Acadia National Park Photos

I posted photos from my August vacation in Maine on my photography website notmydayjobphotography.com. Most of my photography these days is dance related, so it was nice to get out and do some landscape work.

Such photography requires early morning wakeup calls, around 4 am at that time of year to catch the sunrise. Although I hate rolling out of bed at that hour on vacation (who doesn’t?), the rewards are great: a spiritual uplifting experience from the privilege of seeing the first glimpse of the sun. The sun’s nascent warm rays represent the new day, the greatest gift in life’s journey with all of the potential and challenges that face us.

I usually get to my destination while it is still dark, scoping out the location by anticipating various camera angles. While waiting for the sun to come up, The Beatle’s song (written by George Harrison) Here Comes the Sun goes through my mind as I eagerly await the show that Mother Nature will put on. “Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say, It’s all right, Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.”

Our family spent a few days in Acadia National Park in northern coastal Maine near Bar Harbor. With nearly 50,000 acres, the photography opportunities are endless with numerous breathtaking views. I caught a great sunrise one morning on the Great Head Trail near Sand Beach. The view of the ocean, beach, and trees was majestic as the sun peaked through the patchy cloud formation, creating a nice orange glow. I used my Canon 7d mark II with a Canon 17-55mm lens on a tripod, 100 ISO using f8 or f13 settings, with multiple over/under exposures.

The previous morning, I tried to set up on Cadillac Mountain, the most popular spot at Acadia National Park. The top of Cadillac Mountain is jammed in the early morning hours as many want to catch the first sunrise in the U.S. (however, this is true only in the fall and winter when the sun rises south of due east). I forgot how early the sun rises in late July and arrived around 5 am to a full parking lot. Scrambling to find something to shoot, I drove down the mountain to the other side, less popular with available parking. I ended up using a wide perspective, capturing the vast fog bank with some trees peaking through as the sun rose.

We spent the rest of our time in Boothbay Harbor (population 2,300), a popular tourist destination located on the central coast of Maine. Boothbay is filled with quaint places; my favorites include Down East Ice Cream Factory, Brown’s Warf Restaurant, Fudge Factory, and Thursday evening band concerts on the library lawn. In short, a perfect New England summer vacation destination. In the main Harbor, I shot handheld from a kayak with a small mirrorless Sony A6000. I love the portability of the A6000, so light I sometimes forget it is around my neck. On my kayak, I came across an interesting fishing boat and chatted with the owner, Nathaniel. He fishes on the boat year round and recounted some harrowing experiences on the boat during storms. Tough work. Think of Nathaniel and the hardworking fishermen the next time you munch on a Haddock or Striped Bass.