Ryan Zipp Photography

Ryan Zipp Photography Photographer Ryan Zipp adventures around New England & beyond with his camera capturing the best of what the natural world has to offer.

“Stony Creek Magic” Throughout the year I travel all over New England with my camera to capture all of the places and sc...
07/26/2026

“Stony Creek Magic” Throughout the year I travel all over New England with my camera to capture all of the places and scenes that make this historic region of the country so amazing. I am grateful that one of my favorites that I’ve encountered happens to be close by and only 15 minutes from my house.
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Stony Creek is a coastal village in the town of Branford, CT most known for the Thimble Islands, an archipelago of glacial rocks ranging in size from 17 acres and all the way down. I often stop down here to end a day, as there’s not much more peaceful than being by the water. I also know that given the right conditions there’s a never ending run of magical sunsets at this place as well.
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On a Summer night last year there were a number of thunderstorms developing so I went down to see there would be any color in the sky after they passed. Upon arrival I was met with one of the most ominous skies I had seen there, but luckily it was staying just far enough away to not be pouring where I was. I began capturing this stunning dark cloud formation and started to see some color coming through as sun began to set. I wasn’t sure if it would be blocked out and a few minutes later this vivid yellow glow came through the clouds.
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The entire sky took on this moody glow and I kept framing different compositions as the sky kept changing. Immediately after the most vivid color disappeared the wind picked up to a crazy speed almost knocking me back and I just stood there marveling at what had unfolded in front of me. It was impossible to pick a favorite so I’ve included the best from that evening with 4 vertical and 3 horizontal scenes split in half so you can seamlessly swipe through this carousel post. Make sure to check out all 7 images!
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In honor of National Tequila Day I wanted to share some of my favorite adult beverages containing this tasty ingredient ...
07/25/2026

In honor of National Tequila Day I wanted to share some of my favorite adult beverages containing this tasty ingredient from my travels all over New England. After a long day of adventuring around with my camera I like to treat myself with amazing food and usually a drink to hopefully celebrate a memory card filled with keeper images. Or sometimes it’s to help ease the pain of the shots that never were haha. Here are the drinks and the places they are from:

1. “Diablo” from Lo**ta in Boston, MA

2. “Salted Watermelon Margarita” from The Beach House Top Oceanfront Resort Cape Cod in Chatham, MA

3. “My Paloma” from Thoreau’s at Wequassett Resort in Harwich, MA

4. “Spicy Geronimo Margarita” from Bar Yoshi in Nantucket, MA

5. Spicy Margarita from The Lawn at Castle Hill Inn in Newport, RI

6. Spicy Watermelon Margarita from Clink Liberty Hotel in Boston, MA

7. “El Diablo” from Wayside Tavern in Portland, ME

8. Jalapeño Margarita from The Dorset Inn in Dorset, VT

9. Spicy Marg from Worthy Kitchen in Woodstock, VT

10. “Cantarito” from Town Bar & Grill | Edgartown MV in Edgartown, MA

11. “Spicy Carrot Marg” from Stones Throw | York, Maine in York, ME

12. “Smoke At Sunset” from The Brenton Hotel in Newport, RI

13. Spicy Marg from Alchemy - Martha’s Vineyard in Edgartown, MA

And if you couldn’t tell I gravitate towards anything spicy so if there’s any spots around New England with an amazing spicy marg or spicy tequila drink leave it below in the comments!
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“Lightning Strikes Twice” Almost 6 years ago exactly I upgraded to the then brand new Canon R5 that remains one of my tw...
07/24/2026

“Lightning Strikes Twice” Almost 6 years ago exactly I upgraded to the then brand new Canon R5 that remains one of my two current main camera bodies alongside its newer brother the R5 mark II. After putting in a pre-order at the very second it became available earlier in the month, I was excited to finally upgrade from the Canon 6D I had used for 7 years.
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The day after the R5 arrived I had been fiddling with the settings a bit and trying to get acclimated to the new setup. The urge to find a subject to shoot was strong so I headed out to take some test shots with it. One of my go to spots at the time was up at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT so I shot over there to see what I could try it out on.
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A storm started to roll in and immediately I noticed lightning flashing in the distance, although mostly inside the clouds at first. A few bolts started to show up so I quickly setup my tripod and got my new camera ready for some action. I set my shutter speed at 30 seconds, adjusted my f-stop & ISO accordingly & then continuously fired off some long exposures. Of course the image where I grabbed the best lightning bolts also was when a car had passed up the road and at first I was bummed.
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But looking back the long red trail of taillights leading up the curvy road kind of adds a cool element to the image overall and I was alright with it. Almost reminded me of the part in “Back To The Future” when Marty accelerates the DeLorean to reach 88 mph just as the lightning hits the clock tower and channeling the power surfer to activate time travel. This was also first time I’ve ever really captured lightning clear enough for a post worthy image and pretty excited to have it be the first shots taken with a brand new camera as well!
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“Short Sands Sunrise” I recently was up in York, ME for 3 nights with some of my family for our annual Summer coastal tr...
07/23/2026

“Short Sands Sunrise” I recently was up in York, ME for 3 nights with some of my family for our annual Summer coastal trip. The past few years we chose spots out in Rhode Island, but we were all excited to head back to the area where we had started the tradition in southern coastal Maine. Unlike my usual weekend adventures that are very photo centric, this one is always much more laid back and living in the moment spending quality time with everyone.
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We were welcomed by rain later in the day Saturday upon our arrival, but luckily both of the full days there that followed were perfect 75 and sunny conditions. Although we were based in York for the stay we also took the short drive up to neighboring Ogunquit to walk the beautiful Marginal Way from downtown to the iconic Perkins Cove.
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Beautiful clear conditions made for amazing days partaking in all of the activities that make this area so special, but also kept my camera put away for the majority of the trip. Late Monday night before bed the conditions for our last morning there showed potential for a decent sunrise so I made sure to set my alarm for 4:30am just in case. And boy was I glad that I didn’t hit snooze!
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I began the short 5 minute walk down the hill to downtown still rather sleepy, but as soon as I turned the corner towards the beach I could already see color developing in the sky well before sunrise. I quickly scrambled to begin firing off shots and framing a number of compositions as the colorful sky only intensified. Short Sands Beach is the heart of York Beach village and always provides great vibes no matter the shooting conditions. But this is the first time I’ve ever got a legit sunrise there and couldn’t have been more pumped!
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Shoutout to whoever moored their sailboat out there to give me an added subject to feature in a handful of the images featured in this carousel post. Scroll through and let me know which one is your favorite!
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“Monhegan Food Scene” In July of 2023 I got to spend just over 48 hours out on Monhegan Island, which lies 12 miles out ...
07/22/2026

“Monhegan Food Scene” In July of 2023 I got to spend just over 48 hours out on Monhegan Island, which lies 12 miles out from the coast of Maine in the middle of the ocean. Although this tiny island lacks many things that you are used to on the mainland, there is no shortage of great food options to enjoy while there.
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One of the coolest things is that there’s an actual full fledged brewery on the island that is celebrating their 13th year in operation! Monhegan Brewing Company is open from May until mid October and offers a great selection of beers & seltzer on tap. They have a great food truck on site for lunch that offers awesome fried seafood and other options. See the fried clam basket I went with in the first pic here.
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My personal favorite spot was the Fish House that has tables right by the water and an awesome menu of fresh seafood options. For lunch on first day I went with the freshly picked Maine crab tacos and my last dinner I had to try their lobster roll, which ended up being up there with my all time favorites. (Pics 2+3)
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The The Island Inn is where I stayed both nights and also had an amazing surf & turf dinner there my first night. Both mornings I also had the pleasure of enjoying a home cooked breakfast featuring lobster scrambled eggs & blueberry pancakes at the inn. (Pics 4+5) The Barnacle, owned by the inn, greets you upon arrival off of the ferry and also where you can get great Monhegan Coffee Roasters coffee every morning, which I took full advantage of!
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After passing the Palette Crêperie food truck several times I had to try a crepe and enjoyed a Nutella & strawberry one just before heading off on my ferry back. ~
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Perhaps the most unique food spot on the island is known as “Nite Nite Fattys” which is run out of the Monhegan House Monhegan House | Monhegan, Maine and serving after dinner desserts every night from 6-8pm. The inn’s owner Melanie bakes whatever she is in the mood to each afternoon and it’s first come first serve until all of the delicious treats are sold. (Pics 8+9)
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I met so many amazing business owners on this island & enjoyed every second of my stay here. Can’t recommend enough to go visit if you haven’t yet!

“Monhegan Magic” In July of 2023 I got to finally check off a place on my New England bucket list that had been near the...
07/22/2026

“Monhegan Magic” In July of 2023 I got to finally check off a place on my New England bucket list that had been near the top for so long. I loved the chance to work with Visit Maine again and capture everything that caught my eye as I spent 2 nights on this amazing little island. Monhegan Island lies 12 nautical miles out from the coast of Midcoast Maine and at last census had a year round resident count of 64.
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The summer months bring in artists and tourists on daily ferries from three different locations, including Port Clyde which is where I came in from. I’ve been to a lot of towns and parts of New England over the years, but the vibe out here is unlike anywhere else. For such a tiny island the food options were plentiful and very good as well. I stayed at the The Island Inn, but there are a handful of other inn type options as well houses that can rented out.
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In my roughly 2.5 days spent there the sun only popped out a few times and luckily I got a bit of hazy color for one sunset. There was some rain and then fog dominated the list of conditions which made for some amazing moody images that I loved. Make sure to scroll over through all of the images in this post. It was hard to narrow it down, but these were the ones that stuck out most to me. Let me know in the comments which of these images is your favorite!
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07/22/2026

Sunrise Magic this morning at Short Sands Beach in York, ME.
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On the final morning of an amazing 3 night stay up the road from this iconic beach in coastal Maine I was greeted with the most stunning display. I couldn’t have asked for a better send off and another reason why this region of New England forever keeps me booking return visits.

“Watch Hill Summer Nights” Being only an hour drive from my hometown of Guilford, CT I find myself heading just across t...
07/21/2026

“Watch Hill Summer Nights” Being only an hour drive from my hometown of Guilford, CT I find myself heading just across the border into Rhode Island a decent amount throughout the year. The small village of Watch Hill in the town of Westerly is an amazing little spot that provides serene coastal views in every season. But of course there’s nothing like the vibes of summer here and I try to make time to get here when I can to capture them.
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One year ago exactly I had a rare day off spent home and not traveling out of state, but decided to take the drive out here to Watch Hill for sunset to get a little adventuring in. The beach at Napatree Point was lively as expected with a number of photo shoots going on, including one that may have been an engagement session? In the opening image of this carousel post you can see the couple out on the rock jetty posing together. I was trying to capture waves in the foreground with the lighthouse in the distance when I turned to see them there I quickly switched to make them my subjects.
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I often get asked if I shoot weddings or portraits, which I don’t unless it’s something for a close friend or family. But here at 200mm the compressed scene with crashing wave had me intrigued so I snapped a few images. I tried last year after posting to track down the couple to get them this image but unfortunately had no luck.
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Swipe through the rest of the images to see what else my eyes & camera captured as everyone there was treated to a stunning summer evening on the beach. With only just over a week left in July it’s crazy how fast Summer is moving along and I’m working to enjoy as much of it as I possibly can. Hope you enjoy this set of images and are all having a great summer so far!
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“Sunflower Heaven” Every summer Buttonwood Farm plants over 14 acres of sunflowers that harvest approximately 300,000 bl...
07/20/2026

“Sunflower Heaven” Every summer Buttonwood Farm plants over 14 acres of sunflowers that harvest approximately 300,000 blooms for visitors to enjoy. Besides being just for viewing, these fields are part of their “Sunflowers For Wishes” fundraisers where 100% of the proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut.
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You are able to enter the cutting field to make your own bouquet and there are also t-shirts featuring a unique sunflower design each year for sale as well. Over the years they’ve been able to donate over $2 million to this great cause! I took this image from the field there back in July 2014 and even after going back almost every year it’s still my favorite. Trying to see now if I can find the time to get up there before the short bloom season is over for the year.
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The event this year is happening now and runs from July 18th to 26th so make sure to get over there if you’ve never visited before. Check out their social media (Buttonwood Farm) for current bloom status as the give frequent updates before making the trip. They also have some incredibly delicious ice cream for sale at the farm so not only do your eyes get a treat, your tastebuds will as well.
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In honor of it being National Ice Cream Day I wanted to share some of my favorites from around New England that I’ve had...
07/19/2026

In honor of it being National Ice Cream Day I wanted to share some of my favorites from around New England that I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying in my travels over the years.

*Disclaimer they aren’t in any particular ranking order but as they appear in this carousel post. Swipe away to enjoy them visually:

~ Fox’s Lobster House (Foxslobsterhouse) - York, ME
~ Jack & Charlie’s (Jack and Charlie’s) - Nantucket, MA
~ Green Mountain Sugar House - Ludlow, VT
~ Buttonwood Farm (Buttonwood Farm) - Griswold, CT
~ Big Daddy’s (Big Daddy’s Ice Cream) - Wells, ME
~ Ashley’s Ice Cream (Ashley's Ice Cream) - Multiple Locations in CT
~ Creemee Stand - Wilmington, VT
~ Super Secret Ice Cream (Super Secret Ice Cream) - Bethlehem, NH
~ Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe (Holy Cow Ice Cream Cafe) - Salem, MA
~ Downeast Ice Cream Factory Downeast Ice Cream Factory) - Boothbay Harbor, ME
~ Cape Cod Creamery (Cape Cod Creamery) - Hyannis, MA
~ The Juice Bar (The Juice Bar) - Nantucket, MA
~ Frosty Freez (Frosty Freez) - Middletown, RI
~ Scales Restaurant (Scales Restaurant) - Portland, ME

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