Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park was the first national park as part of my national parks project. Back in July of 2016, I spent 4 days in this park as part of a multi-week camping trip throughout the Northeast. It was an excellent time to visit, not only because of the beautiful summer conditions, but also because it was the parks centennial!

I was also super early in my photography journey, and made a few memorable shots but not enough to do it justice. So I always knew I had to come back to showcase the beauty of the park, and there was no better season for it than fall. The nesting falcons have gone for the season, opening up a few of the trails I had really wanted to do on my previous summer trip (for example, The Beehive). The fall foliage was at about 50%; Acadia deceptively doesn’t hit peak foliage until Mid-October, unknown to me at the time of my booking.

Before arriving at the park in my 2022 trip, I had several ideas that I wanted to capture in the park. I wanted to capture a sense of calm and peace to illustrate the small-town feeling of Maine. I wanted to capture the wildlife interacting with the landscape and preparing for winter. I wanted to capture the dramatic coastline and how it interacted with the blue green waters of the Atlantic. And most of all, the leaves transitioning from summer to fall.

This is a park that is not only worth re-shooting, but is worth shooting again and again. I know I’ll be back.