After checking the weather forecast and discovering that it would be completely overcast by dawn, I decided to get up early anyway (like 4 a.m. early) with my 14 year old son Moses and make the drive down to Marina del Rey to try to shoot the Fisherman’s Village from across the marina. I figured if the sky was not clear there would still be enough interest in the image that it wouldn’t matter. By the time we got there, however, we discovered that the sky was mostly clear except for some coverage to the East, so we set up thinking we may get that sunrise after all. It was a bit difficult to get a good angle on the fisherman’s village at the marina because apparently yachters are not morning people, and all the spaces where they were “parked” in front of us were taken up. Also, there was a plethora of wires, posts and other various things blocking the view. After getting a shot of a swanky yacht and a few images of the village I started to notice the early morning light reflecting off the clouds. Not completely satisfied by the compositions I was getting, I wondered if this was the best place to hang around for the sunrise, assuming we would get one. I could either stick around and be sure to get the best possible image of the Fisherman’s Village, or find another shot nearby. I knew we were only about 5 minutes away from the Venice Beach Canals, so I made the executive decision to pack up and head over, having never been there, hoping to find the best spot before this potential sunrise sprung on us (still not knowing for sure it would). We got to the canals with enough time to park and rush to the bridges. Fortunately, though I had never been there, I had surveyed the area in Google Earth and knew where to park and where to look for the best compositions. It wasn’t hard.