Top 10 of 2016 – #7 – Smoke on the Water – Fire in the Sky

I don't think I've ever had a situation like this one where one of the last images captured in December immediately cements a place in the Top 10 list. I had another image of sea smoke in this #7 spot but the combination of sea smoke, a sun star (formed by the break in clouds partially obscuring the morning sun) and that red glow behind Marblehead Light made this one an instant favorite. #7 on the Top 10 of 2016 is this image of smoke on the water and fire in the sky captured on December 16.

By Eyal Oren|2016-12-18T10:20:19-05:00December 22nd, 2016|Categories: Favorite|Tags: Chandler Hovey park, favorite, lighthouse, sea smoke, sun star, sunrise|0 Comments

Top 10 of 2016 – #8 – The Christmas Tree Bonfire

We moved to Marblehead in May 2008 just as the causeway was being re-built and, as such, had never witnessed the annual Christmas Tree bonfire tradition. On January 6, the tradition was resumed and I was awed by the site of the incredible bonfire and, even more, the gathered crowd reflected in the flame light. Here is #8 in my Top 10 of 2016 countdown - make sure you visit Riverhead Beach on Friday, January 6 for the 2017 edition of the bonfire.

By Eyal Oren|2016-12-18T10:32:13-05:00December 21st, 2016|Categories: Favorite|Tags: bonfire, Christmas, favorite, Riverhead beach, tradition|10 Comments

Top 10 of 2016 – #9 – Clear View Across the Harbor

Today's image was taken on March 18 and shot up to #9 on my Top 10 of 2016 list for its perfect sky and incredible clarity. I went out on this evening chasing the textured sky and hoping for a strong sunset but was struck by the clarify of the houses lining Marblehead Harbor when viewed from across the water at the Pleon pier.

By Eyal Oren|2016-12-18T10:26:13-05:00December 20th, 2016|Categories: Favorite|Tags: Abbot Hall, dramatic sky, favorite, houses, Marblehead Harbor|0 Comments

Top 10 of 2016 – #10 – Tendrils of Sea Smoke at Sunrise

As we near the end of the year, I wanted to share my top 10 images of 2016 leading up to the annual New Years Day slideshow recapping every image shared on Wednesdays in Marblehead (253 images this year). This image of tendrils of sea smoke was taken on Valentine's Day and was the most impressive display of sea smoke I had even witnessed. The angle of the morning sun added much needed backlight to the smoke and created an other-worldly display making this an easy favorite for #10 on the Top 10 of 2016 list.

By Eyal Oren|2016-12-18T10:19:16-05:00December 19th, 2016|Categories: Favorite|Tags: favorite, lighthouse, sea smoke, sunrise|4 Comments

The Top 10 of 2015 – The Northern Lights and Marblehead Light

At last we reached the #1 spot in the Top 10 of 2015 Countdown and I think you'll agree this image of the aurora borealis (or Northern Lights) was an easy choice. So many factors have to come into place to see the aurora borealis as far south as Marblehead and it needs to be a pretty spectacular show to shine above the light pollution. On June 22, a 7 kP storm hit at just the right moment (9:50pm) for me to capture the intricate greens and purples of light playing over Cove Beach and setting up a perfect backdrop [...]

By Eyal Oren|2024-05-15T15:07:31-04:00December 31st, 2015|Categories: Favorite|Tags: aurora borealis, cove, favorite, lighthouse|0 Comments

Top 10 of 2015 – Lunar Eclipse and Abbot Hall

One of my favorite aspects of creating a Top 10 list each year is going through the 240+ images shared in a given year and appreciating the unique opportunities I've had the fortune to capture. Just as yesterday's image of fireworks could easily have been a #1 favorite in any other year, it's hard to believe this image of a total lunar eclipse (or blood moon) juxtaposed against Abbot Hall isn't in the top spot. This was easily the most difficult capture of the year and required pre-planning and rapid alterations to those plans when the reality of shooting this [...]

By Eyal Oren|2016-11-06T12:03:50-05:00December 30th, 2015|Categories: Favorite|Tags: Abbot Hall, favorite, moon|1 Comment

Top 10 of 2015 – Marblehead Fireworks – The Grand Finale

In any other year, this image of the grand finale of Marblehead's fireworks show set against Marblehead Light would have easily captured my #1 spot. For this year's show, my family was invited to close friend's new home on the Neck and I quickly found my way up to their cupola. From their I was able to capture this unique image looking down at the lighthouse and the beautiful fireworks display erupting over Marblehead harbor. The image of Marblehead fireworks above Marblehead Light reaches #3 on my Top 10 of 2015 Countdown.

By Eyal Oren|2016-11-06T12:03:50-05:00December 29th, 2015|Categories: Favorite|Tags: favorite, fireworks, lighthouse|0 Comments

Top 10 of 2015 – Trodding Toward Sunset at Crocker Park

At #4 in the Top 10 of 2015 Countdown is the clearest view yet of the incredible snowfall that started off 2015. By February 10 when this image was taken, Marblehead was well on its way to record breaking quantities of snow with a first (for me) of having to dump some of it into the harbor. I had a feeling about conditions on this day and headed to Crocker Park just after 5pm to capture the sunset. With the white snow acting as a reflector of sunset's colors, I couldn't ask for better light to capture this familiar composition [...]

By Eyal Oren|2016-11-06T12:03:51-05:00December 28th, 2015|Categories: Favorite|Tags: Crocker park, favorite, snow, sunset|0 Comments

Top 10 of 2015 – Winter Wonderland

It's almost funny to look back on this image of State Street with falling snow captured on January 24, 2015. Little did I know just how much snow would keep falling during the endless Winter of 2015. At the time though, the timing of this snowfall (8:00am) allowed me to capture the falling flakes before plows began to clear the road and spread sand and salt to discolor the soft coat of white covering State Street. The conditions reminded me of those in which I captured a favorite image of Fort Sewall years ago. With the natural beauty of the houses of [...]

By Eyal Oren|2016-11-06T12:03:51-05:00December 27th, 2015|Categories: Favorite|Tags: favorite, snow, State Street|0 Comments

Top 10 of 2015 – Smoke on the Water

Another image from the Winter of deep cold and mountains of snow. In the original post, I wrote "On Thursday, January 8, Marblehead was blasted by an arctic cold the likes of which I had not felt in my time here. The temperature this morning was -4F throughout my one hour photo shoot and that does not take into account the wind chill that likely pushed it below -20F. As I drove across the causeway to Marblehead Neck, I saw sea smoke to my right at Devereux Beach but then looked to the left and saw wisps of it inside [...]

By Eyal Oren|2016-11-06T12:03:51-05:00December 26th, 2015|Categories: Favorite|Tags: Abbot Hall, favorite, Marblehead Harbor, sea smoke|0 Comments