Receptions · July 12, 2026
A boathouse reception for sixty, by candlelight
Long tables over the water, string lights and a sunset that arrived right on cue: what I learned photographing a reception at Tern Island Boathouse.
A dinner by the water sounds simple. In practice, it is a puzzle of tides, wind and candle flames. Tern Island Boathouse solves most of it, which is why I like it so much.
The room
The boathouse is a long timber building on the wharf, with one wall of sliding doors facing the water. For Sam and Imani's reception we set one long table down the middle and left the doors open. As the sun went down, the light came in sideways and lit every face along the table.
How I photograph a dinner like this
I arrive before the guests. The first fifteen minutes in an empty, beautifully set room are worth more than anything I could stage later.
I use the candles. I turn off any flash, raise the exposure a little and let the flames do the work. The pictures look the way the evening felt.
I stay out of the toasts. I move slowly around the edges, shooting reactions. Often the best picture of a speech is the face of someone listening.
Planning notes
Check the tide table if you want to use the lower deck, and bring a few wraps for guests, because the sea air cools quickly after sunset. To see the room at different times of year, visit the Tern Island Boathouse page.
Photographed at Tern Island Boathouse, 7 Wharf Lane, Port Alder, Maine.
Planning a wedding on the harbor?
Tell me your date and the place you love, and I will tell you if I am free.
More posts
An elopement on the Gull Point lighthouse lawnTwo people, eight guests and a lot of wind: how a short ceremony on the headland turned into one of my favorite days of the year.
Rain at The Salt Barn, and why it turned out perfectA forecast that said rain all day, a barn with big doors and a father who could not stop hugging his daughter: a wet wedding that photographed beautifully.
Golden hour at Larkspur Cove GardensA late September wedding in a walled garden above the cove, and the twenty minutes before sunset that gave the couple their favorite photographs.