I went to Acadia National Park to get away from it all, but also with my primary goal of getting a decent image of Bass Harbor Lighthouse. But when you travel some distance with hopes of getting an amazing image of a particular point of interest, in just a few days, the odds are pretty slim.

This day, I drove the six hours arriving in Ellsworth, just outside of Mt. Desert Island, in the late afternoon. The forecast was for clouds and showers for my arrival day and the day after. So rather than being hunkered down in the rain at my tent site for two days, I splurged and booked a room in Ellsworth at the Hampton Inn for my arrival day. I figured it would be nice after the long drive, not setting up a tent in the rain, and being tent bound for a day or two.

To my surprise when I arrived, the cloudy skies were broken up with patches of clear blue. Being tired from the drive, I wasn’t looking forward to an extra hour drive that day to Bass harbor, but when your goal is weather dependent, sometimes you just have to push on, as it may be your only chance. So I pulled over to the nearest roadside seafood shack, got myself a lobster roll to go, tossed it in the car and pushed on for Bass harbor.

When I arrived about an hour and a half before sunset, there were already tons of cars in the parking lot. I quickly devoured my lobster roll I had planned on savoring, and jumped out of the car to take the short walk to the rocky oceanside, hoping to secure one of the few spots available to get a decent image. There were already plenty of people waiting in anticipation of sunset, but only one other photographer set up with a tripod so far. The other photographer was a really nice guy, and we chatted a bit about our business and the image we were hoping to attain that day.

I set my tripod up beside him, giving me the vantage point I wanted and settled in, affixing the right lens, adding some split neutral density filters to balance the contrast, and taking a few test images. The scene is so beautiful, that soon many other people and a few more photographers showed up and set up behind and to the side of us (so glad I got there early).

As the evening waned, some good looking clouds moved in, offering promise. When the time came, while it may not be the most stunning sunset I have seen, it nicely complimented the rocky coast and this picturesque lighthouse. I was very happy getting a terrific image of my goal during my stay, and little did I know, there would be no other decent opportunity for the rest of my visit…..So glad I pushed this day:)