Ocean Drive is the iconic route for those who wish to see the great geologic features of Acadia National Park. As much as I tend to eschew icons, I must admit that the Park Loop Road, as it is known, is certainly worth some of your time. As the visitor literature is quick to assert: If you have only one afternoon to spend in the park, spend it on the Park Loop Road. Just be sure to get out of your vehicle and explore.
Along the great outcroppings of granite that line the Atlantic near Monument Cove, there are views northward toward the expansive promontory of Great Head and the geological oddity of Sand Beach. Great blocks of granite and water-filled crevices and fissures in the rock attest to the power of the ocean to transform the land.
A focal length of 27mm, solidly within the realm of wide-angleland, gave me the expansive field-of-view I wanted and the opportunity to use the foreground watery depression as an introduction to the image. An aperture of f/22 provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 1/5th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
Acadia is the oldest national park east of the Mississippi. It was called Pemetic – The Sloping Land – by the Wabanaki People to whom it was home for thousands of years before the coming of the Europeans. It is the story of our public lands told as only our best stewardship can tell.
Don, seeing this view from Park View Road is a great way to start the week. You have presented a strong lead line that takes the eye from the lower right to the upper left then the curve of the beach turns us to the right and the passage opening to the horizon. This does not minimize the wonderful use of shape, texture, and color that permeate the image. I could go on, but enough said. To bad the Ojibway Prayer, used in your introduction today can not be emblazoned in the heart and mind of everyone.
Hey Chuck. It’s always great to have you with us and to receive your insights and observations on my images. I’m looking forward to sharing this wonderful place with you this year. The only addition I might offer to your excellent description is that in addition to all that, I saw the line as a long zig-zag that incorporated the lines of the boulders as they ranged back and forth across the face of the great outcrop. Texture and shape are certainly involved and green and blue always work well together, even if, as cool tones, they tend to appear as receding rather than as advancing as would warm tones. Walk in Beauty, my Friend.
Howdy Don, this brings back recent memories of my fiancée & I’s trip there just a few months ago. We hiked Great ahead an took images looking back at Sand Beach.
I also love to add interesting foreground elements as what I call “stepping stones into the composition” which adds depth. The little stones in the puddle are nearly the same size as the huge boulders deeper in the view. Love that sense of juxtaposition.
Howdy Michael. I’d delighted to hear that you were able to make your trip to MDI. It is so special; and I suspect that, like me, you’ve fallen in love with it, too. I’m really glad y’all did the Great Head hike. I think it’s one of the spectacular experiences of visiting this park.
You have exactly described one of the wonderful distortion effects of a wide-angle lens: foreground objects seem larger that they are. It’s a great way to add dramatic effect when using short focal length glass.
Hope you are having a beautiful winter in the Ocean State. I can imagine the wonder of a Rhode Island winter and hope to experience it one day. Stay safe and be well.
A beautiful image … it epitomizes the sweeping beauty of this wonderful park. I sure missed it last year. Thank you.
Ah, Dear One; we were both missing the Beauty of this place in 2020. And I hope that the new year will see both of us return to it. We all have to think “vaccination” really hard. We’re scheduled to be there from June 12-28 with two separate groups and would love it if you and Sue were there anytime during that period.
Take very good care and be safe.
Beautifully done. The foreground makes this image so special. I see two individual images, about 1/2 and 1/2 vertically, but neither is so special without the other. The foreground points up to the rocky beach, which points to the land ahead, and that piece of land is pointing to the sky. The sky is quietly showing everything in a beautiful light creating harmony in the colors. It looks like a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Thanks… I miss Acadia too.
Hi Nancy T. That’s the thing about wide-angle lenses – the foreground is so very essential to the success of the image. And sometimes the image stands as an integrated whole; but other times there are pictures-within-pictures that can be appreciated separately. Your description tells us that the leading line we’ve talked about is actually disjointed rather than continuous: one segment pointing to the next. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and since we’ve been there together, I know how you love it. Stay safe and Walk in Beauty.
Thank you, Everyone, for joining me for this conversation. What I gladly recognize from your wonderful observations and comments is that you love this place as much as do Bonnie and I. May we soon be able to enjoy its Beauty again and may we be grateful for the opportunity to care for it and preserve it as with all of the wonderful components of our common wealth. It is, indeed, sacred land; and we are blessed with the obligation of its stewardship Walk in Beauty and have a great week.