Capture
Everyday moments in Maine documented by those who live in and love our state.
In this image, my daughter and her friends are about to jump into the water from a dock on Isle au Haut. Every summer we are lucky enough to spend several weeks on this tiny, quiet island. It is the perfect place for friends to visit, and the kids are now old enough to ride the mailboat from Stonington on their own and meet us at the dock. By now all our guests know to wear their bathing suits under their clothes, so that when they step off the ferry they can pull off their clothes to jump into the water just as the ferry heads off for its next stop.
Last summer, not only did we jump off the dock to greet and bid farewell to each ferry, new habits developed, too. We began to jump in at each sunset, as this photo illustrates, and at each low tide to get the maximum drop, which must be over 20 feet. We would take any other excuse to race down the boardwalk and jump into the Atlantic. With a rotating gang of kids in the house, these idyllic days of pure summer play stretched out endlessly in front of us. Taking pictures every summer on this island with my kids has been the highlight of this last handful of years. The island is a beautiful backdrop for any photos, but the chance for uninterrupted outdoor play and tranquility provide endless moments for me to capture.