Plum Island Abstracts

March 2, 2026
Parker River Wildlife Refuge, MA
$105/person
Admission included

Plum Island and the Parker River Wildlife Refuge are havens for wildlife and landscape photography, but the southern end of the beach is also an abstract photographer’s dream


The beach at the southern end is flat and exposed at low tide when the water has receded, revealing patterns and textures that change with every tide, and there is a rocky area full of tidal pools and other ephemeral attractions. There is also a full moon rising over the Atlantic this afternoon just before sunset, and if we’re lucky we might even see a snowy owl as we did a couple of years ago.

Entrance fee to the Wildlife Refuge is included for all registrants.

Sand with multiple starfish scattered across the surface.

What You’ll Learn

  • Composition

  • How to “see” abstract patterns

  • Importance of Lighting and Timing

  • Exposure refresher

  • Exposure compensation

  • White balance

  • Long exposure techniques

Photographer kneeling on sandy beach, taking photos of a large rock with camera mounted on tripod, with backpack nearby and ocean in background.

Recommended Equipment

  • SLR or mirrorless Camera

  • Wide angle

  • Telephoto

  • Tripod

  • Polarizer and/or neutral density filters.

  • Stepladder for different vantage points looking downward

  • Warm and waterproof hat, clothes, gloves, and boots.

Four people walk along a snow-covered boardwalk in a snowy landscape with hills and overcast sky.

Physical Difficulty

Standing and walking on grass, gravel paths, boardwalks, pavement and especially sand. Cold and windy winter conditions likely, dress warmly in layers and hat.

 

Meeting Details

On Sunday 3/2/26, the full moon is scheduled to rise at 4:52 PM, the sun is scheduled to set at 5:34 PM, and low tide is scheduled at 5:06 PM.  

We will meet at 2:30 PM at parking lot #1 on Refuge Road, just inside the main gate of the Wildlife Refuge (which lot has restrooms and a couple EV chargers). We will carpool to parking lot #7 at the southern end of the island (which only has a few parking spots).  After photographing abstracts on the beach there we will drive back to parking lot #3 to photograph the sunset over the salt pannes and the moonrise over the boardwalk and the beach.