Dockside

Unlike nearly all of the early mornings when I head out to photograph a sunrise, this one was completely unplanned. I woke up an hour before sunrise and started considering my photographic options. Could I make it before sunrise? With my head still foggy, I grabbed my camera, jumped in the car, and began debating destinations with myself as I drove west.

It had been a couple years since I had photographed in Marina del Rey, but I’d been thinking about how cool sunrise is there in March. Because the basins are laid out in a near perfect east-west direction, the sun rises and sets straight down the basins within about a week of the spring equinox. This morning happened to be two days before the equinox.

Hoping for a crystal clear morning with no fog as I raced to the marina, I noticed a blanket of clouds in the eastern sky. But as I arrived, the grey clouds were already starting to turn orange. As each minute passed, the sky got more and more brilliant until 3 minutes before sunrise when it peaked, and I was ready.  

This is a brand new image in my collection. If you'd like to purchase this print or have any questions, please text or call me (818) 419-3800 or email - brandon@brandonkirk.com.

Brandon Kirk's Audio Tour for Culture Brewing Exhibit - June 2026
  1. Blaze of Glory
  2. Pe'ahi's Revenge
  3. Nightfall
  4. Double Overhead
  5. Above the Hammock
  6. Solitude
  7. Last Light
  8. In Her Element
  9. Mystic Morning
  10. Tempest at Twilight
  11. Harmony
  12. Late Drop
  13. Blue Vortex
  14. Maui No Ka Oi
  15. Tower 26
  16. Sea Monster
  17. Morning's Glory
  18. Weathered
  19. Corner Office
  20. Pe'ahi Awakens
  21. Kapo'o Nalu
  22. Dark Side of the Moon
  23. Son of the Serengeti
  24. Ready to Rumble
  25. Wild Eyed
  26. Garden of Giants
  27. Mothers of the Maasai Mara
  28. Living Large
  29. Showoff
  30. The Lookout
  31. A Mother's Love
  32. Where Giants Roam
  33. Jaws of the Giant
  34. Impact Zone
  35. Hawaiian Punch
  36. Grab the Rope
  37. The Blue Hour
  38. Passage to Tse' Bighanilini
  39. Out of Office
  40. Windswept
  41. Firelight
  42. Dockside
  43. Serenity at Dawn
  44. Lone Surfer
  45. Firewall
  46. Living the Dream
  47. Desert Corduroy
  48. Silent Sands
  49. Quittin' Time
  50. Awakening
  51. Ancient Sea
  52. Bend in Time
  53. Shorebreak
  54. Balanced
  55. Reflecting
  56. Happy Hour
  57. Among Giants
  58. Momentary Blush
  59. Around the Bend
  60. California Dreamin'
  61. Off the Wall
  62. Valley of the Gods