Howie Motenko
Photo by Peter McCutchen
Howie founded Acadia Photo Safari in 2013 and continues to lead many safaris. He has spent over ten years photographing Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island. A local resident and professional photographer, Howie shares his intimate knowledge of Mount Desert Island and accomplished photographic skills on every safari.
Travel and landscape photography are in his blood. Howie has visited 6 continents, 33 countries and 28 states. Back in the 'film days' he traveled with two camera bodies, one with color film and one with black and white film, swapping lenses depending on the picture he was capturing.
Howie's workshops are infused with a passion for photography, his enthusiasm for learning and teaching, and a love of Acadia National Park create a valuable experience for all safari guests.
Josh Winer
Josh’s first memories of MDI are family vacations camping and exploring Acadia National Park. Josh was so taken with MDI’s natural beauty that he chose to attend the only area college, College of the Atlantic, focusing on public policy and photography.
Josh continued his education in Boston, earning a Masters of Fine Arts in photography. He then discovered fulfillment teaching photography at the college level. Josh returned to MDI eight years ago to raise his family and teach photography at College of the Atlantic.
Josh and his son, Griffin love exploring, hiking, and biking every nook and cranny of Acadia. When Griffin was 6 years old, they biked 100 miles of carriage roads to celebrate the Park’s 100th anniversary. Josh’s vast photographic knowledge and sense of adventure provide the perfect atmosphere for safari guests to learn while exploring Acadia.
Brenda Beckett
Brenda, a licensed Coast Guard Captain, pilots our sunset cruise. She has always lived near the ocean and has a wealth of experience on the water. Brenda's lifelong interest in photography, inspired by her father’s career at Polaroid, has honed her eye for creating beautiful images. The combination of technical boating expertise along with her artistic vision provides Brenda the unique ability to gracefully maneuver the boat and place you in the optimal location to create amazing photos.
Brenda has always enjoyed visiting Acadia, traveling here since her college days for camping trips with friends. Brenda and Howie made Mount Desert Island their permanent home several years ago and think it’s the best decision they ever made. When not captaining the boat, Brenda works as a Physician Assistant at the local hospital.