Ralston Gallery in Rockport

For nearly five decades, Peter Ralston has been photographing the coast of Maine. His images—many of which begin from the deck of his 37-foot lobster boat—are less about capturing scenic beauty and more about telling the story behind it. “I’ve always tried to avoid making pretty pictures,” he says. “It’s almost impossible not to, here—but I’m always trying to get under the surface. To tell the story.” His boat, a classic Rapscallion-style lobster hull he refers to as his “350-horsepower tripod,” is central to his process. With it, he can chase a weather system, follow the light, or simply move where the story takes him—quickly and without distraction.

Ralston has spent most of his professional life trying to document what he sees as the two defining features of Maine’s coast: its stark beauty and its resilient, close-knit communities. “The smaller the town, the more people have each other’s backs,” he says. “That’s what I love about living here. These communities have something to teach the rest of the country.” In 1983, he co-founded the Island Institute in Rockland as a way to support the island and working waterfront communities he was photographing. He’s been rooted here ever since.

Though Ralston spent years working as a photojournalist out of New York, his sensibility is equally shaped by his early years growing up next door to Andrew and Betsy Wyeth in Chadds Ford. The Wyeths were simply “Andy and Betsy” to him—but watching Andrew Wyeth paint the story of his own life left a lasting mark. “He told his story in paint,” Ralston says. “I tell mine through photographs.”

He’s the first to poke fun at the idea of a formal artist statement—he'd rather let the images speak for themselves—but in truth, he’s spent a lifetime writing through photography. “I’ve got a foot in both worlds,” he says. “One in journalism and one in... well, I don’t like the term ‘fine art photography.’ Let’s call it heart photography.” For those who have followed his work over the years, that sentiment rings true: there’s nothing ornamental about it. It’s a visual record of place, of time, and of a deep relationship with the coast of Maine that has only grown stronger with time.

FAMOUS FOR:
His evocative photographs of the Maine coast—particularly the islands, working harbors, and maritime communities of the Midcoast. His work is celebrated not just for its visual beauty, but for its ability to convey a deep sense of place and the human stories embedded within it.

ADDRESS:
23 Central St in Rockport, ME

WEBSITE:
ralstongallery.com

photos by Peter Logue