For the past two decades, Rocky Point Park has sat abandoned and closed to the public. The remnants of an amusement park could barely be seen, hidden under overgrown vegetation and behind chain link fences. Rocky Point Amusement operated from 1840 until going out of business and closing in 1995. The amusement park is a place that I visited often, and have very fond memories of.
Long Exposure of the Rocky Point Pier in Warwick
Over the years, Rocky Point has been a favorite spot for my camera and I to greet the sun. As it rises over the horizon, I enjoy the peace and tranquility that the spot brings. I recall summer nights spent at the amusement park, and standing along the shore as the summer day turned to night. The sound of laughter and the music from the midway drifting through the summer air. The smell of clam cakes and doughboys mixing with the salty sea air.
Yesterday (Saturday, October 25 2014) the park was once again opened to the public. The old amusement park is gone, but the 80+ acres it once occupied have been cleaned up and opened to the public. Combined with the 40+ acres that the city or Warwick has already made available to the public, this is going to be a wonderful location to explore!
In light of yesterdays opening of the park, I wanted to share a photograph that I took of the abandoned pier this past winter. This photograph was taken on a cold January morning, as a cold breeze blew off the water. As the wind whipped the clouds across the sky and turned the water into a choppy mess, I decided to try a long exposure of 34 seconds, causing the clouds to blur into streaks of color in the sky.
You can view more of my seascape photography in my galleries! I hope that you enjoy!