Programs – (Zoom): For the Love of Boats with Alison Langley

Bio and Description

Alison Langley’s work lives at the intersection of two lifelong passions: sailing and photography. Each informs the other, creating visuals that are rooted in experience, patience, and deep familiarity with life on the water. Her formal education began at New York University, where she studied film, and continued at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she focused on photography.
But it was through travel, work, and immersion that Alison found her true education.

Driven by a desire to see the world, Alison travelled to Australia, where she worked in the film industry and learned to sail on Sydney Harbour. Sailing began as a personal pursuit, but quickly evolved into a profession. Alison left the film industry and spent six years crewing aboard a range of vessels, from the 130-foot classic square rigger Eye of the Wind to privately owned yachts, sailing around the
world. These years at sea covered the North and South Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, to places including the islands of Melanesia, Japan, Korea, Borneo, and Madagascar.

It was during this period that Alison’s photographic voice emerged. Her images, grounded in authenticity and access, began appearing in sailing and travel publications worldwide, establishing her career as a nautical photographer.

After returning to the United States, Alison spent six years managing Stock Newport, a photo stock agency specializing in nautical imagery. This experience sharpened her understanding of both the creative and commercial sides of photography, laying the foundation for her freelance career, which she launched in the late 1990s. Alison eventually settled in Midcoast Maine, where Penobscot Bay, long a haven for wooden boats, continues to inspire her work. In addition to her assignments, Alison teaches workshops at Maine Media aboard the Windjammer “Angelique”, sharing her decades of experience.

Photographing what you love can be deeply rewarding, but developing a meaningful body of work requires more than just repetition. It demands deliberate practice, thoughtful feedback, and a willingness to develop the adjacent skills that strengthen one’s core focus. In this talk, Alison explores the creative rewards that can come from deeply committing to a specific subject.

For Alison, photographing boats is about far more than documenting objects that float. It is about capturing a way of life.