Posts in Category: ship
Holland: the Oostvaardersplassen and Lelystad
As I mentioned, I am in the Netherlands for a few days for the Dutch Birdfair. It is at the Oostvaardersplassen in Lelystad, and Lelystad is a new town on land only reclaimed from the sea in the 70s. The Oostvaardersplassen (east fisherman’s ponds) is a large expanse of newly flooded land (again, the 70s) which is adjacent to Lelystad and which has developed into a world class bird refuge. I barely got to the edge of it today, walking from my hotel on too little sleep and without adequate hydration, but it is certainly impressive.
Right across from the hotel, which is actually the barracks buildings for the workers who diked and drained the land in the 70s, is the yacht basin (or one of the yacht basins) for Lelystad. It seems like at least half the people in Holland have a boat…no…not really, but there are sailing boats of all kinds and all sizes docked near the hotel. I am pretty sure the boats above are traditional canal barges.
The highlight of the trip so far, however, has to be the butterflies. Totally unexpected. I saw at least three today that are new to me (not surprising as it is my first trip to Holland).
I have not had time to look them up yet. This is the first one. Maybe one of you can help with the IDs.
And we will finish with a view of the Oostvaardersplassen itself (or at least a smallish section of it).
That tiny white speck by the trees on the left is the blind I walked to today.
10/17/2009
Amazing Grace Trailing Her Nets
Most of the shrimpers off Jekyll Island GA are nothing much to look at: working boats, well worked, and looking every bit of it. The Amazing Grace is amazingly well kept, and a bit more elegant in her lines. Quite a site here as she trails her nets off the beach at the center of Jekyll Island.
There were huge (well, at least very large) signs here saying “keep off the dunes” so I was limited to standing on the porch of the convention center (about 3 feet off the sand), flipping the LCD on the H50 over and down, and holding the camera at arms reach over my head to get enough height for this shot over the dunes.
Sony H50 at about 180mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/800th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Cropped in Lightroom to place the horizon on the lower rule of thirds line. Blackpoint slightly to the right. Added Clarity and Vibrance, and Sharpen landscape preset.
From Colonial Coast 09.
6/17/2009
Margret Todd under the Guns of Bar Harbor
Another view of the sloop Margret Todd. End of a day of rain, with the storm just breaking on the horizon behind the islands of Bar Harbor. The guns are in the park above the Harbor.
Sony DSC H50 at full wide. F5.6 @ 1/400th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
I had to crop out the guy who walked into the right side of the frame (I did not have time to take another shot as my family was rapidly disappearing around the first bend in the Shore Path), but in the end I think it actually improved composition. Recovery in Lightroom for the sky. Added Clarity and Vibrance (though in the subdued light it barely matters), and Landscape sharpen preset.
6/4/2009
Big Sky over Boats
Okay, big sky again. This time over the boat yard at Wells Harbor, ME. Interesting shapes. Interesting light. Great sky. What more can you want?
Sony DSC H50 at about 50mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
In Lightroom just the standard added Clarity, Vibrance, and sharpening. Oh, and a bit of Recovery for the sky and clouds.
From Around Home Kennebunk ME.
4/4/2009
J S de Elcano in Galveston Harbor
To quote from a Lighthouse Depot description of a model of this ship: Four-Masted Schooner Model…An Impressive 44″ In Length The Juan Sebastian de Elcano is a training ship for the Royal Spanish Navy. At 370 feet long, it is the third largest Tall Ship in the world. Built in 1927 in Cadiz, it is named after a 16th century explorer and captain of Magellan’s global fleet. Steel hulled and steel masted, a marvel of gilt and teak, ropework and canvas, with a crew polished to within an inch of their lives, the J S de Elcano is an impressive sight to happen on in Galveston harbor, right next to the Off-Shore Oil Rig Museum.
This shot uses the full wide end of the zoom on the H50 and shows all the distortions of the lens, compounded by the upward tilt of the camera, which placed the ship across the axis of all most all of the distortions. Still. The distortions might even add to the impression of size and the majestic sweep of this elegant vessel.
The light was just about perfect for this detailed shot.
Sony DSC H50 at full wide (31mm equivalent). F5.6 @ 1/640 @ ISO 100. Programed Auto.
In Lightroom, some Recovery for the white highlights and the sky. Added Clarity and Vibrance in the Presence panel, and the Landscape sharpen preset.
From Galveston 2009.
Masthead Detail, J S de Elcano