Baxter State Park offers chances for great scenics

Scenic spots abound in Maine, special places that make you want to be there to capture them on film in the right light. The best photo opportunities often come either early in the day or at its close, when the low angle of the sun make for “sweet” or “golden” light.

Some nature photographers who specialize in scenics shoot only at those times. They’ll case a location at other times of the day, checking for foreground, background and other significant elements in the scene. They’ll watch the way the sun moves across the landscape, figuring out exactly where it rises and sets for that “Magic Hour” – that short window of opportunity when the sun lights the scene so that they can record something very special on film. Great light is truly where it’s at for the nature photographer.

As one whose primary interest is photographing wildlife, I’m always looking for the critters first. While I shoot my share of scenics, a scene has to really get in the way to grab my attention. But if you’re out there a lot waiting for something to happen with the wildlife while the light gets better and better and better – you just have to take those scenics.

It’s important to recognize these great light opportunities. Some people truly just don’t see them. Partly because they’re not aware of how film will record light. And partly it’s because they’re just not paying attention. Great light scenic images sometimes require paying attention to what’s happening with the subtleties of light. But even when the golden light at the end of the day screams out to make a photograph, you’ll see some folks standing around waiting for wildlife, totally unaware of the great light literally passing before their eyes. Perhaps it’s similar to the novice hunter who goes out looking for deer and sees none because he’s looking for a complete deer?

After you spend a bit of time photographing nature, you also learn that you may never have the chance to shoot a place the same way again. Early in my photography career I snapped two quick shots of a scene that looked so good that it begged to be photographed while searching for moose that never showed up. I eased the itch on my trigger finger by shooting two frames of a pond with the mountains behind it partly obscured by clouds, clouds that cast a full reflection in the pond’s perfectly still outlet even as the low angled sun poking from the clouds lit up the forest in the foreground with the sweetest light that you’ll never see.

Two frames. Today I’d shoot two rolls. One of those frames has been published as a calender image, on the cover of Maine Audobon’s Habitat magazine, as a poster for the Wilderness Society, and in several national magazines. Despite many trips back to the place at all times of the day, it has never looked as good as it did that long ago morning.

It’s a rare occasion that I’ll go to a place just to shoot a scene. Those trips are usually to get shots for my Baxter State Park calendar or for an assignment to get “beauty shots” for Maine Coast Heritage Trust or The Nature Conservancy. Great light moments are what make those shoots.

Winter in Maine provides many moments with such great light opportunities. It is also the season that presents more difficulty in finding wildlife targets for the camera. Some species have migrated, others are hibernating and many keep themselves hunkered down to stay warm. Photographers need to respect the needs of wildlife during this most stressful of seasons. And so it’s a time of year that I often target scenics in the Maine woods.

A favorite place to do that is Baxter State Park. A few words of warning: anyone who wants to snowshoe, ski or winter camp in Baxter State Park should prepare to face all of the challenges that the Maine winter can throw at you. Enter this wilderness prepared to meet nature on its terms.

To find out about winter rules for day use or camping, request a copy of the Winter Use Rules and Regulations by writing to Baxter State Park, 64 Balsam Drive, Millinocket, ME 04462.

No matter where you shoot in Maine this winter, be on the lookout for that great light. And then catch your scene in some of it.