Love, Loss and Light

The journey of photographer Gabriel Beaton has been paved in love and light.

“Instructions for living a life: pay attention, be astonished, tell about it.”

—Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver’s poetry always touched photographer Gabriel Beaton and it’s evident in his work that he has taken her words to heart. Beaton’s ability to pay attention to nature, and his innate sense of wanting to be surrounded by, capture—and share what he has witnessed—is something that is truly in his heart and in his soul. 

His family’s roots in Chatham run deep; Beaton’s father and many uncles were fisherman and before he was born, his mother had an art studio and gallery on Main Street. Beaton grew up in a similar coastal location called Blue Hill, an enchanting, small town on the coast of Maine, where his deep appreciation for the outdoors began at an early age. While his peers were preoccupied with other interests, Beaton remembers wanting to capture things on film. “I wanted to take photos of my friends and my pets and my family. I just shot as much film as I could buy and afford to get developed.”