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Brian Lavall Photography

Spring afternoon on the lawn of the John Brown House

Fine art photography from the Ocean State, New England, and beyond

A May Weekend in Maine

A couple weeks back I went up to the southern coast of Maine for a long weekend. A cloudy day exploring Bath, Phippsburg, and Popham along the Kennebec River, and a perfect blue sky spring day on the way home through Kennebunkport, Wells, and York. Here are a few favorites from the trip.

May 31, 2026

The Unofficial Start of Summer

Memorial Day Weekend. The traditional start of the summer season here in the Ocean State. The beaches open for the season, the sun sets after 8pm, and a few days here and there start to bring that summer heat. Here's a few favorites from the last few years to kick off another Ocean State Summer.

May 24, 2026

The First Sunday of May on College Hill

Springtime photographs from an afternoon walk around College Hill on the first Sunday in May. Early May is when everything finally leafs out, and this shoot was the first one this year where I really felt it. The deep greens in some of these frames make it clear the warm season has arrived.

May 19, 2026

This Week in 2025

WaterFire Noir at the First Full Lighting of 2025

A couple years ago I shared my first "WaterFire Noir" post, inspired by the classic "film noir" aesthetic from the classic period of cinema, with the intent to make this an ongoing series. I'm excited to share the next edition, shot during last weekend's first full lighting of 2025.

June 7, 2025

A Spring Evening Walk in Downtown Pawtucket

Scenes from a spring evening walk around downtown Pawtucket, near City Hall and Slater Mill, in mid April during the peak of cherry blossoms season.

May 10, 2026

250 Years of Rhode Island Independence

Celebrating Rhode Island Independence Day with some favorites from around the Ocean State.

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, on May 4, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain, two months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. From Roger Williams' founding principles of religious freedom in 1636, to the first military action against the Crown with the burning of the Gaspee in 1772, and the birth of the Industrial Revolution at Slater Mill in 1793, Rhode Islanders have always moved first.

Now, 250 years later, the Independent Man still stands tall atop the State House, carrying that spirit of defiance forward.

May 4, 2026

Spring by the Ocean in Newport

Last Sunday afternoon in Newport during the annual daffodil days celebration, I spent the first sunny weekend evening in a couple of weeks out photographing some of the over 1.5 million daffodils around the city of Newport. This has become one of my favorite spots in the Ocean State to come during the spring, and the warm Sunday afternoon weather and flowers blooming everywhere made summer just around the corner.

April 30, 2026