Bailey + Kevin’s Acadia Elopement on Film + Digital

Bailey and Kevin’s Acadia elopement was about returning to a place they already knew and loved, and letting it hold one more important memory. That is something I always encourage couples to think about when choosing where to elope. A place doesn't have to be somewhere you have already visited together, but it should feel connected to you in some way.

Maybe it reminds you of somewhere you grew up. Maybe you both feel most at home near the ocean. Maybe the landscape simply reflects the kind of experience you want to have together. The place you choose becomes part of the way you remember the day. For Bailey and Kevin, that place was Acadia.

Their elopement took us through some iconic landscapes, including Monument Cove and Otter Cliff Overlook, before ending with dinner and their reception at Sweet Pea’s Cafe in Bar Harbor.

And because they already love Acadia, photographing part of their elopement on film felt especially fitting. Film naturally carries a nostalgic quality, but I never want to use it simply to make something look old or vintage. Here, it felt like another way to photograph a day that was already rooted in memory.

Why Film Worked So Well for Their Acadia Elopement

I photograph elopements using both digital and film because each medium gives me something different. Digital allows me to react quickly and follow a moment as it unfolds. Film slows me down. It asks me to anticipate what is coming, decide what I want from a frame, and wait until the moment feels right. Neither compensates for the other. They simply allow me to respond to the day differently.

With Bailey and Kevin, I switched between both throughout their elopement. Digital gave me the freedom to document the full experience: the interactions, movement, landscape, family, and all of the moments happening around them. Film gave me another way to interpret some of those same moments.

Sometimes I wanted the immediacy and detail of digital. Other times, I saw something and knew I wanted the texture, softness, or unpredictability of one of my film cameras. That decision happens while I am photographing rather than afterward, and it is one of the things I love most about working with both.

The result isn’t two separate versions of an elopement, but one story told through slightly different visual languages.

Choosing an Elopement Location That Feels Like You

Bailey and Kevin are a perfect example of why I think location matters beyond choosing somewhere photogenic. They already love visiting Acadia every year, so their wedding photos connect to all the memories they've made before and all the ones they will make there afterward.

For their day, we explored Monument Cove and Otter Cliff Overlook, which gave us two very different versions of the Acadia landscape. These locations felt less like backdrops for their photos and more like part of the experience itself.

Film lends itself beautifully to that because different cameras and film stocks can interpret the same environment differently. Grain can make the rocks feel more tactile. Softer color can make a quiet coastline feel even calmer. A little movement or unpredictability can make a photograph feel less like a perfect record of a place and more like the way you remember being there.

But meaningful does not necessarily have to mean familiar. You can choose somewhere you have never visited and still feel deeply connected to it.

If you have always felt most at home near the coast, standing above the ocean might feel right in a way that a mountain summit never would. If you love quiet forest trails, that might reflect you more than a sweeping overlook. If your relationship revolves around slow mornings, good food, and time with the people you love, that can shape the day just as much as the landscape itself.

You do not need to build your day around what an Acadia elopement is “supposed” to look like. The landscape should support the kind of day you actually want to have.

Because once it does, the photographs become tied to the experience of being there together.

Their Elopement Reception at Sweet Pea’s Cafe

One of my favorite parts of Bailey and Kevin’s day was their reception at Sweet Pea’s Cafe in Bar Harbor. With laughter and conversations happening around the table, the atmosphere felt much more like a big family gathering than a formal wedding reception, which made it so much fun to photograph.

This is where I especially love the relationship between documentary photography and film. I still have to respond to what is happening around me, but with a film camera in my hands, I often watch a little longer before I photograph.

Some of the film frames from their reception have movement. Some have grain. The light behaves a little unexpectedly in places.

And instead of distracting from the photographs, those qualities help bring the atmosphere of the room back. When I look at them, I can almost hear the conversations and laughter around the table, and that is what matters to me.

Film Is Another Layer To Your Elopement Story

I never want couples to feel like their elopement has to turn into a photography production because I bring film cameras with me. You don’t need to pose differently or feel like you need to create moments specifically for film. And you definitely do not need to spend your wedding day wondering whether I am photographing something digitally or on film.

Bailey and Kevin simply got married. They explored a place they already loved, spent time with the people who mattered to them, and shared dinner to celebrate.

Sometimes digital makes more sense because I want complete freedom to react. Other moments make me want to slow down, compose carefully, and wait. And sometimes there is simply something about the light, the landscape, or the feeling of a moment that makes me know exactly which film camera I want to reach for.

The camera I choose may change throughout the day, but the goal stays the same: to photograph what is happening in a way that feels honest to the experience itself.

Acadia Elopement Photography on Film + Digital 

Bailey and Kevin’s elopement is exactly why I love photographing days this way. Digital gave me the freedom to follow everything as it unfolded, while film gave me space to slow down and interpret certain moments differently. Together, they gave me the flexibility to respond to the day without turning it into something it wasn’t.

And that is always the goal. Not to turn your elopement into a production, but to pay attention to what is already there — the people, the landscape, the quiet moments, the unexpected ones — and photograph it in a way that still feels like yours years later. 

If you are planning an Acadia or Maine elopement and want a gallery that blends documentary storytelling with film and digital photography, I would love to hear what you are planning.