Horizon Lines: Maine

Most depictions of Maine portray a colorful coast with lighthouses, lobster boats, and islands. Often, the ocean itself is treated as a mere backdrop. This series of 50x70 silver gelatin prints were commissioned to flip this script by excluding or minimizing Maine’s conventional coastal cues in favor of its endless horizons. 

Horizons, by definition, broaden our perspectives. They draw our gaze up and out, rather than down and in. A single line in the distance, always present, suggesting new places to go beyond and within ourselves. This body of work seeks to remind us of the possibility for growth and calm that exists on the Maine horizon. 

A note on process:

The images in this collection are equal parts digital and analog. Each scene was captured with the world’s highest-resolution digital camera that uses artificial intelligence to condense the passage of time into a single frame. Through this cutting-edge process, the movement of waves, fog, currents, clouds, sea foam, and shifting sand leave their own signatures over hour-long exposures in ways the human eye can’t otherwise see. This digital file is then transferred to an 8x10 negative that one of the world’s few remaining master darkroom printers, Sergio Purtell used to create large-format Silver Gelatin prints. This traditional chemical process creates images with an inner glow and depth emanating from particles of silver reflecting light back to the viewer. Together, the old and the new accomplish something neither can on their own.

David McLain is a Maine-based photographer and filmmaker whose work explores big questions through intimate stories. He has shot 7 feature stories for National Geographic Magazine, photographed the NYT best-selling cookbook Blue Zones Kitchen, shot for major brands like Sony and Apple, and DP’d the feature documentary Bounce, which premiered at SXSW.

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