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Trip Report: Acadia National Park - October 2023
Trip Report: Acadia National Park - October 2023
by Grant Ordelheide
Acadia National Park is home to one of our country’s great landscapes. This relatively small park is packed with a variety of geologic features and unique vistas. It was the first National Park east of the Mississippi and the only park in the northeast. From the tallest mountain on the Atlantic coastline to the rugged beaches and glacial carved valleys, Acadia provides so many opportunities for great photography. Every October, this park comes alive with fall color and turns into a landscape photographer’s paradise. I met two groups of excited photographers eager to make some memorable images for Backcountry Journey’s inaugural Acadia workshops.
One thing that is really cool about Acadia is the variety of its landscapes. The coast is mostly made of rocky granite beaches that make really unique and interesting foregrounds. The inland parts of the island have big, long glacially carved valleys filled with freshwater lakes and colorful forests. The mountains of the park tie them all together. Spending time up high on the summits is the best way to get huge expansive views of the whole park. Our trips were aimed at photographing all three zones and maximizing the photographic potential.
Acadia National Park preserves about half of Mount Desert Island as well as the Shoodic Peninsula and Isle au Haut and portions of a few other smaller islands. We would spend our time in the heart of the park exploring all the sections of Mount Desert Island. When we arrived in the park, we quickly got to work photographing large breaking waves along the eastern coastline. We worked our way around the park loop road always stopping for particularly colorful sections of forest. We got off the beaten path and shot babbling brooks beneath orange and red leaves. We worked some big wide-angle images as well as smaller intimate scenes. It wasn’t even lunch on the first day and we had already made a pretty good-sized dent in our memory cards!
For our first sunset we shot North Bubble and South Bubble mountains from Jordan Pond. This view is a classic Acadia vista. So much so that it is on the cover of the park map the rangers hand out. Both of our groups had nice sunsets here working the compositions well into dusk. After a delicious dinner in the bustling town of Bar Harbor, we headed off to bed to get ready for our early morning the next day.
Cadillac Mountain is the highest peak on the Atlantic coast sitting at 1,530 feet above sea level. Because of its height and eastern position every October 7th through March 6th, it is the first place in the country you can see the sunrise. In addition to being the first place to get light, it offers tremendous views down on Frenchman Bay and the islands surrounding Bar Harbor. Due to its popularity, advanced vehicle reservations are now required to go to the summit. Thankfully we had our tickets ready to go and were at the entrance station bright (dark) and early. When we arrived we were a little surprised at just how many people were up there for sunrise. Most of the crowd were not photographers, just people wanting to catch the first light in the USA. We found some nice compositions and worked around the people and all of our guests were able to create some nice images. Usually, I try to stay away from crowds when I am shooting, but there is something cool about a collective group of people all taking in the sunrise together.
As the trip went on we alternated between great food and great shooting. As one does when visiting Maine, there was a lot of lobster and blueberries consumed and a few guests wondered out loud whether the food or the photography was the best part of the trip! We always eat well on Backcountry Journey trips, but this one in particular set a high culinary bar.
Our groups spent time photographing other beautiful locations in the park such as the Bass Harbor Light and the Jessup Trail boardwalk. We enjoyed them both very much making many nice images. As nice as it is to shoot the icons, we also made an effort to shoot lesser “known” photos and find our own creative voice in the park. We focused on intimate and abstract scenes, working the composition for the sake of design, spacing, and light. The many lakes in Acadia provided the perfect canvas for these types of images. Shots like these are always challenging to make, but oftentimes end up being my favorite image of the trip.
We wrapped up our last couple sunrises shooting on the coast. To me, this is the heart and soul of Acadia. The granite coastline marries the iconic look of Acadia with lots of unique opportunities for compositions. We were able to shoot the famous boulders and Otter Cliffs as well as some lesser-known spots with nice fall color accents in the forest. We had clouds, sun, and rain yet there always seemed to be good pictures to take out there.
Acadia is one of those parks I would recommend to anyone who is interested in landscape photography. While it may not have the in-your-face icons that Yosemite or Grand Canyon do, it is beautiful in its own right and forces you to stretch your creative muscles. For those willing to look, there are so many different things to shoot here. There are few places in this country where you can get such a kaleidoscope of colors near a rocky coastline like you can in Acadia. Thank you to all our guests who came on this trip and made it so memorable. I cannot wait until the next BCJ adventure!
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AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Grant Ordelheide is a Montana-based outdoor and adventure photographer. Growing up in the Colorado Rockies, in a family that explored and played in the outdoors at every opportunity, instilled in him a profound reverence for the landscape. Grant’s love of nature and wild places preceded his love of photography, which emerged as a natural extension and by-product of his adventures in the mountains as an avid backpacker, climber, and snowboarder.
Following his passion, Grant earned a Bachelor’s degree in photography with an emphasis in business from Pacific Union College in California’s Napa Valley. In 2016, Grant was a recipient of the Art Wolfe Next Generation Photographer Grant organized by Luminous Landscape. His work has won numerous awards, including one of the top honors in the U.S. Landscape Photographer of the Year contest. His photos have been published in National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker, Outside, Climbing, The New York Times, The Yosemite Journal, and many other print and online publications. Grant’s fine art prints hang in gallery, corporate, and private collections across the country.
For several years, Grant has shared his eye, expertise, and contagious passion for photographing the outdoors, teaching photography workshops throughout the country. Grant currently resides in Columbia Falls, Montana with his wife Alexis. His work can be viewed at grantordelheide.com
Following his passion, Grant earned a Bachelor’s degree in photography with an emphasis in business from Pacific Union College in California’s Napa Valley. In 2016, Grant was a recipient of the Art Wolfe Next Generation Photographer Grant organized by Luminous Landscape. His work has won numerous awards, including one of the top honors in the U.S. Landscape Photographer of the Year contest. His photos have been published in National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker, Outside, Climbing, The New York Times, The Yosemite Journal, and many other print and online publications. Grant’s fine art prints hang in gallery, corporate, and private collections across the country.
For several years, Grant has shared his eye, expertise, and contagious passion for photographing the outdoors, teaching photography workshops throughout the country. Grant currently resides in Columbia Falls, Montana with his wife Alexis. His work can be viewed at grantordelheide.com
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BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
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All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2024
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.