BAR HARBOR MOTEL: RETRO BY NATURE

When a property undergoes a renovation as specific as the one at the Bar Harbor Motel, the photography has to do more than just document the new furniture. It has to sell the "vibe" of the new identity. For this architectural photography portfolio piece, I wanted to capture how those MCM details actually live in the space—how the light hits the wood grain and how the pop of color on a door feels like an invitation to the trails just down the road.

Hospitality photography in New England can often get precious and sterile. You see a lot of wide-angle shots of empty lobbies that look like they’ve never seen a guest. My goal here was different: I wanted narrative architectural photography that shows a property looking like the best version of itself. It’s about showing that this is an intentional entry point to Acadia National Park, not just a convenient place to park the car for the night.

During the shoot, I focused on the textures that make the "Retro By Nature" theme work. We looked for the intersection of the indoors and out—the way the retro fixtures play against the Maine pine trees visible through the windows. As a commercial photographer in Portsmouth, NH, I’m always looking for that "lightning in the veins" moment where a brand's physical space finally aligns with its mission. At the Bar Harbor Motel, that mission is about being a rugged yet refined home base for explorers.

By the time we wrapped, we had a library of hospitality marketing photos that felt grounded and authentic. Whether it was the close-up of the vintage-inspired hardware or the wide shots of the updated exteriors, every frame was a deliberate choice to show that "retro" doesn't have to mean "dated." It can mean timeless, functional, and perfectly suited for its environment.