Growing up as a kid in Ireland all I ever did was play soccer. I didn’t know it at the time, but all of those hours spent playing were actually pretty intensive practices. Getting better at anything demands that you spend time practicing the skills involved in that particular activity, and photography is no different. Even though it is a creative endeavor, the same principles apply when it comes to seeing improvement in your photographs. I spent about an hour on Sand Beach the other day, and even though I wasn’t able to stick around for the best light at the end of the day, I enjoyed the time I did spend there practicing making photographs. I looked for scenes that might be worth making a photograph of… scenes with leading lines, interesting shapes, and elements of interest. I tried a variety of different focal lengths, always attempting to arrange everything together within the frame in an interesting way. Here are a few more of my practice attempts, though to be honest this didn’t feel like practice… it was more like playing to me… just like when I was younger enjoying soccer.
Stories from home 
If I could nominate you for the official photographer of Acadia National Park, I would. Your photography is just that amazing. ~Lili
I’m just glad that I live close enough to the park to be able to enjoy it as much as I do. For such a relatively small piece of land there is so much beauty… and so much still for me to see.
The vertical photo with the sand foreground is very intriguing. At first glance, it looks like it was shot on a barren dry lake bed somewhere near death valley. The trees are the only thing that give it away.
The rocks in the 3rd shot are also very interesting. The reflections really make it interesting — the bottom half could stand as its own as a somewhat abstract photo. It’s interesting to see such jagged rocks near the water.
Ben… thanks. The dotted patterns in the sand are from overnight rain, and I have to agree about the connection to Death Valley… I was definitely reminded of my next favorite national park. I’m not sure why the rocks here are so angular when much of Acadia showcases the round, smooth rocks she is famous for, but I do know that Sand Beach changes it’s appearance quite frequently due to strong winter storms, and these rocks do spend some of their time under either water and/or sand. Thanks for stopping by!