Howie Motenko

• Audio description of "Acadia Moon Dance: Little Hunters Beach" by Howie Motenko

  
  

  Audio description of "Acadia Moon Dance: Little Hunters Beach" by Howie Motenko, an artist-in-residence at Acadia in 2019.
  Audio Transcript

  This 15 by 20-inch black and white photograph is a long exposure night scene illuminated by moonlight. It depicts a small cove along rocky Atlantic coastline with hints of a dense conifer forest tree line rising from a low cliff-face across the water. A bright white illuminated mist hangs above cracks and crevasses in the rocks, a result of the photograph’s long exposure of sea spray splashing in the moonlight.

Acadia Moon Dance: Little Hunters Beach

Photo courtesy of Howie Motenko. Used with permission.

Acadia Moon Dance is the result of exploring Acadia National Park during 24 full moons. Here I offer a novel perspective of Acadia’s landscape. Applying my intimate knowledge of Acadia, infusing the evening weather conditions, and calculating the moon’s position, inspires my creativity and curiosity while producing these images.

Photographing with moonlight as the only source of illumination requires long exposures, between 30 seconds and eight minutes, producing a soft light with gentle shadows. Choosing to present my images in black and white represents a realistic view of how our human eyes perceive the primeval, nighttime landscape.

The moonlight’s illumination reveals a mystical scene in an otherwise dark landscape. No matter the weather or season, this project represents my love of the Acadia’s quiet stillness, intense power, serene solitude, and constant companionship.

– Howie Motenko

Howie Motenko

Photo courtesy Peter McCutchen

Landscape photographer, Howie Motenko, lives in Seal Harbor, Maine where he draws continuous inspiration from Acadia National Park, literally in his backyard. Howie’s creativity, combined with his long-term project perseverance, has led to two community collaborative projects: Painting Islands and Painting Bridges. His current project is a series of unique moonlit Acadia landscapes.

Howie is the recipient of a Maine Arts Commission grant for his Painting Islands project and was honored with the Friends of Acadia “Community Volunteer Award” for his Painting Bridges project.

Solo exhibitions from his projects include: Maine State Capitol, at various venues on Mount Desert Island including Acadia National Park, and even on a ship, the Sunbeam V, which reaches Maine’s year-round outer islands. Through print sales from these projects, Howie is proud to have donated over $5000 to local non-profit organizations.

Howie leads photography tours and workshops through his business, Acadia Photo Safari. He holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Harvard University. Visit his website.

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