In the northern reaches of Gloucester, Massachusetts on Cape Ann, where the Annisquam River meets the Atlantic, lies a hidden gem – a secluded stretch of coastline that offers a unique perspective on the setting sun. Unlike most Massachusetts beaches, which face eastward, this western-facing shore provides a rare opportunity to witness the sun’s descent over the land, painting the sky in a vibrant palette of colors.

Here’s another photo I took back in 2011, this time of the boardwalk from the parking lot to the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. There’s not much story to this photo – I wanted to take photos, I drove to Plum Island, I wandered a bit until I found this setting at the Wildlife Refuge, and I took the photo. That said, there’s a lot more I can say now that I’m looking back on this photo, 9 years later.

Sometime you just wake up and want to take photos. That was the case in 2012 when I took this photo of the Plum Island jetty near Newburyport, MA on an early November morning. I recall having in mind a pretty sunrise, but I ended up getting a cloudy bluish-gray morning instead. Not to be deterred, I went on to take this photo of the clouds over the jetty, mirroring the sea below.

After a long day at a conference, I joined several of my coworkers for dinner on the patio of a restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. We were all exhausted, but it had been a good day for everyone. I had brought along my camera to take some photos at the event, and just happened to have it sitting next to me at the dinner table. That’s when I looked up and saw the moon rising over the top of 111 Huntington in the background. The combination of blue hour twilight, the moonlit sky, and the distinctive roof of Boston’s “R2D2 building” made for an unforgettable photo.