Coming This Saturday

Prints on Display…

Two of the images that I’ve posted here (and seven other non-maritime photos) are currently on display at Astoria’s Baked Alaska restaurant.

The image area on each of the prints us roughly 12 x 18 inches, and all are professionally matted and framed.

Stop by and take a look, if you’re interested.

Scott

Experiment Within An Experiment

This was shot several weeks ago.  Photographically speaking, it’s a tough set of conditions.  The ships’ lights are very bright unless you’re comparing them to, say, the sun in a clear sky.  The visible stars are faint by comparison, but when you’re standing there, you see it ALL. 

The camera’s sensor can, too, but not all in the same frame.  The dynamic range is too great.  But I just had to try.

The most frustrating part of this process is that last step… getting it presented on the web.  Even when reduced and optimized for web viewing, hundreds of stars remain visible within Photoshop when I make the final review.  But, as I look at the preview, only a handful show up.  I won’t know what will be visible after a click on the image until it’s actually uploaded to the server and viewed in a browser.

Wish me luck!

ISO 200, 18mm with the A77.  25 seconds @ f/9.  Noise reduction in LR4, optimized for web in PS CS5.

Post-publishing note:  Well, that’s disappointing!  It’s better than what Facebook does, but not by a lot.  Click on the image for full(er) effect.

I’m trying!

Just Love It When Luck Smiles on Me

I saw the Pyxis (and yes, the ship geek in me knew that it was the Pyxis long before I could confirm it any other way) when I first hit the causeway to the Youngs Bay Bridge.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I saw that the timing might work out just right for me to be able to catch the pilot transfer from the 6th Street platform.

The sequence was much like the one I did after being away from the platform for so long, so I won’t duplicate it here, but I did especially like one frame, particularly for the light.  The Connor Foss is no Arrow #2 in terms of panache, but she still looks good and up to the task.

A77, ISO 400.  70-300 G zoom @ 200mm, f/8 @ 1/1250.

No crop. Adjustments in LR4, optimized for screen in PS5.

Not Gone Yet

The Arrow 2 hasn’t seen a lot of work lately, what with the young whippersnapper Connor Foss getting set to replace her.

But, she’s still here, still working, on occasion.

This was from Sept. 10, taken from my front porch.

Angles and Curves Caught My Eye

I wasn’t lacking for things to do this evening, but when I glanced out the window and saw only the proud prow of this ship, I figured it was time to change lenses and head for the porch.

I’m not a naval architect, so what appeals visually to me may not make any economic sense, but the Ocean Hawthorn’s rakish bow made me think that “this ship means business”.  And she had a fair amount of style, to boot.

She’s a bit unusual in that she’s leaving the river “light”… without cargo.  Her AIS information shows that she’s heading from Longview to Vancouver, BC, though she’s still heading SW as I type this.

Her rakish profile would be evident even if she was fully laden, though.  That’s a seriously aggressive angle on her bow’s profile, and it’s accentuated by the bullnose that’s usually hidden underwater.

Before I could even head upstairs to upload the image shown above, another ship hove into view.  Up until a few weeks ago, I’d never seen this line, and now, it’s two in a row for ROROs in the evening for me.

This is the Terrier.  Norwegian flagged and heading for Pyungtaek, South Korea.  Just guessing, but I think there are more Hyundais and Kias in her future.

I would apologize for the omnipresent trestle in the foreground of so many shots, but I’m actually hoping to one day see an actual train on it.  In a perfect world, I’d be able to capture a steam locomotive making a transit.

But, I’m not holding my breath.

New Kid on The Block

The Arrow 2’s days as the primary river pilot transfer boat are numbered.

After more than 50 years in service, she’s in the process of being replaced by the Connor Foss, a boat that more closely resembles its bar pilot cousins than the “Little Toot” outline of the Arrow 2.

And for a little contrast, a shot from last evening, with the two boats together:

Both shots were from the catwalk at Baked Alaska, a perfect place for eating, drinking, merry-making and ship watching.

Incidentally, the “Connor” in the boat’s name is a real person.  He’s eight years old now, but his actual name is Connor Mitchell Hansen, a relative of the Foss founders.  If the boat that bears his name lasts as long as its predecessor, he’ll be well into middle-age when it’s finally retired.