acadia by the sea
june 2024 | acadia national park
NIKON D850, NIKON FE, MAMIYA C220
Portra 160, Ektar 100, and Digitals
We had been to Acadia before, several years prior, before kids and the pandemic, before having an FX camera and shooting any film, and before developing the incessant need to catch every sunrise and sunset (and force everyone to come along). Much has changed. That first time was during peak fall — my first real taste of what fall foliage in the northeast looked like at its best. I will probably make those photos their own story in the future, actually. But in the summer of 2024, we visited Acadia again, for a whole week this time on a large family trip, and as special as it was seeing the park immersed in the deep reds and oranges that come with the fall, the summer greens were a pleasant surprise.
Base camp was a house on the water in the Southwest Harbor, a slight drive from the park itself, but a quieter place to settle after long days out exploring or discovering new corners of the islands off the coast of Maine. Each morning felt like rediscovering something I thought I already knew. Shooting film as my primary emphasis this time slowed everything down — forcing me to linger, to really see the small details: the glint of dew on spruce needles, the mirrored stillness of the ponds, the steady rhythm of the tides brushing against the rocks. This, in part, is why I have preferred film these last years. Then afternoons were for family — exploring tide pools, skipping stones, and catching up with the local beers and seafood before shooting sunset nearby. Watching my kids explore the same trails I once wandered alone added a new layer of meaning that no photograph could quite capture.
Acadia has a way of grounding you. Maybe it’s the sea air or the silence between the trees, but it invites you to breathe a little slower and remember that beauty doesn’t have to be chased — sometimes it’s enough to just be there to notice it.
p.s. can you tell which are film and which are digital?