About the Artist
Michael Hudson is an award-winning artist-photographer with 35 years’ experience as a self-employed professional photographer– photography is the one and only job he’s ever done. He first visited Maine in 2006 to photograph Acadia National Park and in 2014 he published the very first edition of The Photographer's Guide to Acadia, (now in its third edition). His popular coffee table book, Under October Skies/ Autumn in Acadia came out soon after. Prints of his work have been sought after by collectors in the United States and internationally, and posters of his photography are sold in the Acadia Visitor Center. His work has also appeared in magazines like COLOR (a magazine for collectors of fine art photography), National Geographic Traveler, Conde Nast Traveler, Washingtonian, f/11, Opal Magazine, Bangor Metro, and most recently, Medium Format Magazine and Elements Magazine, among many others.
In 2018, one of his images of a sunrise at Hunters Head was featured on the Acadia National Park annual visitors pass, used by thousands of visitors every time they entered the park. In 2017, Mike won the Best of Show award at the Bar Harbor (Maine) Art in the Park festival for the second year running and in 2017, he won the grand prize in the prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year Black and White competition. Last year, one of his photos was on the cover of the Bar Harbor Visitor's Guide, seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors to Bar Harbor and Acadia.
He has also done commercial photography for several hotels in the Bar Harbor area, who use the images on their websites and in marketing materials, and recently was hired to do photography for the College of the Atlantic, based in Bar Harbor.
“I’m all about photographing Beauty in all its forms, and Acadia has been my muse in that regard for eighteen years. There’s something about a beautiful image that can stop you dead in your tracks; I’m continually striving to create images that you’ll want to hang on your wall and stare at again and again. I’ve seen people brought to tears when they’re looking at one of my photographs– they were so moved by the beauty of the image– and that’s the highest compliment I’ve ever received. While I’ve written books about Acadia and taught photography in workshops and classrooms to thousands of people in the US and UK, there’s nothing that tops the pleasure I get from seeing one of my images on someone’s wall.
“The great thing about Acadia is that it's one of the most diverse of all the national parks; it has everything- mountains, beaches, ocean coastline, woods, lakes, streams– all within a few minutes’ drive or hike. And the weather always varies- misty, bright, rainy and clear- meaning there’s a great variety in the look of the landscape. I’ve been to dozens of national parks around the United States, but none match up to the diversity and compact size of Acadia.
"In my photography, I’m always trying to go beyond the postcard views. I'm not trying to photograph a record of a location (i.e. snapshots); I strive to create an artistic image that reveals something of the character and atmosphere of the place– its essence or spirit. Legendary National Geographic photographer David Alan Harvey once said, “Don’t shoot what it looks like, shoot what it feels like,” and that sums up my attitude to landscape photography. I approach my work as an artist who uses a camera to create art, not a photographer out ‘taking pictures’. I’m always saddened by how many Acadia visitors I see who drive up, leave their car running, snap a picture or two, then race off again to find the next ‘beauty spot’. I prefer to get a sense of the place, linger a while and wait for good light before I even get my camera out. Snapshots are great for remembering what a place looked like, but I try to move beyond the snapshot and create art with every exposure I make.
"I'm available for commissions and assignments. Please email for details. I'm represented by Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor, Maine.
Visit www.hudsonfineart.com to see my photography beyond Maine.