Maine

[dana_barnett]

Hello.

 

I am planning to spend one week in Maine during the month of June or July. I

am undecided as to which region I should focus my attention. I am mainly

interested in landscape, wildlife and architecture photography (in that

order). Which region(s) would you most recommend? Any specific

locations/tips/etc. would also be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance,

Dana

[mpd]

When I go to Maine, I try to always spend time in Acadia national park. You will find mountains(well eastern mtns), sea side, quaint towns and lots of activities. If you go I recommend staying outside Bar Harbor. The last time I was there(3 years ago) we stayed on the opposite side of the island.

[Monophoto]

Dana -

 

The places that I find most appealing in Maine start around Freeport (got to stop at LL Bean, but don't bother with the rest of the outlets in Freeport - they are no different that the outlet mall at home). Then, we follow Rt. 1 up the coast stopping in Wiscasset, Bath, Damariscotta, Thomaston, Rockland, Rockport, Camden, Belfast, and eventually Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The highway is actually a few miles inland from the coast, but you can make a right turn in most of the towns and eventually find your way to small coastal hamlets that offer great seascape opportunities.

 

For architecture, don't miss Fort Knox near Bucksport. There is another abandoned fortification down around Wiscasset, but it's in pretty shabby condition whereas Fort Knox is immaculate.

 

A nice day trip is to get the ferry from Port Clyde over to Monhegan Island. There is a hotel on the island, but you would be well advised to either make absolutely sure to have a confirmed reservation, or else be prepared to sleep on the ground; otherwise, don't miss the ferry home at the end of the day. There are some interesting "old shack" possibilities in Port Clyde, and Marshall Point light is a classic subject.

 

Other lighthouses that are good subjects are Owl's Head (south of Rockland) and Pemaquid Point. The best view of Owl's Head is from the shore, and there is a trail from the parking lot that will eventually get you there. Pemaquid Point is more of a challenge. Parking is very limited, and more importantly, there is a high probability that the area will be shrouded in fog during June and July.

 

Camden is a very nice town - a bit touristy, but still nice. Cappy's Chowder House is a great place for lunch. There is a back road between Camden and Rockport that passes by a classic old cemetery that is a great place to visit. Rockport is also nice, and is the site of the Maine Photographic Workshop. Tim Whelan's Bookstore in Rockport is a fabulous place for someone interested in photography - he only sells books dealing with photography.

 

While in the Camden area, be sure to visit the one and only winery in the state of Maine that grows its own grapes. Tastings were free the last time we were there, and the wines aren't expensive. They aren't California quality, but still not bad.

 

Wildlife? Does that include tourists? Seriously, I know that there are lots of deer and even a few moose in Maine, but I've never seen them myself. My sense is that you probably would have to drift further away from the populated area along the coast to see them. You may encounter some seals, especially in the smaller, less populated harbor areas. You may be aware of the semi-tame seal that once lived in Rockport harbor - sadly, it died many years ago.

 

There are art galleries throughout the area. The Farnsworth in Rockland is world famous for the Wyeth paintings and is a must see. Most of the others show recent, local work - some are good, some are typical vanity galleries. The Maine Coastal Gallery in Rockport usually has a good show, and there is a gallery at the Maine Photo Workshop (upstairs in Union Hall, over the "Resource" photo shop) that usually has a series of interesting shows over the summer months. Camden and Belfast also have nice galleries.

 

The status of the Maine Workshop is uncertain. They were experiencing financial difficulties last year, but announced just before Christmas that a new owner had been found and that they would be operating relatively normally in 2007, with further details to follow.

 

On yes, seafood. Anywhere.

 

Have a great trip.

[Rick Waller]

Well they guy above me certainly gave you great ideas. Let me add a few more.

 

First - for wildlife (especialy Moose) you should try Baxter Park. It is pretty remote and not nearly as "plush" as Bar Harbor, Rockport, Camden, York, etc. It is a long drive to Baxter from the coast. You tend not to realize how huge a state Maine actually is.

 

The second recommendation is to do the lighthouse tour. If you like lighthouses, Maine is the place to go. There are many many places along the coast. Just Google Maine Lighthouses and you will get the list. To me, the best are Cape Neddick in York, Portland Light in So. POrtland, Pemaguid Point, Bass light and, if you want to take the drive to the eastern point on Maine, Quoddy light.

 

Last, and for me the best, look up Machias Seal Island and sign up for the Puffin tour out of Jonesport. This is absolutely an essential trip if you like wildlife. It is a couple of hour sail out to this tiny island (actually owned by Canada) that has limited access to just a few tour operators. You get to spend about 2 hours or so on this tiny little chunk of rock that is home to more than 1000 Atlantic puffins. They put you in wooden blinds and you shoot your brains out photographing this adorable and colorful birds. I went with long glass galore and ended up shooting almost all of my sots with my 28-70 and 80-200. (Pre digital days). Thatis how close you are to them. Never took my 300 and my TC's out of my bag.

 

And this is not like going out to see whales or eagles. There is no maybe. The birds are there. Always! You also get to see terns (nasty little suckers since they nest in the sand and when you walk out to the blinds, they dive bomb you protecting their nests). All of us were using our tripods to fend them off; something the Canada Park ranger was none to happy about. Also get to see a whole slew of Razorbacks - neat looking black and white birds.

 

This is a definite and the one operator to take is ....Jeez, trying to remeber his nae. I will look it up and repost.

 

Have fun. Oh - and ditto Acadia. goint to Maine without spending several days there is like going to Paris ad ignoring the Eiffel Tower. Sunrise and sunset on Cadillac mountain is a must in Acadia.

[Rick Waller]

Here is the Puffin tour guy.

 

http://www.machiassealisland.com/

 

This is THE one to take. I went out with the old man and his son. I think the son does it alone now. The old Cap't Barna was a really cool guy. Hated the Canadians owning Machias Island. Apparently, his family had some claim or something and when we landed on the island, this old man carried this enormous American Flag on a pole over his shoulder the entire 2 hours we were on the island. Quite a sight.

 

And here is a photo I found of Pemaquid Point lighthouse that I took 2 or 3 yrs ago. Neat place for sure.

 

[vincent_frazzetta]

ayyy....my neck of the woods, folks. Maine is as large as all the other New England states combined, and each region of the state offers its own flavor. And all of the above would work for you. I live in Bristol, in what's called "mid-coast", but I'll contribute a more general suggestion. Once you're settled into your base, get a very good map of your area (the full-state tourist Maine maps don't show enough detail) and pick a destination 20, 30, 40 miles away--a town, a lake, whatever. Then check your map and choose the most round-about, small-road way to get there. Drive slow, sneak up and down side roads, walk the villages. That's one way to discover the rural beauty of the state and some of the smaller towns and their architecture--and do some nice photography.

 

In the larger towns there may be so much to see that you won't know where to start and where it's at. Easiest thing is to find the local drug store, select some picture Post Cards, then use that map again. The one area that I would avoid in the summer is southern Maine along the coast--brutal traffic that time of the year.

[jeffpolaski]

Acadia, June-July. Bring insect repellent, long sleeve shirts. The Acadia NP guides on line and the stuff you pick up at the Visitor Center will tell you the scenic spots.

 

Not a lot of furry animal life in Acadia, but if you sign up for the Ranger yours, you will have a very special time. We went on a bird-watching (early morning) walk, a forest transition walk, a molds, fungi, etc. walk, a seaside water life tour. Bring a macro lens in the (effective) 75mm to 125mm range. A 50mm on a DSLR worked for me one trip -- I had other lenses but never took the 50mm Macro off the body.<div></div>

[aramat57]

My husband and I went to Maine 2 years ago for vacation. We spent a lot of time just riding the coastal backroads sort of lost! Many little picturesque villages and cemetaries and such. Deer Island has a cool bridge and a village called Sunshine. (We are from Sunshine, NC, so that was a must do for us!)

 

The lighthouses are fabulous! Quoddy Point is the northeastern most point in the continental US, and a beautiful lighthouse. Acadia NP could take days. Jordan Pond has a lovely trail around the water, eventually leading to a restaurant with good sandwiches. Reid State Park is a great rocky coastline, and you can climb out on the rocks, but even repellent won't keep the mosquitos away.

 

If you went further inland, you can go to Bangor, and see Stephen King's house, and an abandoned water treatment plant that must be the inspiration for "It".

 

We went on a lobster boat and saw seals and I think a puffin and different birds, and lobsters, of course! On the same trip we went whale watching, but that was from Nova Scotia and not Maine. There is a high speed cat ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, NS. Takes about 3 hours to cross. Very intresting waterfront at Yarmouth.<div></div>

[john_h.1]

Maine has lots of cool spots to shoot. Many places are a far apart however. A couple areas, in my experience, have a lot in a fairly small area. Mt. Desert Island a/k/a Acadia National Park and the region between Rockport and Port Clyde. With the former , it may be very crowded in tourist season. (Never took the chance on that season myself). For the latter, I reccomend checking out all the side roads. That's where the suprises are.

[dana_barnett]

I really appreciate everyone's input. It has been very helpful. I've decided to focus my trip around the Acadia Nat'l park and nearby coastline with a side trip to Baxter St. Park. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on where to stay? I don't seem to be able to find a whole lot online outside of Bar Harbor.

 

Thanks!

Dana