trip along this vaunted coastline, visiting and photographing lighthouses tall and small, some during the day, and some under the starry summer skies of New England.
Workshop Details
Maine Lighthouses
June 22-27, 2027 — Sold Out, Join Waitlist Below
This is a 6-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of June 22, and ends after a final night shoot on June 27.
$3,095. Register below.
Skill level
Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 7:1 ratio
Workshop Leaders
Add-On: Monhegan Island
June 28-30, 2027
This is a 2-night, 2-day add-on available only to attendees of the main workshop. Your adventure begins with a ferry ride on the afternoon of June 28 and ends with a ferry ride on the morning of June 30.
More information below.
$1,195 + applicable taxes.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 4:1 ratio
Registration
Hoping to get a spot? Sign up below for our no-fee waitlist.
| • Deposit of $600 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $2,145 is due on February 24, 2025. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is February 23, 2025. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, entrance fees, or transportation to or during the workshop. |
The Lighthouses of Maine Experience
Six days and 6 nights of exploring and photographing some of the most iconic lighthouses in the United States, along some of the most beautiful shoreline you’ll ever see. We’ll explore lighthouses along nearly the entire 228-mile coast, from the famed Nubble Light in the southwest of the state to West Quoddy Head Light at the easternmost point in the U.S.
We’ll start in Portland, where we’ll have easy access to half a dozen lighthouses, including Portland Head Light, one of the most photographed in the country. We’ll shoot in daylight hours, and definitely at night, covering several of the area lights along the shore and in Portland harbor.
Our next stop will be in the Mid-Coast region, where we’ll photograph Pemaquid Point Light, Marshall Point Light, two of the most photographed lighthouses in the country. And for good reason. Pemaquid—famous for its exposed, cascading layers of striated granite bedrock that stretch straight up from the ocean—is a landscape photographer’s dream for long-exposure wave action to one side, and the Milky Way to the other. Marshall Point is in a beautiful location, and is likely most famous as being the lighthouse that Forrest Gump visits on his cross-country run.
Finally we’ll head to the Downeast region, all the way out to Lubec and the most eastern point in the continental U.S., home to West Quoddy Head Light. Boldly dressed in its striking red-and-white candy stripes, this beacon guards towering red cliffs and high-latitude tides, providing a dramatic end-of-the-earth backdrop for both sunsets and Milky Way photography.
Along the way and in between, we’ll recharge in authentic working fishing villages, feast on fresh lobster straight from the harbor docks, and soak in mesmerizing vistas of salt-sprayed rock and mist-shrouded fir trees. Pack your tripod, dial in your low-light settings, and get ready for an unforgettable coastal voyage.
The Monhegan Island Add-On Experience
Optionally, after the main workshop ends, head out to Monhegan Island with us for a very special experience photographing the lighthouse and the village below.
Escape to a peaceful, dark-sky oasis 10 miles off the Maine coast for an unforgettable 2-night photography workshop on Monhegan Island. Surrounded by the cold and crisp Atlantic Ocean, this car-free haven invites you to explore rustic clapboard cottages, dramatic sea cliffs and the iconic Monhegan Island Light standing tall above the village.
Late June is the absolute peak of the Milky Way season in Maine. At this time of year, the galactic core rises early and stays above the horizon for the entire period of complete darkness.
With a late-rising moon offering little to no interference, clear skies will offer the opportunity to capture a brilliant, undisturbed arch of the Milky Way stretching over the water.
June on the island also brings the enchantment of thick coastal sea fog. This unique creative opportunity lends itself to leveling up light-painting techniques as ambient light cuts dramatically through misty atmospheric layers. Frame the glowing harbor fishing boats, light paint a shipwreck along the rocky shore and capture the fog-shrouded beacon of the island lighthouse.
During the day we’ll hike and scout locations using ND filters to craft daytime long exposures of moving clouds and water against this rugged landscape.
Monhegan is a place that we enjoy going back to over and over again. It’s hard to stay away for long. This add-on experience offers a rare chance to unplug, experiment with mood and weather, and transform Maine’s dark, misty summer nights into compelling visual stories.
Note: This optional add-on is available only to workshop attendees. You’ll get a link to purchase a ticket after registering for the main workshop.
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to knowledgeable photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals. We will be happy to offer advice and answer questions about both day and night photography, but the focus of the formal education will be on lighthouse photography techniques.
What You Will Learn
We hope to push you to step outside your comfort zone—to test the limits of what you and your camera can do.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
balancing the exposure of a bright lighthouse lantern in a dark environment
timing a lighthouse flash with an exposure
compositional concerns with lighthouses and seascapes
controlling perspective distortion in the field and in post-processing
using a shift lens to avoid perspective distortion in lighthouses
creating a “beam” effect—in-camera and in post
star trails with a lighthouse
and more …
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
This workshop is a road trip of the Maine coast, and as such it will start and end in different places. It will begin in the city of Portland and end in the town of Lubec.
It is your choice whether to fly to and from Portland and drive back at the end, or to fly to and from Bangor (which is about the mid-point of the trip) and drive to and from the end points, or to book a multicity flight.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Nearby Airports:
Portland (PWM) — 4 hours from Lubec
Bangor (BGR) — 2 hours from Portland, 2 hours from Lubec
Rental Car
You will need a rental car.
There is no need for four-wheel-drive.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
Lodging & Food
We will stay at three hotels during the trip, one each in Portland, Rockland and Lubec.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Lodging
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each day.
Info and group codes will be sent when our lodging partners are ready to take reservations.
If you are interested in sharing a room, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
Maine has amazing food, particularly seafood. Portland and Rockland have more restaurant options than Lubec, but the latter has enough to keep us culinarily satisfied for 2 days.
We encourage eating two meals per day—a good breakfast and a great late lunch.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 70s F, and nighttime lows in the 50s. We can’t promise, but we’ll hope for some fog and drizzle on a few nights. It makes for awesome lighthouse photos.
Recommended Attire
Pants or shorts and long- or short-sleeve shirts for daytime, pants and long-sleeve shirts for night.
A sweatshirt and medium-weight jacket will likely be useful, and a base layer might not be a waste of packing space. Layers are good.
Bring rainwear.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around. There won’t be long hikes, but we will be on the coast, sometimes around rocks, so quality trail shoes or hiking boots would be optimal. Waterproof shoes are not a bad idea.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. There won’t be any long hikes, but we will be doing short hikes on unmaintained trails, and you should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs page for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
Drawn by Something …
“If you’re near the New England coast, then you’re not far from a lighthouse.”
Maybe I was a lighthouse keeper in a previous life. Some explanation has to exist. I’ve been hunting lighthouses with my lens for 30 years—with a passion and an excitement and a sense of fun that I’ve never truly explained or even comprehended.
Why do I love photographing lighthouses? Why do I just love visiting them, or seeing pictures and paintings of them? Maybe because I grew up in New England. We do have a few—if you’re near the New England coast, then you’re not far from a lighthouse. So perhaps they have just always been a part of my consciousness.
Or maybe it’s because I love looking at the ocean. I love rough coastlines, and tales of sailing, and the romance of living in a remote place, protecting the lives of strangers who travel the waves nearby.
I’ve enjoyed books about life as a lighthouse keeper, and shanties about life on the sea. I’ve enjoyed walking on the rocks at the ocean’s edge, feeling the stickiness of salt in the air, hearing waves smash onto the shore and gulls crying overhead. I like to watch the sun rise and set over the perfectly level liquid horizon, and see the fog roll from infinity toward the land. I love … all of it.
Steinbeck once wrote that if you grow up near the water, then you’re always drawn to it. Perhaps that’s me, always drawn back to the coast, led by a beacon deep in my mind.
