Thursday, January 21, 2010

Cape Cod Characters



An Indian Chief, a ship captain and a gallery owner walk into a bar....

Is this the start of a REALLY bad joke, or is it a Saturday night in Hyannis? Only on Cape Cod could this be a viable possibility.
From an outsiders point of view, Cape Cod has a "hoitey-toitey" reputation that can be attributed to its fair share of Sperry Topsider and over-the-shoulder-sweater clad men and women that can be seen on any given Main St.. However, contrary to popular belief, "Hyannisport is a ghetto," (to quote Vampire Weekend, even though it is not really true) and there is a LOT more diversity to the people of Cape Cod than their preppy reputation that precedes them.
This fact is pretty clear in the portraits I shot for the latest issue of Cape Cod Life. For each town that is highlighted in the Annual Guide, a person was chosen to represent that town. It was so much fun to spend time with each and every one of these people. Being in the captains quarters on the Hy-Line fast ferry with Captain John Lynch felt like we were going 100mph. Listening to all of Chief Earl Mills' stories of Mashpee, you'd think he was 300 years old with the amount of "life" he has packed into his life. It was truly a privilege for these people to let me in, so I could come away with some photos that I hope represent them well. Here is a slideshow of the people with a few extra pictures that were not included in the magazine. Be sure to check out the magazine so you can read Jeff Harder's fantastic interviews as well.


BOURNE- Captain John Lynch, Hy-Line
SANDWICH- Barbara Gill Town Archivist
FALMOUTH- Eric Turkington- Former State Rep
MASHPEE- Chief Earl Mills, Wampanoag Chief
BARNSTABLE- Bob DeGrace, Hyannisport Native
YARMOUTH- Caroline Ellis, Artist
DENNIS- Paul Endres, owner of Sundae School
BREWSTER- Charlottw Fyfe, Candleberry Inn owner
HARWICH- Gregg Winston, Winstead Inn
CHATHAM- Ben Godspeed, former selectman
ORLEANS- Bill Quinn, photographer and author
EASTHAM- "Nick" Nickerson, owner of Arnold's
WELLFLEET- Mac Hay, Mac's seafood owner
TRURO- George and Janet Mooney, lifelong farmer
PROVINCETOWN- Berta Walker, gallery owner
MARTHA"S VINEYARD- Kenneth Vincent, artist
NANTUCKET- Joan Bunting, Nantucket Island Tours

3 comments:

  1. Great photos, Dan. Especially enjoyed the shot of Mac, representing our town, Wellfleet. Looking forward to the final cut in the magazine.

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  2. Cutrona,
    That is an awesome post...

    Getting to the people and their stories can really help smash pre-conceived notions.

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  3. love the photos and love the concept! great job! ...also love the joke!

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