Douglas Park Media

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Brunswick/Topsham

Down by the River. Down by the river with just a pivot or short walk you can change the scene from a bucolic natural backdrop to the gritty urban backdrop of a mill building, a hydroelectric dam, or an active construction scene. It offers several historic architectural backdrops. Here you can get it all: natural beauty, architectural beauty and history, local icons, urban grit, and the working waterfront.

Several public access points exist on both sides of the Androscoggin. Of course the Grandaddy of them all is the Swinging Bridge, an engineering marvel that touches both towns and leads, on the Topsham side, to the Androscoggin River Walk which is bookended by the bright yellow of the Great Bowdoin Mill. Further downstream in Topsham you will find a hidden gem. The Smart Property managed the Brunswick Topsham Landtrust, with parking on Elm Street, is just a short walk to the reedy shore of the river where a canopy of towering silver elms throws a beautiful autumn light over a perspective on the river that is never rarely seen from a car.

Likewise, on the Brunswick side of the river the bike path, Pinette’s Landing, and two Water Street boat launches offer unique views up the river from its very edge. The old black railway trellis presents a nice counterbalance to the concrete of the Coastal Connector,. Further upstream Brunswick’s 250th Anniversary Park, just across the street from Fort Andross, is a little used pocket park that offers tremendous views over to Topsham and downstream. If water conditions are right, a scramble over some rip-rap will put you beneath the Green Bridge.

Thanks to the Folks at the Androscoggin River Walk, the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, and the Town of Brunswick Department of Parks and Recreation for providing a great place for great photos.

Brunswick

Simpson’s Point. Simpson’s Point Landing is another well loved facility maintained by Brunswick’s Parks and Recreation team. Always popular with swimmers, the location is so well loved that you can expect a fair number of other visitors. Due to its orientation and the fact that there is very little public access on the west side of the landing, portrait photography is generally best done there in the morning or on overcast days. My favorites from last season are this pair. Both are candids really as the subjects weren’t posing so much as reacting to something said in the background.

Barnes Landing. By contrast, Barnes Landing, another property managed by the Town of Brunswick, offers ample space on its west side so afternoon photos with light muted by the woods up on the promontory. At the end of Pennelville Road, Barnes landing is maintained primarily as an access point to the bountiful clam flats of Middle Bay Cove. The access is point is neither conducive to vehicles nor to swimming so aside from shell fisherman and the occasional walker the point is generally quiet. Views span some 250° and include great vistas of the islands of Middle Bay, and the boathouse across Middle Bay Cove at Skolfield Shores Preserve.

Maquoit Conservation Area

The Maquoit Consevstion Area is owned and maintained by the Town of Brunswick and the Brunswick Tophsam Land trust has an easement over the property. There’s a nice gravel parking lot just off Bunganuc Road with an informative kiosk. A fifteen minute walk through the woods will take you to the western edge of Maquoit Bay. The walk is easy, not so much a hike as a stroll, though it can be wet. To either side of you you will see plummeting ravine edges that drop down to two of the many creeks that drain into Maquoit Bay. Once at the Bay’s edge you’ll find a couple of informative plaques describing the natural phenomena you’ll observe as you take in the view. North up the Bay you will see Wharton Point and the intersection of Maquoit and Woodside Roads. Across the Bay to the east you’ll see Mere Point and looking down the Bay you will see more of Casco Bay and the Islands. If the tide is out there will be plenty of diggers as these are some of Brunswick’s prolific clam flats. The shellfishermen access the flats from the public landing at Wharton Point.

So far I haven’t shot any senior portraits here. I do find it a great place too explore in the winter time when the frozen creeks and edges of Bay expand the walkable areas and allows you to see the landscape from a different perspective. I’d be more than happy to get a winter time portrait down there.

Wharton Point

Maquoit Landing at Wharton Point offers a picturesque view of Maquoit Bay. The landing provides boat launch access to Maquoit Bay.  The shallow mud flats attract a wide variety of waterfowl. This property is owned by the State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and maintained by the Town of Brunswick. It’s a fairly busy place. Even with the tide up and no diggers around a lot of folks use the parking lot as a great place to take in the view without much walking. As a result, making portraits down there would take some patience as we work around other visitors and the impact of vehicles on views.

Woodward Point Preserve

Wood Point is another great cooperative venture between the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust (BTLT), Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), and the Town of Brunswick. The Woodward Point property totals 87.5 acres of uplands. In addition, there are more than 38 acres of subtidal wetlands and almost four acres of fringing salt marsh. Most of the intertidal lands are state-mapped significant shellfish beds as well as high-value waterfowl and wading bird habitat. The fields found on the preserve today were once part of an active farming operation that included dairy and beef cows, as well as hay production. Previous owners also built a dam on the western side of the point that forms a small pond. Working with Ag Allies the preserve now manages its haying operations to maximize nesting bird habit for Bobolinks and Savannah Sparrows. As a result the wild flowers down there are prolific and don’t get hayed under as early in the season as they might other places.

Another interesting feature is an ADA compliant trail that makes getting outdoors possible even for those with limited mobility.

But the best thing for photos is the light. Because there are plenty of deciduous trees, and the stretches of woods are long and unbroken, the light of the rising or setting sun is filtered through the trees is a pleasing dappled manner. One of the photos attached here is not a senior portrait at all but the lighting is great. I was pleased when MCHT asked to use it one of their annual memberships mailings.

Crystal Spring Farm

Topsham

Head of Tide Park.

I’d like to shoot some photos at Head of Tide Park in Topsham, or anywhere along the Cathance. But those falls at Head of Tidewould make a nice backdrop

Bowdoinham

Wildes Road Wildlife Management Area

If you want a great look over Merrymeeting Bay this is the spot. Low tide provides some excellent reflections off the mud if the light is right.

Harpswell

Skolfield Shores

Just on the Harpswell side of the town line on Route 123 behind the historic Merrucoonegan Farm you’ll find Skolfied Shores Preserve, a property managed but he Harpswell Heritage Land Trust. With fields, salt marsh and more than 4,000 feet of shoreline on Middle Bay Cove, Skolfield Shores Preserve is well-suited for a pleasant walk or spotting a wide range of birds, from meadowlarks to terns.

The main trail system includes the Hemlock Loop and the Merrucoonegan Loop. For a total of one mile, these loops wind through varied forest habitat and provide views of the cove, the salt marsh separating Brunswick and Harpswell and the fields of historic Merrucoonegan Farm. A spur trail leads to a turn of the century boathouse along the shore.

Mitchell Field, Stover’s Cove, and Pott’s Point.

For a variety of recreational offerings, Mitchell Field can’t be beat. This 120-acre former U.S. Navy fuel depot property was transferred to the Town of Harpswell in 2001 from the federal government. It boasts several miles of paved and gravel paths, a sandy beach, a bandstand that hosts outdoor concerts, and the Harpswell Community Garden.

Mitchell Field a great place for walking, bicycling, swimming, playing on the beach, cross-country skiing, picnicking, and so much more. On clear days, you can see Mount Washington 80 miles to the west. The easy outer perimeter gravel road is wide and level, making it a great choice for almost anyone to traverse. There are trails running through the woods where you can seek relief from the sun with tall old growth trees and grassy trails.Stover’s Point Preserve is a narrow gravel sandbar that wraps itself around a salt marsh. Salt marshes are unique, productive and sensitive habitats with plants and animals that are adapted to the changing tides and water conditions.

Grasses grow well here, forming the base of a food web that includes fish, birds and shellfish. Please do not park or walk on the marsh grass.

The public is welcome to enjoy the peaceful beauty of Stover’s Point Preserve. It’s a great place for swimming, relaxing on the gravel beach, exploring the tidal stream, kayaking or paddleboarding, and enjoying the view of the iconic Cribstone Bridge. Bring water shoes to protect your feet from numerous barnacles. Please check our visitor guidelines below for hours and dog leash rules. Parking is limited. Speed limit 5 mph.

If you love exploring the ocean shoreline, this tiny preserve has just about everything you could want. There are extensive tide pools to explore, a gravel beach and dramatic views of Casco Bay. Standing at the southern tip of the preserve, you can enjoy an unparalleled view of a number of the islands that make Casco Bay so special including: Haskell, Pinkham, Bailey, Upper Flag, Thrumcap, and Eagle Islands.

Land’s End, The Giant’s Stairs, and Johnson Field at Mackerel Cove

Land’s End is another busy spot. It’s at the very end of the road on Bailey Island. With its gift shop and a parking lot that drops you off just s short walk from a great view it attracts a lot of people doing short visits. Even so it has a great Panoramic view over the outer portions of Casco Bay. If you really want to make the most of this trip it would be a great idea to also stop off at the nearby Giant’s Staircase, or Johnson Field over looking Mackerel Cove. This will help vary the shooting options and provide different orientations to the sun and wind direction—the shore is a great place for scenery but the wind plays havoc with hair!

Freeport

Pettingell Farm

The Salt Marshes and Rivers at Penningill Farm provide a fine waterfront backdrop but the fields and hills below the saltbox farm house present a great opportunity to recreate Wyeth’s Christina’s World.

Owned and stewarded by the Freeport Historical Society, historic Pettengill Farm features 140-acres of woodlands and fields bordered by the tidal Harraseeket River. The saltbox farmhouse was built c.1810 by Aaron Lufkin with the longest period of ownership by the Pettengill family. Occupied until about 1970, it remains in its original state with no electricity or plumbing. The site offers four walking trails of varying length and difficulty. Visitors are invited to enjoy the grounds dawn to dusk every day of the year

Phippsburg

Popham/Ft.Baldwin

The Basin

Bumper/Mt. Merritt

Sewall/Morse Mountain

Sebasco Beach