On the Fourth of July, I had decided to set up along Fort Beach for the harbor illumination and fireworks show. I arrived with plenty of time to explore options along the rocks and made sure to race back up to Front Street as a subtle sunset formed between Fort Sewall and Marblehead Light. There was just enough water to reflect the pink hues. Unfortunately, this angle highlights the missing tree lost to a storm several years ago.
So this may be my favorite shot from Glover's Regiment firing of the new cannon at Fort Sewall on Independence Day in Marblehead. I had envisioned the shot I ended up sharing first - that of the cannon firing with Marblehead Light visible behind the fire and smoke. But after capture that image, and with the cannon being fired 13 times at noon, I had the opportunity to explore other angles and compositions. This one was captured from directly behind the cannon and I started firing off shots as soon as one member of the Regiment placed a flaming torch [...]
At noon on the Fourth of July, Glover's Regiment fired off the new cannon at Fort Sewall 13 times while reading the Declaration of Independence between volleys. It was a perfectly Marblehead moment and I was lucky to be able to capture the incredible plume of fire from several of the cannon shots. Photographer's note: I'm really glad they fired 13 times as this was maybe number 10. I had overexposed the first two and then there were several after that they were mostly smoke with a very small of fire. This and one other were the best exposed and [...]
On May 15th, I headed out to Fort Sewall to capture the full moon rising. As I waited, I kept looking back towards Fort Beach and snuck over a little before 7 as a lackluster sunset began to take shape. This shot was taken just to the left of the plaque and without stepping on the grass being made ready for the Fort's grand reveal in a few short weeks. I hadn't shot from this spot in some time and forgot how nice this view is looking down at houses along Front Street and finding Abbot Hall in the distance. [...]
After capturing the view from atop Fort Sewall, I made my way down the stairs and stopped short when I noticed the s-curve of the fence. I decided to use the curve as a leading line which would draw the viewer into the image taking in the new trees planted as part of the renovation before heading off to the distance with boats on their moorings and sunset light in the evening sky.
Last week I visited the newly renovated Fort Sewall for the first time in well over two years. It's amazing to realize just how much the fort has changed since we moved to Marblehead in May 2008. Early on, I had captured a favorite shot of a tree in a blanket of white snow in front of the red doors. That photo still hangs in my home office but the tree fell years ago and the doors have since been painted white. Then there was the great tree that succumbed to a storm in August 2019. After a major renovation, [...]
This is one of those images that I like as much for the circumstances in which it was taken as the final image. We had gone out to meet our former neighbor (and kids' surrogate grandfather in town) at the BYC for a dignhy ride around the harbor on a warm early summer afternoon (June 20th at 3pm). Not 5 minutes into the ride, he offered my daughter take the helm and she piloted us around under his direct supervision. I was there to shoot images of Marblehead from the water but spent as much time shooting them piloting as [...]
Last Saturday, we headed out with our former neighbor for a dinghy ride around the harbor. As we made our way around the fort, I couldn't help but grab a few images with great light and clouds positioned perfectly above the outcropping of land. With COVID-19 restrictions and the cancelled fireworks show, it really is perfect timing for Fort Sewall's huge renovation. I can't wait to see it when it reopens.
Look what I found when digging through unpublished images from past Junes - that old tree at the Fort! At the time I didn't think much of this shot with a simple composition split between the tree and a solitary sailboat on its mooring. At the time, I was using the tree to help balance the focal point of the sailboat. Now, seven years after the image was taken in June 12, 2013, the view of the Giving Tree with its full canopy steals the eye and is a wonderful reminder of the majesty of this now lost symbol.
I hadn't been back to Fort Sewall since the day after the storm that took down large pieces of what I affectionately called the Giving Tree. I had woken up early this morning for a different shoot after noticing the Hotel Marblehead's new paint job (watch for that shot tomorrow). I finished shooting from Pleasant Street and was disappointed in the lack of fog or a nice sunrise and was all set to turn back home when I decided to continue down to Fort Beach and see what had become of the tree. Last time I turned onto Front Street, [...]