I'm planning for a lonely RoadTrip next month from NYC to Bangor,Maine just to explore the Camera,NorthEast US.

I prefer to stay on the coastal side and not get to interior places and plan to visit cities enroute such as Boston,Portland etc

Need advice in shooting landscapes,portraits,Action,beaches,lakes,rivers,v alleys whatever, you name it.

Being a starter, I'd like some tips on :

shooting landscapes

route you can suggest

famous spots

safe driving -- ignore the next point

shooting pics while driving (Legal right? it's not cellphone)

What to look for

What not to look for

Hotels & Places to stay

That's a lot of questions. You might check out Yankee Magazine's website www.yankeemagazine.com for more info about New England and post some questions on the Foliage Forum because the moderator is a great photographer. Most of the info on the forum tends to be about fall but Jeff would probably be glad to answer any of your questions.

May should be a beautiful time. Apple orchards will be in blossom in central NH/NH coast around May 15 so I would suggest you check out some of the orchards in your travels. Some, like Gould Hill Orchard in Hopkinton NH have a pretty good view toward the White Mountains. I know you said Maine coast and you wanted to visit Boston ... but you could make an inland route to Maine and then return to NYC via Boston. The inland route would be from Hartford CT Rt 84 head to Springfield MA and then Rt 91 north to VT. Get off (think it's exit 3) in Brattleboro and head to Keene NH. From Keene, head to Concord NH. You'll eventually be on Rt 202 but instead of going as far as rt 89, turn left at Dunkin Donuts onto Rt 127. When you get into downtown Contoocook village, turn right. This will be a tour of small New England towns. Gould Hill will be a left hand turn.
I'm sure you can find other apple orchards but this has one of the finest views and this orchards might not be around much longer.
Return to Rt 103, follow it to Concord NH. Rt 4 will take you over to the seacoast with wonderful scenery when you get to the bridges that cross Great Bay. At Portsmouth traffic circle you can get on Rt 95 and after you go over the bridge, you're in Maine. Portsmouth has many scenic areas so you might take a detour via Rt 1B thru New Castle (see historic Wentworth hotel) and then over to coast. Rye NH is where the mansions are but they aren't open to the public.
You shouldn't have any trouble finding a place to stay except in college areas if it's graduation time. On your way to Bangor do NOT miss the view from the top of Mt Battie overlooking Camden ME harbor. There's an auto road.

What to look for is really up to you. I like to see people in pictures not just scenery unless there's a really good focal point like an antique tractor or farming implement. If you check around you might find some unique events like plow up days when they have antique tractors or draft horses plow up a field.

For a good map of all the back roads get a Maine Atlas and Gazeteer published by DeLorme. It will also provide you with the locations of waterfalls, covered bridges, good fishing spots, popular trails.

Thanks very much for the reply.Are these places you mentioned are safe in terms of driving,carrying photo gear,crime rates,getting mugged etc.

am driving alone and hence the concerns.

I'll definitely check the website you mentioned.

OK guys, I did some research on Maine coast lands in fodors and Google maps and other posts tagged as "ME" and trip reports on ME.

Here's what I wanna do and below are my Qs :

I'm planning to drive all the way up to Bangor,ME from NJ (where I live) and stay at a Hilton/Marriott in Bangor(racked up some points).I've skipped Boston/NH so I can concentrate on ME and I have about 5 days free of stay in Marriott/Hilton based on my points.I'm also thinking of splitting my stay betwen Bangor and Portland,ME.(Oh god,I have to tag ME for every Portland(ME) reference here,AAHHH!!)
This is because Graduation Day's coming up on May 8-10 and hotels may not be available in Bangor,I heard.Hence the change of plan.

After Portsmouth,NH,I'm planning to take RT-1 and drive to Bangor due to scenic route/coastal line, based on other responses.

Places considering to visit are :

Acadia NP
Blue Hill Peninsula
Camden
Belfast
Rockland
Brunswick
Portland
VinalHaven Island
Mount Desert Island
Bar Harbor

Interests :

Beaches
Ocean related views
Sea View
Boats/Short Boat Trips
Whale/Dolphin/Sea Life watching
Harbors
JetSki
Light Houses
Anything related to sea/water/ocean
Places and Drive similar to Key West,FL
Photography

Not Interested :

Museum
Guided Tours
Trails more than 2 miles
Hiking
Long Walking
Standing in long Queue for visiting a place/center
Wild Life, as am traveling alone, didn't wanna fall off the river (happened near Houston )


Questions :

Is Bangor a central spot to stay and drive to the above mentioned places?
Is RT-1 a scenic route or should I stick to I-95?
Is 3-4 days enough for these places for my interests?
What places to skip to squeeze my Bangor Stay for 3-4 days?
What places to not to miss while I stay at Bangor for 3-4 days?
Should I split my stay in Bangor for 4 days to Portland,ME 2 days and Bangor 2 days? would that be helpful to cover places around Portland,ME and Places around,Bangor,ME?
Should I reach first Bangor and cover the places around and descend to Portland on 3rd day ?
Should I take RT-1 while driving from NJ to Bangor or drive all the way to Bangor on I-95 and cover RT-1 while returning? There's addl 50-75 miles,if I take RT-1,you know.
Being an Asian/Indian,I have to ask this,Is ME safe?I'm concerned of hate crimes,racial discrimination etc (had some unpleasant experience in Arkansas,Missouri),Not to offend anyone?
Are the above places mentioned are safe for driving in daytime/evenings?

I can stretch the stay to 5 days,if needed.Hence, any response would be great and thanks in advance,

R

Also, Questions on traffic :

How about the traffic from NJ,I-95 to Bangor?
Is it iffy,bumper to bumper,construction,bad roads,too many tolls?Any aDvice on that?
will 10 hrs be realisitc for 440-498 miles from NJ to Bangor, thru I-95 direct, or I-95 and RT-1?

Here's the google link :

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...1,5.559082&z=8

If you want to get off the beaten track and not go quite so far, look to the eastern CT and RI shore areas. Great photo ops in the Mystic/Stonington CT area and the RI shore is also very nice. Check out Watch Hill, RI, and on Jamestown island go to Beavertail state park, very beautiful rugged shore, as well as Newport, RI. If you are going up to Maine, none of these are far off your path and well worth a stop.

You shouldn't have any problem traveling alone. A friend of DS is Asian and I was shocked to hear of problems he had in the south but I don't think you should have a problem in the northeast. Keep in mind that Bangor is more industrial. This is closer to Maine's logging industry. Dysart's truck stop is a great place to eat esp if you're on a budget.
It will be too cold in May for any jetskis esp on the ocean. Right now water temps are in the 40s. A lot of people don't go in the water until August. Beaches - south of Portland you will find sandy beaches, north of Portland beaches tend to be very rocky. I think there are only a couple of sandy beaches north of Portland.
Maine's southern coast is very built up. Rt 1 starting in Kittery is congested with outlet mall traffic. It thins out here and there but basically we stay on I-95 until we get to Brunswick. Then we get on Rt 1. If you are traveling on a Friday, expect commuting traffic to be compounded by people taking off for the weekend. I don't think i-95 all the way from NJ is recommended. We try to avoid NYC by using the Tappanzee bridge, then aim for Hartford CT. North of Hartford you could take I90 (toll road) to Rt 495 to Rt 95.
Portland ME is a seaport that appeals to tourists. Great restaurants, shopping area, etc.
I think Bangor is too far inland for you even though you have free nights. I'm not familiar with Key West. You need to get off Rt 1 and drive down some peninsulas to see some of the working harbors. From Brunswick head to Five Islands Lobster, for example. The hike to Owls Head Light is easy, more of a long walk. Terrific view after you climb the stairs. Don't miss the little rocky beach that's off another trail. You would also get a lot of water views around Boothbay Harbor but since you are going to Mt Dessert/Acadia you will have plenty of photo ops there.
I think in ME you should feel safe. From Camden to Bar Harbor is a lot of lonely road. I've never had a problem with moose but if you see signs for moose, pay extra attention. They cause a lot of car accidents.
You are squeezing a lot of territory into 5 days. I would spend 2 days in Portland, visit Camden on the way north to Bar Harbor. Find a place to stay in the Bar Harbor area. Visit Rockland on the way back.
I think coastal Maine welcomes all tourists. I don't think you should have any problem unless it's the culture shock between city/NJ and rural areas. You might find it too quiet at night. Also black flies are just starting in central NH. I hope your trip doesn't coincide with black flies in ME. Insects seems to find visitors esp tasty. There should be a problem in city area/lots of pavement but might be on wooded trails (like the one to Owls Head Light).