Rhode Island wall art by Mike Dooley: photographs from more than 30 years on the Rhode Island coast, including Narragansett, Newport, Jamestown, Warwick, Providence and Block Island. Prints from $75 on paper or metal. Orders are paused while I move to Florida.
Walking Every Inch of Rhode Island
I’ve always had a camera. Kodak 110s, then disc cameras. When I enlisted, my grandfather told me to go to Save Rite on Warwick Avenue and get a good camera, so I came home with a 35mm Canon SLR that looked just like his. Mine only had a fully automatic mode. I didn’t know about aperture or shutter speed, and I didn’t know there was anything to know. Press the shutter, get a good photo. Pa’s cameras were all older, so he’d had to learn manual exposure, and he had no idea mine was doing all the work. He just knew my frames were exposed perfectly every time. As far as he was concerned, I was a natural.
In 2008 my wife gave me my first dSLR for our anniversary, and it opened my mind to the craft of photography. Every weekend after that we packed the car with camera gear, folding chairs, snacks and drinks, and hit the road. We covered the state from north to south and east to west: the woods and reservoirs up north, the beaches of the south coast, and hundreds of miles of Narragansett Bay in between.
This little state has over 400 miles of coastline. I tried my darndest to walk every inch of it. Not even close. But I made a real dent, a lot of memories, and an image or two along the way.
Chasing the Click
I call it Chasing the Click. The click is the shutter, but it is also the whole session, from the cold drive out in the dark to the moment I fall into the viewfinder and look up three or four hours later, ready for a hot cup of coffee. Then breakfast: French toast, home fries, a big glass of milk. By the time I’m halfway through it, the photography is usually over.
I try to take the chaos of the world and show the beauty in everyday life, right around the corner. You don’t have to go somewhere great to take a great shot.
Where to Start
Narragansett Town Beach. Easy parking, an easy walk, and a great sandy beach for sunrise. I have made many, many images here. Time the tide after a big storm and old wooden pilings emerge from the sand, a hidden link to the resort days of the past.
Beavertail State Park, Jamestown. At the tip of a very rocky island you can shoot both sides of the lighthouse at both sunrise and sunset. The park is big enough to offer rocky coastline with an unlimited number of compositions. Safety first, though: take your time on the rocks and watch the waves.
Fishermen’s Memorial Park, Point Judith. Photograph Point Judith Lighthouse from a distance, from the top of the hill. Or take the rocky coastline walk right up to the lighthouse.
Point Judith and Beavertail were always popular stops on the workshops I ran over the years, with my friend Bob and on my own. Both are easy to get to, and both have rockier options for the more adventurous.
Why I Shoot in Winter
Most of the time it’s butt-cold, so I shoot in winter and have these places to myself. Air temperatures of minus 4 with a stiff wind off the ocean keep most people home. There is another bonus: in Providence the sun comes up as early as 5:09 AM in mid-June and as late as 7:13 AM in early January. That is two more hours in bed, and breakfast before 10.
While the coastline is my focus, you can’t help exploring other places and styles. Photographing a city at night is a fun-filled adventure of its own. Every place below has its own page, its own prints, and its own reasons for why I keep going back.
Prints from this page: Narragansett Beach Sunrise, Point Judith Lighthouse, Newport Bridge at Night from Taylor Point, Castle Hill Lighthouse, Watch Hill Light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy a print of a Rhode Island photograph right now?
Not yet. Print orders are paused while I move to Florida. Prints start at $75 on paper or metal. If there is a Rhode Island photograph you want when the shop reopens, tell me which one and I’ll write you back.
Which Rhode Island places have you photographed?
Narragansett, Newport, Jamestown, Warwick including Rocky Point, Providence and Block Island. Each place has its own page with prints and the story behind them.
How long have you photographed the Rhode Island coast?
More than 30 years. Most of my prints come from Rhode Island.
Prints are paused while I move to Florida. Want to know the day they reopen? Send me a note and I’ll add you to the list.
Choose your coast