Capturing Coastal Rhode Island: A Photographer's Guide to Westerly's Hidden Gems

Any aviation enthusiast knows about 'golden hour' – that magical time when the sun sits low on the horizon, casting everything in warm, dimensional light. In Westerly, Watch Hill peninsula delivers the quintessential New England coastal golden hour experience.

I arrived at Watch Hill Lighthouse about 45 minutes before sunset, giving myself ample time to scout compositions. The 1856 lighthouse stands proudly on Watch Hill Point, offering 180-degree views of Block Island Sound. During summer evenings, the lighthouse creates a striking silhouette against the orange and pink sky, while fishing boats return to harbor, adding dynamic elements to your frame.

For the technically minded photographers (like this pilot who appreciates precise measurements), I recommend shooting at f/8-f/11 to maintain sharpness throughout your scene while using your ND filter kit to balance the bright sky with the darker foreground. The circular stone base of the lighthouse offers compelling leading lines, particularly when shot from a low angle.

Just like plotting the perfect flight path, finding Napatree Point Conservation Area requires some navigation. This 1.5-mile sandy peninsula extends westward from Watch Hill, creating a natural barrier between Little Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

I arrived at dawn when the light was soft and the crowds nonexistent. The peninsula's dual-facing shores offer two completely different photographic experiences: the bay side provides calm waters and distant Connecticut shores, while the ocean side delivers dramatic waves and unobstructed horizons.

My approach was to hike the entire peninsula with my waterproof backpack carrying my gear. The peninsula's wildlife sanctuary status means you'll encounter numerous shorebirds – I spent an hour photographing piping plovers with my 70-200mm lens. These endangered birds skitter along the shoreline, creating delightful minimalist compositions against the sand.

The real magic happened when I reached the western tip, where the ruins of Fort Mansfield emerge from the dunes. These concrete structures, weathered by a century of salt air, create fascinating textural foregrounds against the expansive ocean backdrop. For the technically inclined, focus stacking works wonders here to maintain sharpness from the foreground ruins to the distant horizon.

When crosswinds make aerial photography challenging, I often turn my lens to architecture. Downtown Westerly offers a preserved slice of 19th-century New England that provides rich photographic opportunities regardless of weather conditions.

The Westerly Downtown Historic District centers around a stunning granite post office and former customs house. This Romanesque Revival building features intricate stonework that comes alive with side lighting in late afternoon. I found the best vantage points by crossing the Pawcatuck River to the Connecticut side, which frames the downtown skyline with the river in the foreground.

For interior architecture, Westerly Library's Victorian reading room offers gorgeous natural light through tall windows – just be mindful of patrons and request permission before shooting. I used my camera stabilizer for smooth panning shots of the ornate ceilings and bookshelves.

During blue hour (that brief period after sunset when the sky turns deep blue), the illuminated facade of the United Theatre creates a cinematic scene straight from a Wes Anderson film. The contrast between the warm interior lights and the cool blue sky requires careful exposure balancing – I typically underexpose by about 2/3 stop to preserve the rich blue tones.

Some of my best aerial discoveries come from spotting interesting geographic features from above, and Westerly's coastal ponds are precisely that type of hidden gem. These brackish water bodies sit just inland from the Atlantic beaches, creating fascinating ecological transition zones.

Weapapaug Pond offers the most accessible photography from the Weekapaug Bridge. I arrived an hour before sunrise, setting up my portable camping chair and waiting for the first light. As the sun crested the horizon, the still waters created perfect reflections of the colorful sky and distant beach houses. The marshes surrounding the pond host abundant birdlife – I spotted great blue herons and egrets hunting in the shallows.

For more adventurous photographers, Quonochontaug Pond requires a bit more effort but delivers more intimate scenes. I rented a kayak from a local outfitter and paddled out at sunrise with my camera secured in my waterproof camera bag. The perspective from water level reveals fascinating patterns where marsh grasses meet the water, especially when backlit by morning light.

The breeze tends to die down completely around sunrise, giving you about 30 minutes of glass-like water conditions perfect for reflection shots. When composing these scenes, I find it helpful to think like a pilot – look for leading lines (channels through the marsh) and consider the 'flight path' your viewer's eye will take through the image.

As a pilot who's constantly monitoring weather patterns, I know that clear skies don't always make for the most compelling photographs. That's why I was thrilled when a passing summer storm created dramatic cloud formations over Misquamicut State Beach during my visit.

This three-mile stretch of sandy beach is Westerly's most popular destination, which typically means avoiding it for serious photography. However, arriving 30 minutes after a thunderstorm passed through rewarded me with moody skies, wet sand creating perfect reflections, and most importantly – very few people.

I set up my travel tripod at the water's edge and attached my variable ND filter to achieve exposure times between 1-5 seconds. This technique transformed the incoming waves into ethereal mist while maintaining the drama in the cloud formations above. Working quickly between wave sets requires the same rapid decision-making I use in the cockpit – assess, adjust, execute.

Don't miss the eastern end of the beach where a small jetty creates a perfect compositional element. Position yourself low to use the rock formation as a leading line pointing toward the Block Island silhouette on the horizon. After sunset, the ambient light from nearby beach bars creates interesting color contrasts with the deepening blue hour sky – a challenging but rewarding high-dynamic-range scenario.