A Trip to Arcadia

Jul 8

DEEPDEEPDEEPDEEP my alarm rings out as I groggily stumbled for my phone. 4:30 came a lot quicker than I had liked. Most likely due to the fact that once again I hadn't fallen asleep until almost 2am. It would help if I didn’t pass the hours I was lying in bed partaking in the scroll of death as I watched a marathon of Ryan George’s pitch meeting videos on youtube.

On the good side of things, 4:30 meant It was time to hit the road. As I got into my car the sun had just started to show its face with perfect timing as the first hour of my drive is all backroads with patches of fog covering the farms and pink skies creeping over the hills.

Right as the sun finally took its spot in the throne for the day I was pulling onto the highway to head down to Boston for a little lesson in landscape photography from a great friend of mine and amazing wildlife and landscape photographer Bryan Maes. He and I had worked together for several years doing the wedding circuits but I hadn't had a chance to see him since he moved out of NY. I arrived a little after noon and he and I hopped on a train to the City so he could help teach me some of the finer points of composing landscapes and finding subjects.

I crashed in his spare bedroom and the following morning he cooked breakfast and gave me some editing pointers which I greatly needed because I may be able to capture a decent portrait or 2 but landscapes are an entirely different ballgame. We said our goodbyes and then I headed up to Portland. I took the scenic route and stopped at a few iconic photo-friendly places along the way. The sky didn't quite participate but that’s part of the fun. I eventually arrived at my Air BnB. A minimalistic A frame that was a perfect mix of off-the-grid and tiny home.

I spent the evening reading Tripp Ainsworth's "Smoke Pit fairy tales" which Was one of 2 books I vowed to get through during my excursion.

I ended up falling asleep which was short-lived as I was on a mission to photograph the sunrise. This time I had an hour's drive to put behind me before the sun crept up as I wanted to snag a photo of Portland Headlight. With all the effort, however, much like a sequel to your favorite movie 20 years in the making, the sunrise turned out to be just meh. Although I didn't quite get the sky I wanted the morning wasn't a loss and I did walk away with a good photo to practice on. In fact, I was able to catch a decent photo both with my Nikon Z7ii and on film with my 35mm GAF. Which sadly has a slight light leak so I was extra excited once I processed the film that with a slightly longer exposure, the image came out uninfected.

Portland Headlight Gaf 35mm, Cinestill 50daylight film.

The rest of my day was boring. I finished my drive to Arcadia which was my ultimate goal this trip. When I finally arrived, I drove around the park looking for perfect views and scouting locations. I eventually checked into my campsite and took a quick nap in my self-made camper in the back of my SUV. I finished reading “SmokePit fairytales” Then as my eyes grew tired again I decided to relax and watch a movie on my iPad and wait for sunset.

I chose to photograph Bar Harbor lighthouse Simply because Bryan decided to also head to Arcadia for the week and was there. Figured I could leach one last lesson out of him.

I ended up parking back at my campsite and falling asleep pretty quickly. My Camper build is beyond comfortable and feeds my yearning for enclosed spaces and none traditional living.
The next day I once again woke up by 4 but my agoraphobia seemed to catch up with me. It was inevitable so I knew at least one day would end up dedicated to avoiding human interactions as much as possible. Since I didn't have the motivation to see people, take photos or really exist around humanity in general, I took advantage of it being a Monday and early. I hit the deserted trails and apart from a few Selfies and a soothing video of the waves hitting the rocks below me. I barely touched my camera. Instead, I just hiked any random trail that looked intriguing. I ended up making it nearly 14 miles when all was said and done (I weigh 300 lbs that’s a lot for me hahaha)

Eventually, I retreated to my car cuddled up in the back, and watched several movies. When supper came around I set out to find a spot to take another sunset photo, which after driving around I couldn't bring myself to do. There were too many people in all the good spots and my brain just wanted nothing to do with it. So I ended up going to a lovely little cove facing the east as I knew it would be abandoned with no award-winning colors to view. My goal was to wait till just after dusk and see if I could capture a star-filled sky the one thing I still wanted to call my trip a success. I had several hours to burn so I sat on the shore listening to the quiet waves and read the book "Broke Babe in a Basement" by Carson McKenna. Who I had grown up with from afar. In fact, it wasn't until we reconnected years after high school that we even knew our lives in many ways mirrored each other. So it was so wonderful to finally find the time to read about her life and adventures. As I finished her book I started reliving my own struggles with addiction and misadventures fueled by drunken escapades and lost friends. As the sun finally set, I sat there alone. The only sounds were that of water calmly brushing over the pebbled beach. I looked out at the horizon and realized this trip had been absolutely perfect. A true escape that helped me refocus and center myself.

Broke Girl in a Basement on the shore, GAF 35mm, Cinestill 50daylight

I never did get my night sky photo. Over all I barely ever captured any of the photos I had set out to snag. I am ok with it though. The trip was exactly what it needed to be. Getting to see a friend, Trying some new food, and living life in the moment instead of solely behind the camera. That’s not to say I didn’t capture some great shots. Between a single roll of 35mm film in my GAF, and my Nikon z7ii here are some of my favorite photos.