CADILLAC MOUNTAIN, ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, MAINE

Nikon F4s, Sigma 17-35mm Lens, Cokin Blue/Yellow Polarizing Filter, Bogen Tripod

Kodak E100VS Film

Though I had, until recently, always lived on the East Coast of the United States, I had never traveled further north than New York City. And despite now living out west where there are many opportunities to photograph autumn's splendor, I felt compelled to make the long journey back east to experience the changing of the leaves.

I set my sights on the northern New England States of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I had always wanted to visit Maine, in particular the areas surrounding Acadia National Park, and therefore planned the majority of my stay around this location. Planning my trip to coincide with fall's peak, I landed in Bar Harbor, Maine on the last weekend of September. Unfortunately Mother Nature was not in a cooperative mood - the fall season was some two weeks behind schedule.

Despite this fact, I found Acadia to be every bit as lovely as I had envisioned! The image I have posted was made on the first day of my visit. I arrived at my hotel around four-o-clock in the afternoon. The sky was remarkably clear and the landscape was already taking on a warm glow. In the knowledge that the sun would be setting in a couple of hours, I grabbed directions and made a mad dash for Cadillac Mountain. Located inside Acadia National Park, this summit, at 1,530 feet, marks the highest point on the whole of the eastern seaboard extending down to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

The drive to the summit was a short one, allowing time to scout out a good location before the real show began. Cadillac Mountain is covered in huge slabs of granite, but this particular outcropping immediately caught my eye. I wanted to use a wide angle lens to capture Frenchman Bay below, and the boulders provided the perfect foreground element (a strong foreground is key to a successful wide angle shot). I positioned the camera to include the cruise ship, and though I could have excluded it from the frame, I felt that it greatly enhanced the overall image. The four islands dotting the Bay, known collectively as the Porcupines, are area attractions and therefore also important to the success of the photograph. I decided to use a Cokin Blue/Yellow Polarizing Filter to enhance the colors already present. This filter works by imbuing the polarized areas with either blue or yellow (in this case blue) and the rest of the image with its complimentary color (in this case yellow). It does not alter the scene's colors but rather enhances the colors already present. By rotating the filter the effects are readily seen, just as with a normal polarizer.

All that was left to do was wait for the optimum color as the sun continued to drop. The resulting image turned out to be one of my favorites from my New England trip. Not a bad start I must say, and as the trip progressed I did find isolated pockets of color, some very intense, so I didn't leave completely empty handed on that point. Regardless though, the trip was a success both professionally and personally - leaving no doubt that I will in the future return to Cadillac Mountain!

* I plan on including this area in future workshops. Please check back for more information, as it becomes available. For more images from this trip visit the New England Gallery. Thank You!

Tina Wright

PS. Please check back on this site regularly. In the near future, I will be leading weekend-long workshops on my new property and to the nearby El Malpais National Monument and Conservation Area. Detailed information, dates, and prices will be listed at that time. Thank You!