After ten years of shooting the annual Marblehead Carnival at Devereux Beach, I thought I had exhausted all compositions. With that and the grey skies (though no rain!) I had about given up on any new shots of this year’s carnival. However, when I drive by Devereux the other day, I noticed the ferris wheel had moved to a new spot and had an idea in mind – I just needed some sun and for the wind to die down…

This morning at 6:30, conditions fell into place. I drove down to the beach and launched my drone (hadn’t used it in over a year at this point). There was a bit of wind but the drone held its own and I found this one spot where I could push the rising sun behind one of the chairs of the ferris wheel to keep it from overpowering the scene. With that, the ferris wheel was beautifully backlit and I was able to capture the whole of Marblehead Neck as a backdrop.

The Marblehead Junior class carnival is open for one last day today from 1-6pm so head down if you haven’t had a chance to ride the ferris wheel and watch the neck and ocean pass underneath.

Also, Happy Mother’s Day!