The Elusive Lighthouse Photo

Jay and I just came back from a 2 week vacation, starting in Nantucket and driving up the beautiful Mid-Maine Coast to Acadia National Park. Along the way, we decided to visit the infamous Maine Lighthouses.

I had an image in my head of brilliantly lit lighthouses perched on dramatic rocky cliffs. It didn’t seem like this would be too difficult to find since they appeared on every website, tour book cover and tourist center brochure. Wrong.

Little did we know that I wouldn’t take that iconic sunny photo until the last few hours of our trip to the Portland Great Light in Cape Elizabeth, ME before returning to New York. Even then, I only had 15 minutes of sunlight before the clouds and rain moved in. I love this view from the southern trail, with the craggy rocks so typical of the Maine coastline!

By the time we went up the northern path, the sun was fading and the entire mood felt more subdued.

Our previous effort to photograph this site by boat the night before was thwarted by unexpectedly heavy winds and choppy water, so the captain couldn’t get close. My chance at that epic Portland Great Light sunset shot never materialized.

However, I did get this beautiful photo of the Portland Breakwater Light (also called Bug Light) on the way back.

Our Most Distinctive Lighthouse Award went to Breakwater Light in Rockland, which we could see from our window at Samoset Resort (admittedly using my maximum zoom; the real view was quite distant and tiny). Jay and I walked carefully along this mile long breakwater, focusing on avoiding deep crevases (talk about having to be present! almost meditative), to reach our destination. It was a wonderful experience, and made this Jay’s #1 lighthouse of the trip.

Fortunately, the town thoughtfully installed a dock off the breakwater (thankfully no need to climb rocks!) that allowed photographers to get this view.

Our Most Disappointing Award went to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Acadia, perhaps because the park ranger over-promised iconic views. Or maybe because the trails weren’t well marked and we never found them. I was hopeful until we started walking up these stairs. Then I realized the lighthouse was perched on a very small cliff that offered only close up views of the lighthouse itself.

Coming back down, I was still determined to find the trail that would take us to a panoramic view of the lighthouse perched on its steep cliff. My optimism returned as we wound around to the northern path. However, my hopes were dashed as we were confronted with this intimidating pile of boulders at the path’s end.

I considered climbing out for just a second – until I remembered that a fellow photographer died in Acadia a few days before. No way, I thought. I’ll look at the views on the internet.

Other visitors were far more adventuresome, and rewarded with a better view (although morning would be optimal). From this vantage point – without climbing on big rocks – you can see a hint of the lighthouse in the upper right hand corner. It still wasn’t enough to tempt me.

More typical lighthouse views from the water were like these. The first was on the way to Little Cranberry Island in Acadia, and the second was Brant Point Light on Nantucket (never did walk out to the lighthouse because of the weather; next time).

So I have a few tips for your self-guided tour of Maine lighthouses:

1. Weather is most important. If you have a sunny day, make a beeline for the closest lighthouse. Don’t wait. The Maine weather changes so dramatically and quickly.
2. Time of day matters. Morning and late afternoon offer the most striking light. It also depends on where the lighthouse is situated.
3. Check the hours carefully to see if and when the lighthouses are open. Most had limited hours, some had museums, and all closed by 4pm. If we had visited in the morning, we would have gotten help with directions.
4. Look at photos ahead of time, see where the good vantage points are, and plan accordingly
5. Read the descriptions of the trails. Allow yourself extra time to explore the surrounding area. I still get the feeling that we missed a trail at at the highly rated Bass Harbor Lighthouse; so did the other visitors.
6. Take boat rides. Many of the most popular lighthouses – and mansions – were best viewed from a boat.
7. Look closely at the map for neighboring lighthouses. We almost passed up the Two Lights lighthouse (and Lobster Shack where Jay grabbed his last lobster roll), also in Cape Elizabeth and only 10 minutes from the Portland Head Light.

Most importantly, just enjoy the experience of the chase.

P.S. Here’s a great photo for my album, which was taken from the Nonamtum Inn in Kennebunkport. But don’t get too excited…

It’s a fake. Now I have a better understanding of why these are scattered all over the place! It gives us amateur photographers our easy photo ops! 🙂