Photographer Murfitt Covering The Working Waterfront
by Fishermen’s Voice staff

The Johnson family at the Boothbay Lobster Coop. Photo: Sam Murfitt

After three years of photographing the fishing industry in Maine, Sam Murfitt has made many friends and acquaintances, and become a regular at the lobster boat races. Sam’s photographs have been published in several marine publications including this one. He grew up working in boatyards. In high school he started taking photographs of boats while working on them. He said, “I was able to sell enough photographs to buy myself a good camera.”

This led to 16 years working as a commercial photographer. He continued working on boats, but photography had become his primary occupation. Fifteen years ago he went back to full-time boat building and has been doing it since. He is currently working on a 57' wooden schooner.

It was three years ago, aware of changes along the coast, when Murfitt decided to begin a photographic project documenting working waterfront life on the Maine coast. The project has involved photographing lobster boat races, boat shops, builders, and traveling the coast to do it. Sam was particularly aware of boat builders disappearing, and in particular the disappearance of boats like the sardine carrier and wooden lobster boat. The Jacob Pike and the William Underwood are two sardine carriers that have been photographed.

Murfitt is funding this project with his boatyard earnings, and although the Penobscot Marine Museum is interested in his work, it will ultimately go to the Library of Congress. The photographer has taken thousands of photographs for this project. He expects this to be an ongoing project, but would like to produce a book in the next year or so.

Sam Murfitt’s photographs will be exhibited at Drake Farm Books in Rye, NH through September. Sam can be reached at 207-450-3774.