One of the questions I get asked the most by couples planning a wedding in Acadia (or an elopement anywhere in Maine) is the inevitable, “What will we do if it rains?” Most folks planning one of these adventurous weddings are already prepared for and open to whatever the day brings. I rarely, but occasionally, photograph a couple who is devastated by anything but the sunniest weather. Lena and Kevin fit into the former camp - they were totally up for anything, which was fortunate since their day was on the wetter side.
I honestly prefer working in overcast, foggy conditions. Most photographers I know do too. Overcast lighting is soft and dreamy; the fog adds an air of romance to the scene; and best of all - damp weather scares lots of tourists away. If you’re planning to elope in Acadia National Park, count yourself lucky if some rain is in the forecast on your day! I can work in any sort of weather. And a bit of rain is worth the ease of finding parking and accessing the prime spots, in my opinion. Rainy day photos always look good, whereas the lighting on a bright, sunny day can be much more difficult to work with.
That is exactly what happened for Lena & Kevin’s elopement in Acadia last fall. We met on a Tuesday (just a couple days before my previous sunny blog post - what a difference) and the park was unusually quiet. It was wonderful!
Like so many couples in 2020, Lena & Kevin had to forgo their original wedding dreams. They were planning to wed in Europe and were determined to still get married no matter what. Since they got engaged in Acadia the year before, they decided that was the best alternative. Theirs was a tiny little wedding with just the two of them, their officiant Adam, and his friend as a witness. I am always happy to serve as a witness, but Maine requires two to sign a marriage license, fyi.
These two were such a dream to photograph - so relaxed and happy, totally prepared wearing sneakers under their clothes for the ceremony, totally open to braving the mists and rain. It actually didn’t start raining until the very end of our 2 hours together, and that is often how a rainy day will play out. It’s rare for it to just pour all day long. I have yet to experience those conditions for a wedding in Acadia. Most often it just sprinkles off and on, and with a couple clear umbrellas on hand (which I always have in my car), that’s not too big a hurdle.
My approach to this elopement was a bit different than usual. Since they booked me for only 2 hours, we decided not to do much driving between different locations. That really only worked out because the rain kept the crowds away, and we found parking for all 3 of our cars (myself, L+K, and the officiant) in the tiny parking lot of the Gorham Mountain Trail. Normally it’s hard to get anywhere near that area. Most of these photos were taken along the coast near that lot.
Because of the slight time constraint and looming threat of rain, and due to their own preferences and request for direction, I posed them more than I normally would with other couples. My preference always leans as natural as possible, but I do what I need to do given the conditions and am happy to work with whatever a couple wants. I think their photos came out beautifully!
After the Gorham area we headed to one of my old favorite spots, parking in the lot just after Otter Cliffs Road. I’ve shot here a bunch, and many of my photos here are similar, but it is interesting to note the difference that weather and time of day makes in the quality of the images! No doubt the clouds and fog are my favorite.
Our 2 hours ended just as we were heading to Jordan Pond for a quick photo, and it was then it started to rain on us. We’d left umbrellas in the car, and they were feeling quite done by that point, so we didn’t make it all the way to the pond. But I have to say, for booking only 2 hours of coverage, we sure made the most of our time and got lots of dreamy photos! This is one of my favorite Acadia weddings of 2020 - the dark, romantic vibes on the rugged, mysterious coastline are what I’m here for.
