Sunset Gridlock

There’s just something about the peaceful sound of waves crashing and a distant echo of a buoy ringing that helps sooth the soul. Just you and nature. But at this location, just add in about 50 – 60 other people cramming in and scrambling over jagged and slippery rocks, getting in each others way while yelling at each other. The exact thing I want to avoid while taking a landscape photo. It wasn’t my first visit to Bass Harbor Head Light, but it will be my last for quite some time! This visit was worth the wait though.

Behind the scenes:

There’s typically some amount work with getting the shot you want. When I deal with a popular spot, I just accept the fact that I may not be able to get exactly what I want but I’ll make it work. When you pull into an area and there’s a 15 minute wait just to get into the parking lot, you know you’re in for something special. There were so many people crawling and staggering around on the rocks I had to wait until the sun set to get a clear shot. That always surprises me since some of the best colors and light are after the sun dips below the horizon. Here are a few shots from behind the scenes that help reveal the story in getting the final photo.

Here’s a bonus shot from October 2018. I was able to get closer to the lighthouse since there was a low tide and I showed up a little over 3 hours prior to sunset. No sunlight, but it was a very October feeling late afternoon.