acadia national park and the challenges of landscape photography

It's been just over a week since Josh and I left for two months of cross-country driving. We've got several beautiful New England towns in the rear view mirror, including Cambridge (MA), North Conway (NH), Freeport and Camden (ME), and one National Park: Acadia.

We had been anticipating Acadia as much for its backpacking as its opportunities for taking landscape shots. Although we explored the park for days, taking pictures all day, every day, we sit here in Montreal, looking at our photos wondering why they aren't better...more powerful...sharper.

Josh, keener on landscape photography, did some research and came across some helpful hints, found here:
http://digital-photography-school.com/11-surefire-tips-for-improving-your-landscape-photography

To summarize:
1. Choose a small aperture setting (large number), therefore maximizing your depth of field.
2. Use a tripod to ensure complete stillness.
3. Have a focal point.
4. Consider your foreground (is there a point of interest in it?)
5. If you focus on the sky, enhance it. Otherwise, keep it in the upper third of your shot.
6. Use of lines to lead viewer to a focal point in the image
7. Capture Movement - wind and such.
8. Weather - sunny days can be boring. Storms are cool.
9. Shoot during golden hours - around dawn and dusk.
10. The Horizon. Two questions to ask: is it straight and where is it compositionally? (consider rule of thirds).
11. Change your point of view (think outside the box).

Seawall by Josh/Montreal Marriott by Lauren.

leg one: New York City

We left Friday for our tremendously anticipated two-month road trip around the country. Our trip started with a drive north to New York City, where Josh's sister Polly and her husband Justin live. With a gorgeous apartment on Park Avenue as our home base, the weekend has proven to be a good opportunity to take pictures. Of junk at the Brooklyn Flea Market. Of taxis zooming by Grand Central Station. Of Polly's new pug, Oscar. We played around with different lenses for various effects, including Josh's new Macro lens, a graduation present from his parents for his recently acquired masters in counseling from Johns Hopkins (counseling is his back up career in case this whole photography thing doesn't work out ;). Next up: Boston!

Summer Road Trip (x-country)

On June 18th 2010, we hit the road for a two month cross-country adventure. Armed with nothing but our truck, camping supplies, and cameras, we will set off on a photographic adventure that we hope leads to a ton of photos; photos that give back to the organizations we support. We'll be journaling along the way, and posting photos to www.photosthatgive.com. We'd love for you to check in ;)