Coming Soon! My New Book, “Photographing Acadia National Park” (February 2014 Release)

My new book, “Photographing Acadia National Park: The Essential Guide to When, Where, and How” is scheduled for release in early February 2014!

Yes, it’s been awhile since I’ve last posted…

I could attempt to explain my temporary three-month absence from the blogging world with my normal, “Life’s so crazy right now.”  And indeed it is!  After making a temporary move to Oregon three months ago, my husband and I are finally starting to feel settled into our new surroundings (only to start discussing our plans for returning back to Arizona!). But for most of the summer, I’ve been heads-down, pouring my heart and soul into a huge project…

Since my first Artist-in-Residency with Acadia National Park in November 2009, I have dreamed of writing about my amazing experiences in the coastal park.  Initially, I thought an eBook would be the best way to share with the outside world.   During my third Artist-in-Residency this past January, though, I hemmed and hawed about whether I should produce “just” an eBook or actually print a real book as well as eBook (especially considering the incredibly positive, rewarding experience I had with my first book, “Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildflowers, A Guide to When, Where, and How,” www.wildinarizona.com).

My husband and I talked through the pros and cons of such a massive undertaking.  After perhaps sensing what my heart truly wanted, Craig encouraged me (as he often does), “You know there’s only one way to do this.  Go big or go home.”

And so, in my enthusiasm to heed his advice, I wrote 27,000 words in the final two weeks of my Artist-in-Residency!

Since then, I’ve been hiding out to write, edit, write, process images, and write some more with the goal of publishing a new printed book (and eBook!) in hopes of helping others enjoy and explore Acadia National Park as I have fortunately done over the past four years.   We’re far enough down the path now that I’m happy to announce that my “Photographing Acadia National Park: The Essential Guide to When, Where, and How” is coming in early February 2014!

And “the band’s back together” too to make it happen!  As with our wildflower guidebook, our amazing focus group reviewed our layout mockups a couple months ago, offering much needed direction and suggesting interesting new ideas for my project.  A huge thanks goes out to Ambika Balasubramaniyan, Erik Berg, Jacque Miniuk, Bianca Antinore Miniuk, Denise Schultz, Kerry Smith, and Floris Van Breugel for providing their honest feedback.

As a result of their input, the completed book layouts look incredible, thanks to the efforts of my truly talented friend, graphic design extraordinaire, and fellow photographer, Paul Gill.  My unbelievably keen editor and friend, Erik Berg, is currently taking a red pen to my first draft as I plug photos into the layouts.  I’ll spend much of October in Acadia National Park finishing my research and snapping final images before sending the final package off to the printer in early December.

To help you plan your own photographic adventure to Acadia, this new guidebook will feature:

• 224 pages with over 250 color photos.
• 50 locations with historical/natural background information; seasonal events for flowers, fall colors, and wildlife; photography tips to get your creative juices flowing; and driving directions.
• 18-page Photography Basics Section, covering exposure, composition, filters, natural light, reflectors and diffusers, artificial flash, and more!
• 12 “Making the Photo” stories.
• A “Shoot Summary” to help plan your trip.
• A  6″ x 9″ soft, UV coated cover for easy toting in your camera backpack.

One of the highlights of my entire photography career thus far occurred during my second residency in October 2010, when I helped to establish the Photojournalism class for the Schoodic Education Adventure (SEA) program.  SEA is a residential program, where 4th through 8th graders visit the Schoodic Education and Research Center to learn about science and nature in Acadia National Park.  Because I believe in the profound difference this curriculum makes in our future generations, I intend to donate 10% of this book’s profit to the SEA program.  For more information about this program, visit www.nps.gov/acad/forteachers/classrooms/schoodic-education-adventure.htm.

In a few weeks, I will be kicking off an Indiegogo campaign in hopes of involving my valued community in this wild dream.  Aimed at raising money to fund the book’s printing, I’ll be offering the chance to pre-order books at a discount, purchase prints from Acadia for your home at a special price,  get your name listed in the book, and even schedule an all-inclusive 4-day photography workshop extravaganza with yours truly as your guide in Acadia National Park!

I’ll announce the timeline for our pre-ordering activities here on our blog as well as on our new website, www.photographingacadia.com.  However, if you’re interested in being the first to know, please shoot me an email at cms@analemmapress.com.