Sand Beach
Sand Beach is one of the few sandy beaches in Acadia National Park, tucked into a cove with the dramatic granite face of the Beehive rising behind it and rocky headlands framing each side. The classic shot here is from the far end of the beach near the small freshwater pond, where you get a clean foreground and an unobstructed view of the Beehive reflected in calm water on still mornings. Wide angles work well to capture the full sweep of the cove, while a longer lens lets you isolate the cliff face and compress the layers of rock and sky. Morning light hits the Beehive directly and keeps the beach in soft shadow, giving you good contrast and dimension. The beach is a short walk from the Sand Beach parking lot off Park Loop Road, which fills early in summer, so arriving before 8am improves both your parking odds and your light. (Bar Harbor, Maine, United States)
