At long last I have returned to continue my adventures on Mount Desert Island. It seems that regular life keeps getting in my way, and I get side tracked and distracted all day long. By the time the evening arrives, I’m bleary eyed and ready to just rest to prepare for a new day.

Shortly after my return from Maine, I got overwhelmed with horses and house guests, and now that the dust has settled I can revisit some of my favorite and peaceful spots along the water on Mount Desert Island.

As a photographer, when we get our first DLSR or automatic camera, it’s such a joy to have instant gratification and the ability to take countless images. I recall for several years after my first Canon DSLR purchase, I’d go out for a photo walkabout and come home with hundreds of images. And no…this doesn’t count my birding and wildlife outings. Ending up with way too many images with little impact.

As the years pass, I am beginning to feel Father Time’s breath on my back. I’m starting to feel more and more that I’m running out of time and there is so much that I want to do…and so little time.

So what is a photographer to do?

I was working with two private students last week and I began the discussion about intentional photography. This is different than “Telling a Story” in an image, which we should all strive for. Intentional photography is when one plans projects and outings with a purpose in mind as to where they are going, and what they plan on doing when they get there. This idea is even more helpful when traveling so that you come home with a well-rounded portfolio of your destination.

When reviewing what I had photographed during my holiday in Maine, I realized that I had plenty of landscape, adventure type images. But looking over what I had taken, I realized that there were gaps in my work. There weren’t any close up maritime type images, very little working boats and marina type images and lastly no seascapes.

With this clarity, I was able to head out with a purpose and intention in mind. So for this outing I planned on clean compositions and strong images with things like lobster traps and other maritime objects.

So while I returned with not hundreds of images, the selection I had were of good caliber and contained compositions that were thought through before capture.

The next time you plan on heading out try some preparation and think about where you are going and what opportunities may present themselves for your Intentional Photography.