567 - Otter Cove
Today I decided that fall was over. For real.
It also meant that my wacky sleep schedule was destined to end. For the past three months, a strange blend of time zone switches, late night editing, and rainy days had landed me at an average bedtime of 4AM. Don’t ask me how. It just happened.
But now that autumn had run its course, I was starting to feel a strong pull towards ocean photography. Seascapes, if you want to be fancy about it. And since I was on the East Coast, this meant waking up at sunrise. A mind-bending proposition to me.
I set my alarm for 5:30AM, slept for about two hours, and woke up ready to shoot the ocean.
Well, as ready as I’d ever be with two hours of sleep. My plan was to exhaust myself this morning, then go to bed early tonight and reset my sleep schedule back to something normal.
That way, I could wake up for sunrise this week and knock out a bunch of beaches. Turns out, that’s not how it works. But we’ll save that story for another day.
More importantly, today, I was at the Otter Cliffs in Acadia National Park. Half asleep, I fiddled my way around giant sea rocks until I found myself on the beach.
The sky wasn’t looking too promising. It was drabby, at best. And once the sunrise bell struck, nothing happened. Overcast muted the beach like the snooze button on my alarm.
I waited around for an hour, hoping something would happen. I’m wasn’t sure what, though. I think I just wanted my early morning to be worth it.
Eventually I decided to pack up my camera bag and call it. No good shots were happening here.
Fuck. All that hype of a new beginning for nothing.
I decided to drive along the coast and check out some of the other beaches. Maybe I’d see something that caught my eye…
But after wandering around for another hour, nothing did. Maybe I was just spoiled by the massive coastal seastacks of Oregon and Washington, because nothing looked impressive to me. Either that or I was completely exhausted and didn’t care. Probably both.
Eventually I landed on a little spot called the Otter Cove, where a heron caught my eye. You know, those birds with the long legs that fish all day. Not a bad life, if you ask me.
So I loaded up my camera for a shot, aimed, and watched as it flew away. My luck was on fire today.
But the idea of shooting birds got me thinking. This place was full of them. And since I couldn’t remember the last time I showcased one, a new mission formed in my mind. Get a bird shot, or die trying.
I scanned the landscape and landed on a set of fall foliage. What a nice backdrop! But then the back of my mind whispered at me, “Here we go again… back in your fall shenanigans.”
I sighed. I guess we’ll push it back another day… BECAUSE THIS IS WAY TOO GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL:
“Love Birds”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3
[ISO 1250 ~ 146.1mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/1600s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
See those two little birdies? How romantic.
The only reason I say that is because as I’m typing this, I’m in Boston falling in love with a girl I have no business falling in love with. But again, that’s a story for another day.
Back to the beach.
I got back in my car and started driving again. I wanted one more shot to tie this whole thing together. In my bones, it didn’t feel complete yet.
And that’s when I landed on this stone bridge:
“Bridge to Fall”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Sony 24-105mm f/4 G
[ISO 1250 ~ 41mm ~ f/10 ~ 1/250s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
OK, I’m officially calling that my bridge MY LAST FALL SHOT OF THE YEAR.
Officially. For real. No more Fall.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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