If someone were to ask me what the most scenic harbor in New England was, I probably wouldn’t hesitate long before I replied: Stonington, Maine, on Deer Isle. Photographically speaking this is one of the prettiest and most accessible harbors you'll find in Maine. Stonington is also one of the most peaceful and undeveloped (in terms of tourism) seaside towns in Maine (and probably all of New England). In fact, I hesitate in even writing about this picture-perfect village because I don’t want to be responsible for one iota of development there (but all pretty towns depend on tourism at some level to survive and photographers tend to be good visitors).
The town of Stonington (population 1,164 as of July of 2005) is at the far southern tip of Deer Isle and you have to cross a series of small bridges and causeways on the Blue Hill peninsula to reach the town. Once there you will find surprisingly few tourist amenities—though there are a handful of nice (but very small) restaurants, several very nice B&B’s, a few gift shops and ice cream places. You can buy groceries at the Burnt Cove Market—a store that appears to be the social center of the town (and the place to get pizza to go if you’re heading down to watch the sunset at the harbor).
John Steinbeck wrote of Stonington in his wonderful book Travels with Charley: “Stonington, Deer Isle's chief town, does not look like an American town at all in place or in architecture. Its houses are layered down to the calm water of the bay.”
Steinbeck was exactly correct: While Stonington is pure New England in charm and character, it does have the look of a Nordic village or perhaps even a Mediterranean one. The harbor is surrounded by a steep hillside dotted with homes and cottages of many colors and late in the afternoon the hill is illuminated with a soft, golden light that has brought droves of artists here for decades. Fortunately for photographers the hillside and harbor catch the last rays at nearly the same exact times.
The harbor at Stonington is very accessible to photographers and there are several small docks and parking lots along the edge of the harbor from which you can work. You may have to park a street or two away on busy days, but the town’s streets almost all lead to the harbor and make a nice walk. The lighting on the harbor itself is extraordinarily pretty—especially early and late in the day.
Because this is a working fishing village and not much of a tourist destination, there are more lobster and fishing boats in the harbor than pleasure boats and this adds, I think, a unique quality to harbor shots. The boats work mostly in Penobscot Bay and I’m not sure exactly why, but most of the lobster boats were tethered to moorings in the harbor (as opposed to out working) when I’ve been there in June so there are lots of interesting boats close enough to shoot from shore. Also, several huge schooners visit the harbor regularly and if you’re lucky you’ll catch one pulling in for the evening, sails glowing in the sunset.
There are a number of B&Bs in the Stonington area, several very near the harbor, but if you’re planning on staying for a few days shooting, stay at Boyce’s Motel (snail mail: PO Box 94 - 44 Main Street Stonington, Maine 04681). Boyce’s is a tiny harbor-side motel on a hill overlooking the central part of the harbor and offers everything from small rooms to efficiencies (and apartments) with kitchens. The motel has been in business for 40 years and their rates are incredibly cheap (as low as $55/night in spring/fall) and it’s a very clean and fun motel and the owner lives there. The harbor is a thirty-second walk away.
For really spectacular sunsets (and I was guided there by the owner of Boyce’s) head over to Burnt Cove, a small inlet that's just a short drive away. The cove faces due west and the sunsets are incredible. There are some nice foregrounds to work with here, too: a few nice doc
ks with lobster traps stacked up, several working fishing boats and some nice tall pine trees on a small peninsula across the water. It’s a real find, make an effort to get there at sunset.
By the way, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is also on Deer Isle, a short but hilly drive from Stonington, and it's a fascinating place to visit. This is a residential craft colony so you have to be very careful not to bother artists at work, but there are many events to which the public is invited.
For more information check out the Deer Isle/Stonington Chamber of Commerce website where you’ll find everything you need to make travel plans. By the way, Deer Isle is just a two-hour drive from Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, so if you’re heading to Acadia, add a few days onto your trip to do some shooting in Stonington. Trust me on this, you will be happy you made the extra time and effort.
Thank you for this. My husband and I are going to Deer Isle this month and I was looking for photos of Stonington (and perhaps some tips, like yours) on the internet and finally figured out to try Flickr where I have some of my photos stored.
So glad you posted all the great information. Cheers!
Posted by: kate | August 02, 2009 at 12:57 PM