Working Fleet at New Bedford | Limited Edition of 10
I made this photograph along the working waterfront of New Bedford, Massachusetts, a place that still wears its maritime identity openly and without apology. What you see here is a tightly packed line of commercial fishing boats resting in the harbor, bows forward, hulls dark, masts and rigging stacked into a dense forest of lines, pulleys, antennas, and steel geometry. Nothing about the scene is decorative. It is practical, heavy, and purposeful.
The black-and-white treatment pulls the image away from nostalgia and into something more structural. The real story lives in the repetition of forms: vertical masts against a flat sky, curved hulls cutting into calm water, cables crossing and overlapping without order or symmetry. The boats sit quietly, but there is tension in the stillness. These vessels exist to work, and even at rest, they feel loaded with intent.
New Bedford’s harbor has long been tied to industry and survival rather than spectacle. That history matters. It’s visible in the weathered surfaces, the blunt shapes, and the way these boats are packed together with no concern for aesthetics. This is not a marina built for visitors. It’s a harbor built for people who depend on the water. Photographing a place like this requires patience and presence, waiting for the moment when light flattens, reflections soften, and the scene reveals its true character without drama or exaggeration.
I photographed this scene on location, standing at the edge of the working harbor and responding to what was actually there. The image comes from lived experience, not reconstruction or invention. I personally sign every print and include a certificate of authenticity confirming it as a real photograph, created and printed by the artist.
This photograph works exceptionally well as wall art in spaces that value texture, structure, and understated strength—offices, studios, and modern interiors where quiet complexity carries more weight than colour or spectacle. If this atmosphere speaks to you, take a look at Wilmington, Delaware Tugboats at Dock, Black and White.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2025
Edition Information
This photograph is released as a signed and numbered edition of 10 prints across all available sizes. Each print is individually signed and numbered by the artist on the reverse and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Once all 10 prints have been sold, this work will be permanently retired, and no further numbered editions will be produced in any size or format. A small number of Artist Proofs may be retained by the artist for archival or exhibition purposes.
Museum Quality Fine Art Prints
All prints are produced by the artist using archival pigment inks on professional photographic paper with a subtle luster finish.
This paper offers a balanced surface that enhances tonal depth, preserves fine detail, and reduces glare under typical indoor lighting conditions.
Each print is carefully inspected prior to dispatch to ensure consistency of finish and presentation.
Free Worldwide Delivery
Each print is personally produced, signed, and packaged by me at my studio in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada.
Orders are shipped worldwide via Canada Post at no additional cost. Delivery times may vary based on destination and local customs processing.
During periods of travel for on-location photographic work, dispatch may be delayed until I return to the studio.
