Last night, the annual Epiphany tree burning took place with collected Christmas trees arranged in a pile at Riverhead Beach and set aflame with flares to create a massive Epiphany bonfire. I brought my kids with me and we separated while they watched and I searched for new vantage points to shoot the huge flames and gathered crowd. I tried walking over to the causeway but the 20 mph winds were throwing smoke and embers in that direction so I had to come up with a plan B.

I shot a few frames as well as a short video from the Neck Run Cafe and then headed back to the car to set off for Chestnut Street. From the end where it meets Cliff Street, we headed to the steps leading lower and I found this nice composition that included the Epiphany bonfire, gathered crowd, and a sinewy reflection in the low tide at Riverhead. As the wind shifted, smoke rose in front of the lights and created an interesting effect that I captured in this frame.

Special thanks to the Marblehead Fire Department for controlling the flames in very tough wind conditions and to the Marblehead Police Department for keeping everyone safe with hundreds of pedestrians and numerous cars navigating Ocean Avenue at night.