Evening in South Bristol

Setting Course for Sunset

It was great to get out for a quick photoshoot yesterday after a long dry spell. We’ve been dealing with some childcare issues lately, and are finally getting back to some normalcy, so I’m able to photograph more.

I had been watching the cloud forecasts, as is my wont, and noticed that there was the possibility of a good sunset. Where to go? Since I now live in Newcastle, a trip to South Bristol was long overdue. I came here many years ago and found the scenery hard to capture.

Last night, as on my previous visit, I gravitated towards the area around the Fisherman’s Co-op. It’s classic Maine lobster harbor scenery, and I loved the calm reflections we were experiencing.

The sunset was indeed vibrant, with the clouds lighting up in orange and pink hues right on cue. I struggled a bit to find interesting foregrounds. The bow of this lobster boat worked nicely to point into the scene.

Dinghies, I can photograph all day long. This is my kind of scene. The pilings were a bit aggressive visually, but they were there, so I had to work with them.

My favorite images made were these panoramas. I wanted to make an image that captured the full sweep of the scene in front of me.

The glory of a panorama is somewhat lost on a screen. To really appreciate these, they need to be viewed as a large print. Hopefully I’ll be making one of these soon!

The lack of both summer foliage and human activity is deeply felt, and I believe comes across in all of the images. That’s why I mostly stayed over where there is at least some year-round activity in the fishery. On most of the peninsula, the docks are still pulled out of the water, the lights are off, and the yards are very quiet.

My favorite part of South Bristol, and what I think really defines the community and sets it apart from many places in Maine, is the unique village around the drawbridge. It’s a little reminiscent of Southport, in Boothbay, which is nearby, but a lot more crowded and jammed with buildings. I find both areas difficult to capture because of the crammed space.

Last night I came close to capturing an image I like of this area, when the lights came on and we entered the deep blue hour. The lights in the village grocer, Osier’s Wharf, provided a great point of interest, but close inspection reveals that it’s really closed, with the dark windows on the ground floor in front, although it looks like someone is living on the second floor. Again, the story is a little forlorn, and I’m reminded of the lonely spaces of Edward Hopper’s paintings when I look at this.

I love points of entry, and thresholds. Many of my favorite images are taken on these thresholds of discovery, on the edges. That’s certainly true of this sweeping curve that takes you in to the village right after you crest a hill.

I’ll be back.

---