We have been fortunate to be members of the Dolphin Yacht Club for several years and have enjoyed dinners and social events there. A few years ago, I was offered the opportunity to display some of my photographs in the club and always smile when I open the door and see one of my prints looking back at me.

It dawned on me (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) at a recent party that the Dolphin would offer the perfect vantage point for capturing the dawn and sunrise over Marblehead Harbor. A few texts later, I was granted permission to shoot from this spot.

I arrived this morning hoping that the forecast for rain would also mean a nice red sky at dawn. I was growing disappointed as I drove in the early morning hours but then arrived to find some nice clouds and color behind Marblehead Light.

I composed a tighter frame than I had expected but that allowed me to use my favorite lens and create a much nicer composition filling the bottom two-thirds with boats on their moorings.

Here is my favorite shot of the dawn from atop the Dolphin Yacht Club – an early contender for the August photo in next year’s calendar…