April

I have the incredible fortune of having fantastic relatives in one of the most beautiful places on Earth - Mount Desert Island in Maine. I've been visiting since I was a child and it's easily one of my favorite places to be. Granted, it has been pointed out to me that I only visit during the idyllic summer months and have yet to experience fog that lasts a month. Other than ever increasing visitors to Acadia National Park, MDI has always been a serene natural wonder for me to explore.

One of my favorite things to do is to bike down through Seal Harbor along Cooksey Drive to a stretch of coastal cliffs that provide excellent views and fun rock scrambling. While I most often go in the morning, one clear summer night I decided to attempt to get a pictures of both Seal Harbor and the cliffs with stars. The alignment of the Milky Way was luckily right above the water and there was no fog close to shore. While I was able to capture pictures in both locations, I felt my Seal Harbor shots needed more elevation rather than being shot on the beach as I did. I was more satisfied with my cliff shots which provided a better foreground and showcased Maine's rugged coastline which is why I chose the best one for April's calendar photo.

In the photo, not only can you see the cliffs off Cooksey Drive, but also the far coastline of the Cranberry Isles, a small group of islands south of MDI. To the right of the Milky Way, there is a planet which was much brighter than the other stars which is why it's a bright over-exposed ball of white. On the far right is the trail of a plane (not a shooting star, but I really wish I had been able to capture one) and if you look closely you can see the individual blinks of the wing lights over the 30 second exposure.