Milky Way Photography Hot Spots
Maine has the best milky way photography locations
MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATIONS
Our journey has taken us to various photography spots throughout Maine. We have captured our first-hand experiences at each location and will share them with you in this series. Each article will feature multiple images from our travels.
This state has some of the best photography locations in the United States, and it also has some of the darkest skies for Milky Way photography. The areas we show you in these full articles are the places we have been to and photographed. We added a few more in list format that we plan to photograph this year.
FULL ARTICLES – MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY AREAS
Here, you will find links to each article with all the details of photographing the area, including where to eat, where to stay, when to photograph the area, and more.
WHERE TO DO PHOTOGRAPHY IN MAINE
PEMAQUID POINT LIGHTHOUSE
NUBBLE LIGHTHOUSE
CAPE PORPOISE
YORK,
PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT
KENNEBUNKPORT
BAILEY’S ISLAND
ON THE ROCKS AT TWO LIGHTS
OTHER TOP MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTS
Check out our top picks for great areas! There’s something for everyone from Acadia National Park to Portland’s Old Port.
PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT
Located in Cape Elizabeth, just south of Portland, the Portland Head Light is one of the most iconic lighthouses. Plenty of rocks to climb on for a different perspective, and you can even glimpse the light from the nearby Fort Williams Park.
Physical Address: 1000 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth.
KENNEBUNKPORT
Kennebunkport is a charming coastal town in the southern part of the state. Its beautiful beaches, quaint shops and restaurants, and stunning ocean views are known for their beautiful beaches. The city is also home to the Bush family compound, so you never know who you might see when taking photos! This is an excellent area for photographs.
Kennebec River Gorge: The Kennebec River Gorge is a hidden gem in the central part of the state. The gorge is home to wildlife, including eagles, ospreys, and hawks. It’s also a great place to photograph the fall foliage. This spot is not as dynamic as the others but should not be overlooked.
PEMAQUID POINT
You will find some fantastic shots with so many beautiful places to explore. But one of our all-time favorite spots is the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. When we traveled here during the daytime, we did exceptionally dynamic, colorful images of the lighthouse, and we traveled back at night to do Milky Way photography.
You can purchase tickets if you’d like to go inside. Website: http://bristolmaine.org/ – Email: bristolparks@tidewater.net – Telephone number: 207-677-2492
Physical Address: 3115 Bristol Road, New Harbor, ME 04664
NUBBLE LIGHTHOUSE AT CAPE NEDDICK
Just like Pemiquid Point, the Nubble lighthouse is an excellent area for photography during the day. You can also photograph the Milky Way at night over the lighthouse. Nubble Lighthouse is a perfect dark sky Milky Way photography area. Physical Address: 11 Sohier Park Rd, York Beach, ME 03909-6873
CAPE PORPOISE, MAINE
Cape Corpus is a small fishing town near Kennebunkport. We found this beautiful old car when we traveled through the center of this small town. We don’t know if the car will stay here or is still there, but we did go on a puffin boat tour after we traveled through this area, so maybe you can pair this location with a tour. SEE THE IMAGE ABOVE WITH THE CAR.
ON THE ROCKS AT TWO LIGHTS
If you like lighthouses, stop here along your travel route through the state. We didn’t get anything dynamic or spectacular, but we went mid-day; maybe sunrise or sunset with colorful skies would do this area more justice.
Two Lights State Park is popular for Maine residents and tourists, covering 41 acres of rugged headlands. It boasts breathtaking vistas of Casco Bay and the vast Atlantic Ocean, and visitors can photograph the ships coming and going from Portland Harbor. Physical Address: 7 Tower Drive, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATIONS I
This dark sky state is an excellent place to photograph the Milky Way. Here are some of the best locations to do so:
1. Acadia National Park – Our top pick
2. Baxter State Park
3. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
4. Camden Hills State Park
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO PHOTOGRAPH MAINE?
Months: The Milky Way Core can be seen from March to October, disappearing below the horizon for the rest of the year. It appears in the early morning hours in March and becomes visible earlier each month. The best time to catch a glimpse of the core is during summer, when it can be seen immediately after sunset, providing an ideal viewing opportunity for stargazers.
New Moon: Timing is crucial to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way. This celestial event can only be seen on clear nights without a visible moon, limiting the window for viewing.
Light Pollution: The best way to experience the full wonder of the Milky Way is to escape from areas with heavy light pollution. However, it may be possible to see some faint traces of the galaxy from places with mild artificial lighting; the most spectacular views can be found in remote locations far from cities and civilizations. Check out our How to Section for more details, including using a light pollution map to guide you to dark sky locations.
Maine has some of the darkest skies in the United States, making it one of the best locations for Milky Way viewing.
WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR SHOULD I BRING?
Each area is a little different, so keep in mind what your subjects will be in each spot. This is a general list.
- Full Frame Camera with a wide-angle lens with f/2.8 or Greater Maximum Aperture
- Tripod
- Shutter release
- Light pollution filter
- Red light headlamp
- Dark sky map app and Milky Way tracking apps
- Bright Flashlight
- Light painting gear.
- Zoom lens. The state is filled with wildlife.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD I BRING?
Wear warm clothes and bring a backpack with all your camera equipment. You might need to do some hiking in the sand, so wear appropriate shoes. If you have an extra hand, consider bringing a thermos of coffee. It can also be helpful to bring a headlight, extra batteries, or a portable charger for your trip.
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THE BEST MAINE MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTS
We traveled to the best locations and brought you extensive first-hand details.
PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR FOR MILKY WAY
LIGHT POLLUTION MAP:
CAMERA:
You will need a camera to control your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture manually.
LENS:
A fast, wide-angle lens of 1.4 – 2.8 is ideal. If you use a 3.5 or higher (slower lens), you must increase the ISO. The higher the ISO, the more grain or digital noise will appear in your photos.
TRIOPD:
A good, sturdy tripod is essential. If it gets windy, you will need a sturdy one. Remember that when you buy one, it should be sturdy enough to withstand the wind but small enough to fit in your suitcase.
SKY MAP:
Sky Guide is available through the iTunes Store for $1.99. It has a 5 out of 5-star rating on both the current (3.2) version (1200+ ratings) and all previous versions (8600+ ratings).
FLASHLIGHT:
Our choice is Coast brand for flashlights. The ideal flashlight will have high lumens, and you can zoom in and out on the light emitting from the flashlight. Get the HP7, PX45, or the G50. Ideally, go with the HP7.
MOON PHAZE MAP:
The best time to go is during a new moon; you want to be in the darkest area possible. The week before the new moon, when the moon has not risen, is a perfect time to go, so be sure to check the moonrise chart to see when the moon will be up.
REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE:
When painting with light and over a 30-second exposure, you must have a shutter release to use your bulb mode. You can use the remote release or your camera’s built-in two-second timer when exposing your pictures.
CAMERA SETTINGS FOR MILKY WAY
ISO:
Start with ISO 1600 – 3200. This is a common starting point, and you will adjust from here.
APERTURE:
Depth of field isn’t critical on these shots, but letting light into the camera is; therefore, you should shoot wide open if. If the depth of field is essential to you, try not to go too high. (Wide open =the lowest aperture your camera will allow.) You must increase the ISO a little, which will give you digital noise.
SHUTTER SPEED:
Now that the ISO and aperture are set in manual mode, roll your shutter speed until your meter reads (0) zero. Take a test shot and adjust from there. Remember, the Earth is rotating. If you leave the shutter open for too long, you will see star trails that will not make for a crisp image. You can create star trails specifically, but that’s not what we are going for here since we started with Milky Way photography. We want crisp, non-star-trail images when doing this.
Here is the formula to avoid star trails— 500 rule – Divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. So, if you have a 24mm lens on a full-frame camera, you will set your shutter speed to 20 sec. (500/24 = 20.83). If you are using a crop sensor camera, first do the math of the crop sensor to find the focal length. Cannon is 1.6, Nikon is 1.5. Convert to full-frame focal length, then use the formula. Nikon 18mm x 1.5= 27mm – 500/27 = 18.51 seconds.
WHITE BALANCE:
In live view mode, you can change your white balance settings and see what they look like. You can also shoot in shade or cloud mode as a standard setting and adjust things later when editing.
LIVE VIEW:
To focus in the dark, use your camera’s live view, hit the zoom button, and focus on a bright star. You can also use the infinity setting on your lens, but do several test shots to determine accuracy. It can be off a little on some lenses. You can also light it up with a flashlight, focus, then gently, without touching the focus ring, put the camera in manual focus so it will not search for the focus. You must do this each time you move your camera to take your next angle.
WHEN TO VIEW THE MILKY WAY:
The best images are usually of the dense part of the Milky Way. We can see this part of the Milky Way in the southern sky. During March, April, and May, the Milky Way rises above the horizon in the pre-dawn hours. In June, at about 10:00 p.m., you will see the Milky Way. From July until October, you can see the Milky Way as soon as the sun sets, and it becomes dark enough to see about an hour after sunset. In November, the Milky Way no longer comes above the horizon. You will have to wait until March if you want to stay away really late or get up early to see her again.
See our Milky Way Hot Spot Locator and our Night Photography Information.
