Susan and I have been coming to our summer home on the Massachusetts South Coast in the town of Wareham for many years. Susan spent her childhood summers here at this small community of about 100 summer homes, Hamilton Beach, located on Quasuet Island in the town of Wareham.

It’s beautiful country here on the Massachusetts South Coast (aka “not quite Cape Cod”) as US Highway 6 winds between the Cape Cod Canal and New Bedford and includes the towns of Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Fairhaven. I’ve spent the past two months photographing on Quasuet Island, as well as at Neds Point in Mattapoisett. Scroll down to the first two galleries below to view examples of my work this summer.

One of my favorite places to visit here in Massachusetts is the Sandwich Glass Museum, (which admittedly is on Cape Cod, not the South Coast). Scroll down to the third gallery for more info.

Finally, a great aspect of being here at Hamilton Beach over the July 4th holiday is the spectacular fireworks show put on by a generous resident. Scroll down to the fourth gallery for some dramatic examples of this year’s show.

Hamilton Beach & Environs

Neds Point, Mattapoisett

The Sandwich Glass Museum

 Light playing on the glass invites close-up photography. Unlike my approach to landscape photography, I also use Photoshop to play around with colors and contrast. Especially notable among the museum’s exhibits is a small allow of glassware manufactured in the 19th century using uranium. The museum displays these under ultraviolet light, which causes the glass to emit an other-worldly green glow. For these two images I have not altered colors in Photoshop.

July 4th on Hamilton Beach

Even though fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts, beach communities all along the coast put on July 4th fireworks displays, while the authorities turn a blind eye to the tradition. As is the case every year, the Hamilton Beach display outdid all its beachy competitors, IMHO. Scroll down to the fourth gallery for some dramatic examples of this year’s show.