Out of all of the spots I have scouted for classic rough New England shore imagery, Beavertail State Park / Lighthouse may be the best one.   There are beautiful rock formations to frame images and with moderate wind, especially at high tide, the rocks awash in the ocean’s fury give lots of creative latitude.  The lighthouse itself remains fully operational and its fresnel would make for interesting longer exposure opportunities.  On the rock formations one must proceed with care, a good pair of traction boots is a must.  Each step must be chosen carefully since some of the descents are steep and the formations closer to the water’s edge are very slippery.

This foray brought a welcome meeting of a few photographers.  First, I met an accomplished bird photographer who was photographing some ducks from the shore.  According to him, Beavertail is the best place for seal sightings in these parts.  On the way into Jamestown where the park exists, I captured some frostbite sailors tucking away their beautiful wooden Shellback vessels.   I went into a nice cafe on the waterfront and the whole crew was sitting on the outside deck overlooking the east passage of Narragansett Bay, the Jamestown Bridge and Jamestown Harbor.  The Shellback “world” regatta will be held in Jamestown this summer and arrangements were made for me to photograph the regatta for them.  That will be the absolute BOMB!  They are great folks.  Here is the Shellback fleet stowing things away. Dennis Conner is a member of this club and always berthed his boat here.  I recall a day with my brother David sailing in my woefully slow center-board sloop and Connor’s boat, with him smirking at me from the helm, passed Sophie like she was stuck in cement.

Jamestown is about a half-hour car ride from home.  Next weekend I will go to Napatree Point in Westerly, Rhode Island.  It is the most picturesque beachfront here, and it has beautiful sand dunes and sea vistas.  Stay tuned for that post.

This is the view from the cafe overlooking the east passage, a great place to have lunch and enjoy things after a morning shoot.  The Jamestown Bridge is in the background, connecting the Jamestown to Newport’s western shore.

All images were taken with the phenomenal Nikon D850 and Nikon 24 – 70 lens.