Rockport Massachusetts Photography
Rockport is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The 2010 census recorded a population of 6,952. Rockport is located approximately 40 miles northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. It is directly east of Gloucester and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on three sides.
Rockport is primarily a suburban residential and tourist town but is still home to many lobster fishers and artists. Its rocky beaches and seaside parks are favorites of visitors from the Greater Boston Area and Rhode Island, among other locations.
If you want more than just photography, there are excellent restaurants, shops, and beaches. You can rent kayaks and bikes. There are river cruises to take and beaches to visit, but the most recognizable spot is our Image above, Motif #1. It has a strange name, but that is what it is called. It does make for a great photography spot.
Try to do something different, like our image above. It is one of the most photographed places in this state, so bring an ND filter and get some moving waters, or maybe a different angle from a boat might work. Be creative here. Don’t just come home with the same straight-on shot every other tourist in the world comes back with.
Motif 1 has brilliant colors, so shoot it while the sun is out to make it burst. It can be moody here, too, so do some night photography, and if you get lucky, you might get a misty morning.
There is much to do besides photography, but enough to keep you photographing for a day or more. Here are a few things nearby to photograph. We were on our way out of the area and will go back to explore more to show you the complete area.
Hammond Castle is nearby. ItIt is located on the Atlantic coast in the Magnolia area of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and offers tremendous indoor photography opportunities. It is a backup plan for a cloudy or rainy day.
The Ocean Alliance Building is a great spot to shoot, and along the way, you will find fishing docks and some quaint little town photography.
BEST TIME TO GO
Go during the Milky Way season. Nearby Halibut State Park is a 5-yellow on the Bortle scale of darkness to pair this up with Milky Way Photography. Be sure to see our Milky Way page so you understand the Milky Way is only visible during certain times.
HOW LONG TO PHOTOGRAPH
We stayed about an hour at this location.
HOW TO GET THERE
ADDRESS FOR GPS:
Bearskin Neck Wharf, Rockport, MA 01966
(978) 546-2420
OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY NEARBY
Pair this Photography spot with the Hammond Castle and Ocean Alliance.
HOW BUSY DOES IT GET?
We were there midweek, with few people around, but it wasn’t summer or the weekend. It was off-season.
RESTAURANTS, CAMPING & WEATHER – SEE BELOW
Ocean Alliance is nearby to Rockport and a great photo hot spot in itself.
Nearby Hammond Castle is a great spot to get some interior and exterior photos. It is a good place to keep in mind for a rainy day.
Castle Manor Inn – Best Place to Stay when in Rockport.
See details below. Don’t stay anywhere else!