Bob Mitchell (also known as Robert, Mitchell and Mitch) and his wife Susan Endicott have lived in the Boothbay area for over 50 years. Their first home was on Barters Island back in the late ’70s, then they moved to Sherman Street in Boothbay Harbor until, in 2001, the family relocated to Southport, next to the Jean Thompson house and just across Hendricks Hill Road from the Evelyn Sherman family estate.

Their two daughters, Megan and Morgan grew up on Southport and attended Boothbay Region High School. Morgan and her husband Andrei live in Boothbay’s “Old Firehouse” with their wonderful 7-month-old daughter Vera. They operate Mitchell & Co. studio at the same location where Morgan sells her art and some of her father’s photographs.

Megan and her husband Ben live in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York, with their new 8-week-old baby girl Winslow and two cats, Masha and Ophelia.

Mitchell’s first visit to Maine was in 1963 with a couple of Pennsylvania friends— destination, the cathedral Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre in Quebec. It was a quick pass through Maine but even then, Mitchell made photos with a small plastic Kodak Brownie “Starmite” camera, a gift from his parents. Although the photo slide film used for the trip has faded, Mitchell’s memories of the trip are vivid and heartwarming.  It was his first trip away from the Pennsylvania home.

Mitchell’s interest in photography began at an early age when he bypassed his grandmother’s candy drawer, detouring into a stack of negatives made by family on a Kodak “Brownie” box camera. The find was fascinating. At the same time, Mitchell, a poor reader, regularly viewed photographs made by some of the world’s best black and white photographers in LIFE and LOOK magazines of the time. Black and white is still his favorite, undeniably influenced by the magazine images he viewed in his youth.

Locally, Mitchell began a photography business in 1978 while living at home on Barters Island. Then and still, one of his favorite locations is the Back River section of the Sheepscot River as it meanders along the shore of the Botanical Gardens, Knickercane Island Park and the old Wilson Frances lobster pound. There is weather activity in that passage that is unique to the region and fun to find, especially on a snowy winter morning.

Mitchell’s work is varied. He has worked on European assignments, photographed weddings throughout the U.S. and created, with his wife’s help, a small publishing business. The “Around Boothbay Harbor” calendar is 25 years young with postcards and note cards dating back to 1980. His landscape and regional images continue to illuminate the beauty and peacefulness of his beloved home. Mitchell is self-taught and not all his teachers were great!

Mitchell grew up in the Appalachian coal mining region of central Pennsylvania. As a young lad he worked with his father’s explosives company providing services for a multitude of venues from the mines to Interstate 80 road construction to building demolition.

Mitchell attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania “earning” (just barely) a degree in geography/earth science education. His first teaching job out of college was in Montclair, New Jersey. Upon arrival in Maine, Mitchell worked an assortment of jobs including laborer with Bobby Holmes carpentry, baking rolls at Ebb Tide, night janitor at Tugboat Inn, and a brief stint as travel lift operator. He has spent many years documenting projects in area boatyards and continues to provide that service. Portraits, weddings, aerial photos and family gatherings, along with his personal work, help pay the rent.

Above all and most importantly, Mitchell continues to celebrate the wonderful people and quality of life enjoyed here in Maine. His weekly column in the Boothbay Register hopefully acknowledges these gifts. The invitation to share images at the Southport Library this November and December is much appreciated.

Library hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays with additional evening hours on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m.

The library is located at 1032 Hendrick’s Hill Road in Southport at the southern tip of the island.

The library can be reached by calling (207) 633-2741. The library’s email is southportlibrary.me@gmail.com.

The website is southportlibrary.org for a listing of new books, events, and other contact information.