Boat Lights Right Left
Getting a great picture of your Boat
In making pictures along the Maine coast, a number of people who have spoken to me about photographing their boats. Basically, they wanted to know the real secret to make their ships look so good, especially when the anchor. Truth be told, there are no real secrets … only technical proven that they are well known to many professionals. These techniques are my pleasure to share with you.
By making the photograph and your boat, you faces four areas of concern. These areas are the ship, his camera equipment and film / media selection, to the shore where you work and lighting conditions. If you approach each component separately, then combine them in time to make your pictures, you should have little or no difficulty.
Prepare your boat carefully. It always surprises me how often this is forgotten. Think of your camera as rounder eyes, big mouth, nit pickin, purity-of-breed the marine inspector I have ever met and you'll do fine.
Any decent camera, allowing you to work without getting in your way will be more than adequate for this type of photography. I have no personal choice of lens for boats, except that, where possible, my preference is always for the shortest focal length, not the other way around. Remember that your boat … you can get up close as you like. Film should always be the lowest ISO you can work comfortably. People with digital media should use the configuration screen that produces the largest file. The higher the file, more details are in the photo, but you do not have to break the bank on this. Any good digital camera in the range of 4-5 magapixel will do a good job if you remember to fill your frame.
The coast is where you work, the next thing to consider. I like natural environments, free from a pile of garbage. Quiet coves are my favorites. Whatever you do, however, do not allow the fund to fight the ship to the viewer's attention.
The next concern is the lighting. In the end, good photography is mainly about light. All films and digital media to create contrast. You can fix this, just do your photos with low contrast lighting. It comes as a surprise to many, but the morning light, and often be glorious, it is generally less contrasting than in the middle of the afternoon sun overhead. Try it! Afternoon sun can work as well, but the possibility of fog there. Experiment to see what works best for you.
Once you have all the elements together the picture is almost done. If you are working on the ground, use a tripod, even if it means getting wet feet. The tripod does two good things. First of all, it offers a stable platform for the camera. The second good thing about a tripod is not forcing you the slo w dow n. This simple act of not running through your photos can make a big improvement in their work. I prefer to set my tripod as low as possible. This angle allows the viewer to see a much more precise view of their boats cut line. If, however, you just spent a hundred hours of refinishing their high cabin and teak trim, raise their tripod all the way to show the beautiful detail work! Nobody knows your boat as intimately as you … let that fact guide their composition. As an additional step, a little fill flash brings highlights to add more detail to the shadow areas. Some tests in advance will help here. Fill flash works best when the flash itself is not perceptible.
As a final step, look carefully at your screen and ask yourself, " What's wrong with this? Image "We know what is right with the photo, is the boat When you ask yourself a number of other things that may very clear .. "What's wrong with this picture? Wow, I'm clipping the front of the bow … there is a garbage can on the beach, showing just under the boom … the curtains of the cabin are crooked … it's left the cloth hanging out the window? "Give this last suggestion serious consideration, as these are errors that we all do. At Sometimes we get so involved in what we're doing that we tend to miss important details. Spend a little time now and you will be rewarded with photos reflect the work, care and effort you put into your craft in the first place. Good luck.
About the Author
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