When Griffin asked me to take his photos, I actually asked him if he wanted someone else to do them.

Griffin is my son. And for 17 years, he was not always the most cooperative about having his photo taken. But, he promised me that he really wanted me to do them.

Where should we go?

When I asked him where he wanted to do them, he immediately said, Jackson, Wyoming. Grand Tetons. I made a deal with him. If we could fly and stay there for $1000, we would do it. (Author’s note: If you have ever tried to fly to Jackson, you know that tickets start at about $700 each.). So Jackson was out.

We needed to move a little closer to home. I asked him which place in New England felt most like him. He answered, “Acadia.”

He barely had finished the word and I had a reservation at the Bar Harbor KOA. We booked three nights and three tickets to drive up Cadillac mountain, giving us flexibility with weather.

Staying in Bar Harbor

During the day, we explored, hiked, swam, and checked out our favorite spots. In the evening, we headed out for his senior portraits.

Night One: Mount Desert Narrows

By the time we arrived at the campground and set up, we decided that driving anywhere would be too hard. That was okay, because our campground was along Mount Desert Narrows, and it looked like sunset was going to be amazing.

We sure hit the jackpot with this spot.

Day Two: Cadillac Mountain

We drove up Cadillac Mountain twice in one day: Once, to see sunrise, and the second time for photos. Bucket list item of sunrise and sunset at Cadillac in the same day accomplished. And when we went back in the evening, we did round two of photos.

Day 3: Carriage Roads and Jordan Pond

The final night was the Carriage Roads and Jordan Pond. We didn’t really have a plan, and we argued quite a bit about how to get there using the map. We knew that we didn’t want to just park in the lot and walk down to the pond, so we moved our way along and stopped to check out some cool spots.

What an amazing time we had exploring Acadia from a portrait point of view. Griffin, I can’t believe that it’s your senior year!!!

Have a favorite spot that you think would be great for your photos? Ask. There’s always a chance that I am down for an adventure.

Cara Parker is a Massachusetts photographer who serves busy families, seniors, and couples throughout New England.

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