As spring approaches in Eastern Canada, many people’s travel plans begin to surface. Since many people plan trips to Nova Scotia during the spring we thought it may be a good time to do an article featuring some images from the Cabot Trail.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
My wife and I don’t find the eastern section of the Cabot Trail quite as scenic as the western shore (pictured above), but there are still spots like Lackie’s Head, Cape Smokey and Green Cove that offer good photographic opportunities on the eastern portion.
As you drive along the Cabot Trail you will come to an interesting variety of landscape and seascape image opportunities.
An iconic photograph for many people is that of the highway snaking along the undulating coastline.
As you get closer to Cheticamp on the western side of the Cabot Trail, you’ll find some interesting pull-offs where you can get closer to sea level and include rocks, driftwood and kelp in your compositions.
There are also some longer, straight sections of beach that can be used for dramatic leading lines.
At some of the pull-offs you’ll find large rocks near the shore which can serve as corner anchors in your photographs.
While not technically right on the Cabot Trail, there are fishing villages like Neil’s Harbour that are great places to stop to grab a bite to eat, treat yourself to an ice cream cone, or do a bit of exploring.
If you are interested in whale watching, Pleasant Harbour (photograph above) has a number of tour operators from which to choose.
As you cross over the many bridges along the route you’ll also have opportunities to compose images of small streams and waterfalls.
Plan for a minimum of a full day to traverse the Cabot Trail. If you want to include some of the more remote locations on Cape Breton Island, like a drive up to Meat Cove, you’ll need to add a day or two to this part of your trip.
If you have an interest in travelling in Nova Scotia you may want to consider our eBook, Nova Scotia Photography Tour. It is available as a PDF download for $12.99 Canadian.
Technical Note:
All photographs were captured hand-held with Nikon 1 gear as per the EXIF data. All images in this article were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO OpticsPro 11, CS6 and the Nik Collection.
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