#TravelTuesday Jordan Pond

One of the things I like about our national parks is that they make visiting easy. This view of Jordan Pond is a short walk down a rocky path about 100 yards from a parking lot. It’s a wonderful vista showing the North and South Bubble Mountains in the distance. Being an easy trek, waiting for a photo opportunity can be lengthy and fraught with challenges. While I knelt at the edge of the shoreline for half an hour, peering through my camera, scores of people wandered through the area. I realize that the world doesn’t revolve around me, and by now I have learned a modicum of paitience, but all I needed was about 30 seconds of uninterrupted sight across the lake. A few people felt it would be great to walk out on the rocks and see what they could see from there. One family actually had their two toddlers join them on their quest. I was splashed at and had rocks thrown at me from children whose parents barely chided them if they even noticed at all. Oh well, I digress. Technically the pond is really a “tarn”, which is a mountain lake or pool formed in an area excavated by a glacier. During the last ice age the Wisconsin Ice Sheet dug through Acadia to form this 150 foot deep basin. The water for the nearby town of Seal Harbor is supplied from Jordan Pond so no humans or pets are allowed in the water (yet evidently they are allowed to torture photographers).

Nikon D800 Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm f/14 ISO 100 5 image HDR

Who Needs Blue Skies?

As wonderful as it is to wander outside, soaking in the Sun’s rays, basking in it’s warm glow, often this is not the best time to photograph the landscape. Drama in the sky above gives depth and detail to what is often a field of endless blue. During our trip to Acadia we were fortunate to have some weather roll in as we toured around Mount Desert Island. The rocks had been bathed in a soft mist earlier in the morning and sprinkles would occasionally patter on our raincoats, reminding us to take extra care with our footsteps. Looking out over the Atlantic, with the heavens churning, presented an amazing view of nature’s palette. We paused at inviting locations and composed images of the coming storm for an exciting half hour when the drizzle became more intense. This picture was my favorite from the fleeting moments spent on the rocks beside an intensifying ocean.

Nikon D800 Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm f/13 ISO 100 5 image HDR

#TravelTuesday Sand Beach Acadia National Park

At first I thought it was redundant, Sand Beach, but then I realized that this beach is the only waterfront in Acadia that is sandy. Tiny shells and ocean pounded rocks make up this soft beach. Sand is unique to this area of Mount Desert Island which lures many tourists. If you want to spend time digging your toes in the shoreline or create castles from the terrain of Acadia, you have to visit Sand Beach. Access to the ocean is easy but be prepared. Even at the height of Summer the temperature barely reaches 55 degrees.

The first morning we were there the sky was thick with clouds. Sprinkles would occasionally splatter our faces but the low lying precipitation gave me a nice opportunity to do a little long exposure work. I combined a few different images, one long exposure and one fast to give a dreamy yet defined look to this picture, and then converted the piece to black and white.

I also liked the look of the soft green seaweed draped over the rounded rocks being washed by the incoming tide.  So I clicked away trying to capture a moment in the life of a million year old shoreline.

 

The view of the beach from the Loop Road of the park shows its placement being nestled away in the recesses of Newport Cove.


Nikon D800 and various lenses  

Preview

For a photographer Autumn brings the promise of color and variation in the landscape. A few weeks ago, while visiting Acadia, I was able to glimpse a sneak peek at the approaching excitement. White trunks and dark shadows give excellent contrast to the vibrant greens, yellows, and oranges of the leaves in the picture below. Maine, being North of us here in Pennsylvania, goes through the passage to Fall before us, but our trip was still a bit premature to see the upcoming season. It was only by luck I noticed this grove, and my excitement for the approaching season blossomed. I’m ready for Autumn.

Nikon D800 Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 @ 200mm f/9 ISO 100 1/100 sec

An Overactive Imagination

What do I see in the picture below? I see a forest of trees across a marshy wetland. The trees are green and happy, dappled in sunlight. Life is grand for the distant trees. The sky's the limit for them. They breathe the fresh air. They frolic in the late Summer winds. I want to visit their playground of wonder, where nature thrives.

Then I notice the other trees, the ones at the edge of the marsh, the dead ones. Warning bells chime in my head about what toll a journey across the sprawl of grasses would take. Did those barren trees venture out too far? Is the water deadly? Is the goo under the surface strong enough to grip my legs and render me immobile? Are the winds fierce enough to peel the skin from my bones before I could reach the other side? I hesitate, gripped in the fear of unknown possibilities.

Maybe I’m watching the slow migration of the quagmire into the forest. The plants and habitat of the bog may be stealing the life giving energy away from the receding woodlands. Maybe it’s the weak trees that are being usurped by the mire as the strong trees rush away from me. Maybe...maybe...maybe I think too much.

Have a great weekend.

Nikon D800 Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 30mm f/9 ISO 100 5 image HDR