Dec 09
Posted: under American Dream Photos, Boats and Boating.
Tags: photography, regatta, sailing, the photo boat
On the Water Action Photography-this the tagline for The Photo Boat, a company out of Conneticut that specializes in taking photos of boats on the water. The Photo Boat founders are a couple who love sailing and photography and have turned it into a career. While I talk about my difficulties doing photography under sail, [...] [...more]
On the Water Action Photography-this the tagline for The Photo Boat, a company out of Conneticut that specializes in taking photos of boats on the water. The Photo Boat founders are a couple who love sailing and photography and have turned it into a career. While I talk about my difficulties doing photography under sail, they take it to the next step-see the photos below:
I appreciate that even they have the occasional crooked horizons and blown out skies, but still have great photographs. This tells me everyone has skies that don’t cooperate, and that obsessively straightening horizons is not always the best use of my time. They are photographers that work hard to get it right, right from the camera…lost moments from a regatta can’t be “found” in photoshop.
Here’s an example from a recent regatta:
It’s a GREAT photograph.
And if it it were my shot I’d be thinking “I should really straighten that horizon and is this really worth keeping if the sky isn’t blue?” Grrrrr….need to work on seeing the forest and not stressing about the trees.
Nov 23
Posted: under Boats and Boating.
Tags: boating, Onne van der Wal, photography, sailboat, sailing
My recent posts have illustrated some of the things that make phography on a sailboat tough. You may wonder why I would bother…risking camera equipment and seasickness.
I really love time on and near the water. And I’ve taken some photos that make me happy, but part of me questions “how much skill is really involved [...] [...more]
My recent posts have illustrated some of the things that make phography on a sailboat tough. You may wonder why I would bother…risking camera equipment and seasickness.
I really love time on and near the water. And I’ve taken some photos that make me happy, but part of me questions “how much skill is really involved to take a wonderful photo of something already so lovely?”. Then I remember songs that inspire and uplift, and how they can be slaughtered by someone with little or no skill. Go to your local karaoke night, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
I’m not the only one who enjoys capturing beautiful moments in the water. Onne van der Wal is a great example. He has a gallery in Newport, RI that I’ve visited twice. His gallery has given me some great ideas about what you can do when it comes to “thinking big” and displaying your photography. While he has framed and poster-sized prints, he also has his work beautifully rendered on canvas.
My experience with photo on canvas is limited, but in the past I haven’t been too impressed. The last time I stopped by the gallery, the woman working there was kind enough to give me a card with the information of the Rhode Island vendor that does van der Wal’s work. And somewhere along the way, I lost that information. I’m going send them a request through the website to see if I can get the info again. But in the meantime, just know that you can display your photography beautifully on canvas.
Oct 18
Posted: under Boats and Boating, Wheeler Images.
Tags: boating, photography, sailing, Wheeler Images
When taking photos from a moving object, like a sailboat, it’s important to keep yourself steady and level on the the boat even when the boat is not. I remembered my mother trying to teach me to water ski and explaining that you keep your knees bent (or at least, not locked) because then they [...] [...more]
When taking photos from a moving object, like a sailboat, it’s important to keep yourself steady and level on the the boat even when the boat is not. I remembered my mother trying to teach me to water ski and explaining that you keep your knees bent (or at least, not locked) because then they work like springs (or shocks) allowing your legs to adapt to the changing surface under your feet. When I am using my camera on the boat, I try to do the same thing by using my back and waist to keep my upper body ready to adapt to the changing level of the boat.
It doesn’t always work.
The most frequent compositional problem that comes up is tilted horizons. In fact, it happens so frequently I don’t even consider it a problem anymore. I have become Kung Fu Horizon Fixer. One side of this is that I spot tilted horizons in other photographs and wonder why people don’t take a moment to fix them. The other side is that I know that people create compositionally pleasing photos with tilted horizons…but I’m so used to fixing mine that I haven’t “evolved” to recognize when it’s OK to NOT make a straight horizon in a photo.
Photography means lifelong learning…
I think it’s safe to say that these photos can’t pull off their off-kilter horizons:
No one said anything about
sailing uphill…
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Wheee!!!!!!
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What can also happen is that when I move to keep my subject in the frame, at the same time various parts of the boat move into the frame as well.
Slideshow transition interupted
or
attention hungry boat stays?
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And sometimes you get a combination of both, and when that happens you get that rare shot:
Sailboat Attacked by Dust Bunny
as it’s about to
Sail Off The End Of The Earth
