On my latest trip to Acadia National Park, I was acutely aware of time. My family had one precious week to stay in one of our favorite places. Our daughter was 9 months old and growing stronger every day! The ocean waves at Thunder Hole were arriving approximately every ten seconds in a relentless pounding of the seemingly eternal pink granite shore line. Every where we visited, time was on my mind. It became a major theme in my portfolio of this journey.
On my last night of the trip, I visited Jordan Pond to create an image with star trails. This beautiful wheel of time has been spinning over Acadia for thousands of years. It has presided over the glacial actions that formed this beautiful landscape. It was present when the Abenaki people first visited these verdant summer hunting grounds. The stars above are as close to eternal as we mere humans can comprehend.
This scene is one of the iconic, clichés of Acadia National Park. Two Adirondack chairs romantically overlooking Jordan Pond and the famous Bubbles has been photographed numerous times. By photographing at night, I hoped to put my own spin on the famous scene.
This is the lawn that the wealthy and famous rusticators reposed on during the Gilded Age. The most powerful Americans at the turn of the last century came here as a way stop on their journeys from one side of Mount Desert Island to the other. They would drink tea and eat popovers to refresh themselves on their long carriage rides. Today, one of the highlights of Acadia National Park is to enjoy a popover (I prefer them lathered in strawberry jam or ala mode:) and take in the incredible views from the lawn. It is hard not to imagine Jordan pond a century ago.
Acadia is well known as one of the best spots for star gazing on the east coast. The island hosts an annual star gazing festival each September. The bright stars allowed me to make this star trail image even with a full super moon! I often try to use the moon as a natural lighting source for my night images. Of course, the brighter the moon is, the less bright the stars will appear to be. It is a testament to the dark skies of Downeast Maine that these stars can be seen so clearly.
This fall I will lead a three day photography tour to Acadia National Park. We will definitely visit Jordan Pond. If the skies are clear, I will lead an optional night photography session during the tour. I hope you will join me on this tour to experience the timelessness of Acadia for yourself. To sign up for the tour, please call the South Shore Science Center at 781 659 2559. You can find out more about the tour by visiting my earlier blog post here: http://blog.greglessardphotography.com/2014/05/fall-photo-tour-in-acadia-national-park.html
You can also visit the South Shore Science Center website here: http://southshorenaturalsciencecenter.org/event/photographing-acadia-national-park/
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