How can a tree on a small boat be my favorite image of 2017 after passing up sunrises, sunsets, the harbor illumination and two shots of lightning? I’m not sure but there is something perfectly Marblehead in the simplicity of this small boat and decorated tree with a starfish on top floating in Little Harbor on the first snowfall of the season. The title Christmas at Sea is one that I thought summed up those elements quite well.
I captured this image on December 9th at 11:33am so the feeling of walking across the slippery rocks in front of the Marblehead Lobster Company is still fresh in my head. I remember playing with compositions as the boat rotated gently on its line and taking shot after shot not knowing which angle would work best or when the snow might be captured as perfect flakes (not too big, not too small and not falling too fast to look like rain). When I arrived home and saw this one image on the monitor, I knew I had my favorite photo of 2017 in front of me.
Since sharing this image two weeks ago, I have had a number of print orders (loose prints, cards and a large standout) and have been thrilled to open each one and see this small tree at sea pop off the print.
My original thoughts on this image:
What an absolutely picture-perfect first snow of the season! Once the flakes started falling at 11am, I headed out of the house to capture some scenes around town with freshly falling snow. My first stop was Little Harbor and a favorite tree floating in the waters just off shore.
I parked in front of the Marblehead Lobster Company and headed down to the water’s edge from where I played with compositions as this small boat with its beautifully decorated tree floated gently amid the fresh fallen snow. As the boat turned towards me, the starfish above was displayed and a perfect depiction of Christmas at Sea was captured.
I headed off to several other spots around town and may head out again in a bit for more.
Hope you enjoyed this first snow of the season!