Acadia National Park
Rocks and Bass Harbor Headlight
The Bass Harbor Lighthouse is exceptionally beautiful, and it was not a surprise that on the evening I went down to the rocks at its base, tourists were everywhere. Photographers flocked together on a high cliff - a popular vantage point on the location. I followed a mindless impulse and joined them. A few minutes later I realized that I do not want to have the same photograph as everybody else and not happy with what I see on the screen of my camera. I retreated to the trail I came from, and stopped there, contemplating my feelings.
I was looking at people crawling on rocks, and photographers on the cliff, and suddenly realized that nobody is taking pictures from where I stand! From this spot, people see the lantern of the lighthouse and, in a desire to see more, rush down to the open space. And all the photographers fall into the same trap and miss an intriguing scene. I broke up the tripod and set the camera for a tight vertical composition. The frame was perfect: beautifully highlighted rocks in the foreground, lush green vegetation that hides the lighthouse and the red glow, coming from the lantern, luring people to come closed and take a better look. Nothing was distracting the eye. There were just Rocks and Bass Harbor Headlight.
Sunrise over Schoodic Head
Acadia is a particularly busy park, but there is a way to escape crowds and have a moment of solitude. Although for that, one needs to wake up well before the sunrise. Fortunately, this schedule is a common attribute of my photographic expeditions, and this was especially helpful that summer morning on the rocks near the Monument Cove. I found a few compositions and was about to move to another location when suddenly saw this scene. A pool of water with a clump of seagrass and rocks, illuminated with a golden light, attracted my attention. The final touch was the background: while barely visible in the glowing morning fog, Schoodic Head, the highest point on the Schoodic Peninsula, was perfectly aligned with the rising sun.
Dreamy Light of Acadia
Fog is an often feature of Acadia, especially in the morning. It is not always a thick, white nothing, but rather a semi-transparent veil, that diffuses the light and softens shadows. The scene could be very magical under these conditions, and I was lucky to have my camera ready when this happened. I even do not mind that fishing boat that appeared from behind the rocks in the distance. I think it adds a bit more balance to the composition and gives a sense of scale and dimension.
Jordan Pond House
It was still early morning when I reached the summit of the South Bubble Mountain and sat on rocks, studying the landscape that unfolded in front of me. The air was saturated with water vapor and was glowing in the low sun, creating white, translucent haze, that emphasized the depth of the scenery. The lake and the shoreline were clearly visible. But everything beyond the Jordan Pond House grew more and more elusive, with the Great Duck Island being barely visible at the horizon.
Old Soaker and Rising Sun
Some images do not need planning. They reveal themselves if you are in the right place, at the right time. That morning I was walking on rocks along the Atlantic Ocean in search of my morning composition. In Acadia, a task like that is not difficult, and soon after I was setting up my camera. My second camera was hanging on my shoulder with a telephoto lens attached, and I was not sure what made me take it on that walk. A soon as the sun rose above the horizon, I realized the purpose. A little island - the Old Soaker - was perfectly silhouetted against the bright ripples in the water and balanced by glowing clouds in the sky. I sat on rocks and handheld the composition that I love so much now.
View on the Monument Cove
Sometimes, when I think that my work on a collection of photographs from a given adventure is over, an image, that I almost discarded, pops on my screen in a new light. This view on Monument Cove is one of these cases. I clearly remember the moment and the soft light, diffused by the thin fog, scattered over the ocean. But the final image did not appeal to me at first. My overloaded senses were too busy working through other photographs from the trip, and I was not able to fully appreciate the qualities of this image. Today, when the time has passed, I'm enjoying looking at this scene and re-live the moment of quietness, captured on this photograph.
Bar Harbor and Margarett Todd
One of the most famous vessels in Bar Harbor is the Margaret Todd. You can book a seat on its deck and enjoy a tour around Frenchman Bay or observe this schooner maneuvering in the morning light from the top of the Cadillac Mountain.