Fall Foliage 2018 Acadia National Park Day 3
28th November 2018
Fall Foliage in Acadia National Park 2018 Part 3
I had learned my lessons from Day 2. I spent time the previous day scouting a sunrise location for Day 3. I looked at my map for a spot where I could get the sun on the right side of the frame and the peninsula on the left like I wanted the day before. I found a spot I hadn’t seen any image for online, so it was unique to my mind. I showed up in the dark before sunrise. I did everything right this time, but nature didn’t cooperate. Sunrise was just a completely blank sky with no clouds, so no epic light…. That is the way landscape photography goes.
I liked this granite cliff in the pre-sunrise blue hour light at the start of this post though!
Sunrise:
I kept the shutter speed relatively fast at the expense of a higher ISO so the ocean would retain texture and not be smoothed.
As the light intensified and heated my lens, it was totally fogged up and useless. Many of the shots I was hoping for were ruined by this fog.
Since it was sunny, I wasn’t too optimistic for making good photos during the harsh daylight. Still, I took a hike up the Bubbles to check out the foliage. It was nice to see the sun after many previous straight days of rain and gloom:
View from North Bubble Mountain:
Early morning sun in the birch forest:
After church, I headed towards the very popular Sand Beach area to hike the Beehive, Bowl, and Champlain Mountain.
It was so crowded, that I had to park (legally) in the right lane of the road about .4 miles away from the trailhead. Initially I was overwhelmed by the crowds. But it got me thinking, why do I crave solitude? What’s so great about isolating oneself? Though crowded, I could see the majority of tourists were making memories and spending time with their families in this beautiful location (ok, some never looked up from their smartphones the entire time so maybe not so much….). Wasn’t this a higher purpose for outdoor recreation than my self-limited pursuits? I began to miss my family. But artistically I wanted to find a way to capture the essence of how families could use time together in an inspiring outdoor setting to build those beautiful eternal bonds of love.
When I noticed families climbing down a jaggedly symmetrical line of cliffs jutting into the sea I got the idea for this next shot. I saw a father with a child in a baby backpack head down with his other kids. They were walking haphazardly on the way down and the concept formed in my mind too late for me to make the image I was visualizing. But I realized that they had to come back up eventually. I lined up my foreground cliffs and stood to include some of the peninsula in the distance. I had chosen to come to this area after the sun would be at my back, so I had good sidelight even though it was early afternoon. It all came together in this instant:
I felt good that I was progressing to the realm of “photography as seeing” with this shot. It communicated what I wanted to say about the value of families spending time in nature. The image depicts a father leading his family confidently over the jagged path of life with joy and wonder, something I hope to accomplish myself.
The hike up the Beehive was very crowded, but not too bad once I got to alpine pond known as the Bowl, and then very few people on the backside of Mt. Champlain.
Sand Beach and the Great Head peninsula as viewed from ledges on the summit of the Beehive:
Colorful west view from the Beehive summit:
The Bowl in Acadia National Park and the southern flanks of Champlain Mountain:
Looking at the Bowl from the other side, with the Atlantic Ocean behind, from the ridge of Champlain Mountain:
Interesting grooves in the granite atop Champlain Mountain, the evidence of glaciers:
I decided to check out a few spots for late afternoon/sunset light.
Jordan Pond just before sunset:
Sunset:
That concluded my Acadia trip. My long drive home was dark, moose less, and thankfully occupied by a good radio broadcast of the Patriots and Chiefs. I am thankful for this trip!
I had learned my lessons from Day 2. I spent time the previous day scouting a sunrise location for Day 3. I looked at my map for a spot where I could get the sun on the right side of the frame and the peninsula on the left like I wanted the day before. I found a spot I hadn’t seen any image for online, so it was unique to my mind. I showed up in the dark before sunrise. I did everything right this time, but nature didn’t cooperate. Sunrise was just a completely blank sky with no clouds, so no epic light…. That is the way landscape photography goes.
I liked this granite cliff in the pre-sunrise blue hour light at the start of this post though!
Sunrise:
I kept the shutter speed relatively fast at the expense of a higher ISO so the ocean would retain texture and not be smoothed.
As the light intensified and heated my lens, it was totally fogged up and useless. Many of the shots I was hoping for were ruined by this fog.
Since it was sunny, I wasn’t too optimistic for making good photos during the harsh daylight. Still, I took a hike up the Bubbles to check out the foliage. It was nice to see the sun after many previous straight days of rain and gloom:
View from North Bubble Mountain:
Early morning sun in the birch forest:
After church, I headed towards the very popular Sand Beach area to hike the Beehive, Bowl, and Champlain Mountain.
It was so crowded, that I had to park (legally) in the right lane of the road about .4 miles away from the trailhead. Initially I was overwhelmed by the crowds. But it got me thinking, why do I crave solitude? What’s so great about isolating oneself? Though crowded, I could see the majority of tourists were making memories and spending time with their families in this beautiful location (ok, some never looked up from their smartphones the entire time so maybe not so much….). Wasn’t this a higher purpose for outdoor recreation than my self-limited pursuits? I began to miss my family. But artistically I wanted to find a way to capture the essence of how families could use time together in an inspiring outdoor setting to build those beautiful eternal bonds of love.
When I noticed families climbing down a jaggedly symmetrical line of cliffs jutting into the sea I got the idea for this next shot. I saw a father with a child in a baby backpack head down with his other kids. They were walking haphazardly on the way down and the concept formed in my mind too late for me to make the image I was visualizing. But I realized that they had to come back up eventually. I lined up my foreground cliffs and stood to include some of the peninsula in the distance. I had chosen to come to this area after the sun would be at my back, so I had good sidelight even though it was early afternoon. It all came together in this instant:
I felt good that I was progressing to the realm of “photography as seeing” with this shot. It communicated what I wanted to say about the value of families spending time in nature. The image depicts a father leading his family confidently over the jagged path of life with joy and wonder, something I hope to accomplish myself.
The hike up the Beehive was very crowded, but not too bad once I got to alpine pond known as the Bowl, and then very few people on the backside of Mt. Champlain.
Sand Beach and the Great Head peninsula as viewed from ledges on the summit of the Beehive:
Colorful west view from the Beehive summit:
The Bowl in Acadia National Park and the southern flanks of Champlain Mountain:
Looking at the Bowl from the other side, with the Atlantic Ocean behind, from the ridge of Champlain Mountain:
Interesting grooves in the granite atop Champlain Mountain, the evidence of glaciers:
I decided to check out a few spots for late afternoon/sunset light.
Jordan Pond just before sunset:
Sunset:
That concluded my Acadia trip. My long drive home was dark, moose less, and thankfully occupied by a good radio broadcast of the Patriots and Chiefs. I am thankful for this trip!
Comments
By Cheryl: Loved the blog on your trip to Acadia - the colors were beautiful!