Patience... Anatomy of a Picture

Northeast Creek, Mount Desert Island, is not technically in Acadia, but if you've ever gone to the national park, you've driven right past this spot. It took me three different trips to this spot to get this image. Either the sky was dull, or the sun didn't come out, or the sky was too blue, or there weren't enough clouds, etc.

Finally on the last attempt, I arrived 30 minutes before sunrise in the hope that the light would be better. It took almost two hours of waiting but the sun did just what I hoped and lit the trees on the right side of the bank while still giving me clouds and interest in the sky. The effect only lasted a few seconds and then the sun was hidden behind the clouds again. Landscape photography is all about light and patience.

To see my thought processes for this image, watch this video: