After a blessed CAPTURE photography workshop in the stunning Acadia National Park, Julianna and I headed south to rest up and prepare for the next few excursions.

On the way down the coast, though, we couldn’t resist a detour to one of the world’s most iconic lighthouses, Portland Head Lighthouse. Even though it was more than half an hour out of the way, I had never been there before. And how could you take a trip through Maine without stopping there?!

We were not able to be there during ideal lighting, but this would be a good scouting excursion for potential visits in the future. What would be my impression of the location? Is it really as photogenic as people say? How much freedom would a landscape photographer have to explore different angles and compositions?

We were about to find out!

Storm Moving In
Portland Head Lighthouse, Maine
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Impression #1: The park around the lighthouse

First of all, I was surprised at how out-of-the-way Cape Elizabeth is from the main drag. It’s not near any major highways and you have to wind through town and neighborhoods to reach it. Not a problem, just surprising for such a famous spot.

Driving into the park, I noticed right off how open and spacious it was. Unlike some other locations I’ve been to where there’s things feel boxed in, this place was built to accommodate the crowds. Up close to the lighthouse there were buildings and walkways and non-photogenic things, but most of that was easy enough to exclude with careful frame.

Impression #2: Parking options

With so many visitors to this park, it only made sense that there was a parking fee. We paid $6 for our out of state vehicle, which felt very reasonable.

I’ve heard that parking is free during the off-season, from around November to March, but you’d have to confirm that. I’ve also heard that there is free parking in the overflow parking area if you don’t mind a longer walk to the lighthouse. I didn’t know about this at the time we visited, so I didn’t even look for it.

Impression #3: The people factor

We arrived around noon on an extremely cold, windy, and overcast day in the mid-May and there were so many people there. It didn’t feel crowded, but it was nearly impossible to take pictures without people in the shot.

I could edit them out, of course, but I didn’t think that was necessary for photos from a quick scouting excursion.

Impression #4: Restrictions of the fence

The main thing I noticed right off was the high, durable fence that ran along the top of the cliff on both sides of the lighthouse as far as the eye could see. This severely limited the ability to take creative landscape shots.

I started off by walking the trail on the left side of the lighthouse. Thankfully, there were no trees growing along the coastline, so you could see the lighthouse from just about anywhere. But the fence made it hard to include interesting foreground elements.

Further down the path, there were more foreground elements to work with. But still, being limited to the top of the cliff posed major creativity issues.

Close to this spot, however, I noticed the first spot where you might be able to acceptability descend to the shore. The fence was broken down a bit and blocked only with yellow tape and orange cones, if I remember correctly.

I did not descend, however. For photos taken at this time of day there was no cause for questioning the intentions of the park management. Instead, I continued on down the path. The following photo is as far as I got. The path began to go around the cape and away from the lighthouse.

Impression #5: Ample room to explore . . . beyond the fence

As I headed back toward the lighthouse, I was super curious what I might find on the other side, on the right side of the lighthouse.

I had found this side to be a little disappointing. Beyond the fence was a landscape photographers paradise! There were so many rugged rocks, rich textures, and endless foreground possibilities. But up here on the path, I wasn’t feeling very creative.

Interestingly, I don’t remember seeing a single sign expressly forbidding access beyond the fence. And based on photos online, it’s clear that many people do venture down to the shore. I guess it depends on how you interpret “the fence”. Does it mean, “No trespassing” or, “I am here for your protection; cross over at your own risk”?

Perhaps a call in to the park office would be the right way to settle a deliberating conscience, but looking back, I do think I would lean toward the second interpretation.

Impression #6: The iconic shot

The gray clouds were starting to sprinkle rain as I headed down the path on the right side of the lighthouse. Disappointingly, the fence continued on just the same as it did on the other side. But that was just my landscape photography brain weighing in. For all other purposes, the fence was a very good thing! The cliffs were steep, and the water pounding on the rocks below were rough and unpredictable.

Over here on this side of the lighthouse I found the iconic shot that is probably on the camera or phone of every person who has laid foot in that park.

What surprised me most about this spot was . . . doesn’t it look like the rocks, dirt, and grass in the immediate foreground are part of the same rock outcroppings that are just beyond, in the middle ground? The reality is that the middle ground is quite far away, down the steep cliff, close to the waters edge. While it may appear that the rocks are connected from the foreground wrapping all the way around to the lighthouse itself, the reality is that they are not connected at all, an illusion best perceived if you are there in person.

While Portland Head Lighthouse is indeed an impressive spot and definitely deserves being on the list of the world’s most iconic lighthouses, I don’t feel like the location actually met my expectations. Perhaps it was because I was not there at a beautiful time of day. Or perhaps it’s because I prefer less popular locations that don’t have so many restrictions to a landscape photographers creativity.

But still, if you get the chance—go. Just don’t go with high expectations, and you’ll probably enjoy it more than I did.

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Speaking of less popular locations, our next adventure on this excursion was the EXPLORE The Susquehanna photography workshop! In Pennsylvania, we spent a day exploring places most folks have never been to, or even heard about. Stay tuned for a blog post about our unexpected adventures pursuing the perfect shots along the Susquehanna River!

And if you’d like to join us in person for a workshop, we just finalized details for our final workshop of the year: EXPLORE Jekyll Island in Georgia on October 11. Join a small group of landscape-loving photographers as we capture sunrise and sunset on the coast, wander through the haunting beauty of Driftwood Beach, track the sun and moon for intentional compositions, and stay out after dark to photograph the Milky Way over the ocean. It’s a photographers dream location . . . with plenty of room to explore. Affordable, wholesome, educational. You won’t want to miss it! Get the details at www.lenspiration.com/explore-jekyll-island