A Walk Along the Shore Path by Julie Young

Today, we’re featuring a photo essay from film photographer Julie Young. Scroll below to view the images and read more from Julie about photographing the Shore Path in Bar Harbor, Maine…

Analog cameras and films used: Nikon N80 (Find at KEH Camera or on eBay) | Expired Portra 160VC (Find on eBay)

Connect with Julie: Instagram

A Walk Along the Shore Path

By Julie Young

This past summer, I spent a couple of months working a seasonal retail job in Bar Harbor, Maine. This was my second stint at this job, and I was thrilled to be living close to the shore again, right on Main Street.

Months prior, I had bought 3 rolls Portra 160VC film from eBay that had expired in 2005. I knew I was taking a risk with expired film, but I was semi-hopeful knowing that it was stored refrigerated.

I overexposed the roll by two stops and shot it at 40 ISO to account for the two decades passed its expiration date. I’ve never shot Portra 160VC, so I had no expectations.

I had the day off from work, and it was a beautiful, sunny September day in Bar Harbor, so I decided to finally put the roll to good use. I grabbed my Nikon N80, stepped outside my apartment and quickly crossed the street to start my walk along the Shore Path.

The Shore Path sits right along Agamont Park and is known for being a nice, easy walk along the coast that goes along the edge of Bar Harbor and follows Frenchman Bay. It was my go-to route for when I wanted to squeeze in a quick photo walk, but in this case, I had the whole day to take my time and soak in the fresh sea breeze.

This was my first season with full access to the coastal path. I never had the chance to fully walk the Shore Path last year after a treacherous winter storm wiped out large sections just months before. Thankfully, Friends of Acadia—a nonprofit that supports Acadia National Park through funding, providing equipment, and volunteer efforts—helped restore the shore path by clearing the debris and reconstructing the original walkway.

Walking along the Shore Path and shooting a roll of film will always be one of my favorite memories spent at Bar Harbor. Even though I’ve had some bad luck with expired film, I’m really happy with how this roll turned out!

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