And here is part two as promised last week....
Friday, 9 September 2022
Tuesday, 6 September 2022
The disappearing sail crease
Yes, you read that right. The sail crease is no more. I know......it's amazing isn't it.....
Enjoy part one..........
Friday, 26 August 2022
astrophotography from boats
Well not from the boats, I mean that would be impossible wouldn't it, all that bobbing about!
However, on those nights beached in remote spots where there are dark skies up the river Tamar, well that is a different scenario isn't it.
I have been saving for some time and finally I have bought a good astrophotography travel rig comprising
- zenithstar 61ii with field flattener - for both visual and imaging work
- samyang 135mm F/2 lens
- skywatcher star adventurer 2i wifi pro star tracker
Wednesday, 10 August 2022
Dinghy cruising overnighter to cellars beach on the river yealm episode four
Last one in the series.
Thursday, 4 August 2022
Episode three
Enjoy. Links to episode one and two on video in first few minutes
https://youtu.be/bbzt1EMiJ_E
Thursday, 28 July 2022
Dinghy cruising overnighter to cellars beach on the yealm - episode two
hope you enjoy it
Lessons learned?
- move the halyard tie on point on the yard further up so it is about a third of the way along - hopefully this will allow the sail to pull right up to the mast
- move the sprit boom intersection point on the mast far higher
- make sure I remember to tie on the parrel beads at the tack - around the mast
- crank on the downhaul tension - this may need an upgrade in the block and tackle used 😂
- add a parrel bead loop at the bottom of the yard where the throat is to hold it securely against the mast - not so tight that the sail cannot be lowered effectively though
Friday, 22 July 2022
Cellars beach on the river Yealm
Here is episode one of a trilogy about an overnight trip to and from Cellars Beach just inside the mouth of the river Yealm on the south Devon coast.
Monday, 18 July 2022
Cellars beach on the river yealm
A little teaser of a forthcoming set of videos about a recent trip. Enjoy
Wednesday, 13 July 2022
dinghy cruising on Plymouth Sound - in a Welsford navigator - part three
here is part three about our little day cruise potter a few weeks ago around Plymouth Sound, when, after living down this way for over thirty years, I finally set foot on Drakes Island for the very first time.
Parts one and two can be found in previous posts during June/July 2022 or on my YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy
Thursday, 7 July 2022
dinghy cruising - a Welsford navigator pottering on Plymouth Sound - part 2
Here is the part two video of our day pottering around Plymouth Sound and landing on Drakes Island for the first time ever. Part one can be found in a previous post.
Friday, 1 July 2022
The Dinghy Cruising Association new photography, videography and art work competition
You may be aware that the British Dinghy Cruising Association has created a competition to go alongside ones for the best technical article and best cruising log in its journal. This new competition centres on photography, videography and artwork with monetary prizes in the form of Amazon vouchers.
DCA website: https://www.dinghycruising.org.uk/news/dca-launches-a-photo-competition
An article I
wrote for the DCA journal about the competition is published instead as a PDF download on their website and can be found in my previous blog post. At
the end of that post, I promised that I would also post answers to two further
questions, which being very specific about photography, probably weren’t appropriate for
inclusion into the journal or on the DCA website
These two
questions were:
• What equipment can I use to
get a ‘pleasing’ dinghy cruising related photograph?
• What basic photographic skills would
I need to develop in order to obtain this photo?
If you have
read the article/first blog post and are now feeling inspired but left wondering
whether or not you have the right camera gear (you do by the way), then perhaps
this section below will help you further.
What
equipment can I use to get a ‘good’ and suitable dinghy cruising related
photograph?
Simple
answer – any practically any camera you have as a good photo comes from the
skill and knowledge of photography employed, not necessarily the actual camera
used. In saying this however, there are some things to consider and I discuss
these in the context of my own camera equipment. Let’s start by looking at what camera
equipment I carry on Arwen (figure 1).
Figure 1:
what photographic equipment do I carry on Arwen?
As
standard:
·
GoPro
Hero 9 on long selfie pole (plus spare batteries and various mounts etc)
·
Two
GoPro Hero 5’s and assorted mounts/fittings (plus spare batteries etc)
·
Sony
HX-90 compact digital optical zoom camera (plus spare batteries) in waterproof
pouch and dry bag
·
Spare
micro-SD memory cards which can fit any of the cameras) – minimum 64Gb class 10
·
Camera
cleaning kit – cloth, lens spray, puffer brush)
·
Clamp
mounts for GoPro
·
Mini
Gorillapod tripod for compact zoom
·
One
portable power bank
·
Either
a Camera rucksack or a camera strap bag – On a small boat, you may find a
rucksack too bulky, so a shoulder bag is better. On shore, I keep the latter
securely on me by slinging the strap over my left shoulder and across my chest
front so that the bag lies on my right hip as I am right-handed. Everything is then
secure and easily accessible. Contents are in small waterproof drybags which
are labelled on the outside. In the boat, I have it all in a small photographic
rucksack, inside a large drybag.
·
Lens
wipes – I use them rather than the bottom of my fleece (We have all done it!)
Occasionally:
·
DSLR
Canon 800D plus 18 – 55mm F/4.0 and 55 – 250mm F/4.5 zoom lenses (spare
batteries)
·
Lightweight
full-sized tripod
·
Spare
lens caps
·
UV
filters on lenses - protects them from scratches, salt and spray
·
Circular
polarising filters for both lenses – great for sunny days - eliminates unwanted
glare off the water, saturates colours and increases the contrast between the
different elements in a shot
·
Lens hood prevents light flaring on lens and
protects camera against accidental knocks.
Very
occasionally – for
astrophotography
·
Above
camera plus Samyang 135 mm F/2 lens
·
Skywatcher
Star Adventurer 2i pro star tracker
·
Benro
carbon fibre full tripod – you can get very cheap second hand tripods off
Facebook marketplace etc - a tripod
allows you to use telephoto lenses in low light on a DSLR - stability without camera shake when you
need wider apertures and longer shutter speeds but no flash.
·
Samsung
Galaxy Tab A tablet
·
If
you are taking photos at golden hour from land – get a remote shutter release
cable as well to avoid any camera shake when taking a photo.
My compact
zoom camera (a Sony HX90 – also a great vlogging camera by the way) and GoPro
Hero 9 (for those exciting spray over the coaming/raining moments, when a small
waterproof camera is needed or for getting those good close-up shots of crew in
action) are the two main cameras I carry regularly onboard. My smartphone,
a middle of the road one with ok-ish images (but not ones that could be
enlarged for printing off) lives in an aqua-pouch when onboard so effectively eliminating
its function as a camera. Occasionally
in relatively sheltered inland waters like the River Tamar, I take my bigger DSLR
although I rarely use it when actually sailing. One handed DSLR camera photography
is something I’m unlikely to master any time soon.
A recent ‘digital
camera beginners’ course’ enabled me to ‘get off auto’ and ‘engage
with ‘manual’’ on both my compact and DSLR cameras. My Canon 800d DSLR with
various kit lenses gives me the most choice, control and quality over images. DSLRs
(and mirrorless cameras) give very high-quality images, are bigger and easier
to hold, have larger rear touch screens and relatively quick autofocus. Great onshore, or if you are in a boat not helming
or crewing; impossible to use well if you are ‘active’ in the dinghy. If it
isn’t a weatherproof one, they aren’t great with saltwater spray! Mainly used when I have finished sailing and
am moored or dried out, the DSLR accompanies me on shore explorations and is my
astrophotography kit for night time. I can choose aperture, shutter speed, ISO
and control depth of field and focus. Tack sharp background or bokeh blurred?
This kit gives me those options.
An
alternative to the DSLR is a ‘bridge’ camera. It is mid-way between a
point and shoot compact and a DSLR. It has a tripod thread, a flash shoe and
control over exposure, aperture, shutter speed and ISO (light sensitivity).
Visit the ‘Lone kayaker’ website at https://thelonekayaker.wordpress.com/ to see one used well. All of Rupert’s images taken from his kayak are on
a bridge camera which he stores inside a dry bag!
Figure 2 gives some reviews of bridge and DSLR cameras on the market today. If you chose
a bridge camera or DSLR – find one which has a dial or buttons to manually
control exposure, ISO, aperture etc. Trying to access a menu on a screen with
wet fingers is a disaster waiting to happen!
Avoid digital zoom as any image done this way will lose sharpness and
stores little information for later post processing. You want optical zoom!
Figure 2: reviews
of DSLRs and bridge cameras (I take no responsibility for the quality of the
reviews)
Best entry
level DSLRs 2022
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/best-entry-level-dslr-camera
https://photographylife.com/best-entry-level-dslrs
and slightly
more generally https://www.t3.com/features/best-entry-level-camera
bridge
cameras
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/the-best-bridge-cameras
https://uk.pcmag.com/digital-cameras/85599/the-best-bridge-cameras
The Sony
HX-90 digital/optical zoom compact gives me great picture quality, a x 30
optical zoom lens, a flip up backscreen and inbuilt flash. Small and lightweight,
it almost does what my DSLR can do. Most sailing days I’m happy to get this out
of its waterproof storage bag to take photographs at its widest lens opening
and I can use it one handed. I can shoot in RAW mode (better for post editing,
enlarged prints and magazines) and I avoid ‘digital’ zoom which degrades the image
quality. Bobbing about on waves and trying to do telephoto zoom shoots with it
are just never going to happen, so I use it on its widest focal length and best
quality settings; enabling me to then crop the image in post editing without
losing image quality. Of course, it’s now dated, overtaken by action cameras
and waterproof smartphones and newer compact cameras, but it still does the job
and I’m sentimentally attached to it as it was a gift given to me when I
retired.
Those who
know me well know I am an action cam – GoPro aficionado! There are many good action
cameras available now and my previous articles on vlogging in the DCA
journal and also posts on this blog give a good overview of these. Personally,
I only use GoPro or DJI Action for photographs and I favour action cams with a
front screen that shows me what I’m photographing when using for selfies (it’s
also a vlogging advantage). My various
GoPro’s have been bomb-proof over the decade I have been using them. There are
plenty of YouTube videos about settings for your GoPro camera and figure 3 shows what photo settings I have for my Hero 9. Remember on any camera or
advanced smartphone, RAW format gives you best quality images and plenty of
options for creative post editing.
Magazine editors prefer RAW as well!
Figure 3: my
GoPro photo settings for Hero 9 Note - it has a fixed aperture of F/2.8
Photo – linear, Superphoto, timer 3s, zoom
1.0x, WB – auto, sharpness – low, colour – GoPro
Night
photo – wide,
shutter – 30s, RAW, TIMER – 3S, ZOOM 1.0X, wb – 5000K, ISO min – 800, ISO max –
1600, sharpness – low, colour – flat
Burst
mode – wide,
burst rate – auto, output – standard, timer – off, zoom – 1.0x, WB – auto, ISO
min – 100, ISO max – 3200, sharpness – high, colour – GoPro
Use self timer – if you want to be in a shot. Touch zoom slider can bring a closer view of the action.
My GoPro
excels at those really big landscape shots (choose linear mode) and those
onboard boat close ups. Avoid super wide settings (distorted fish eye results
with curved horizons) and don’t use them for distant shots – they were never
designed for telephoto images. You just won’t be able to crop in effectively
during post production editing!
Now, I am
going to be slightly vague here because I have to confess, I have never owned a
decent smartphone. SWMBO draws the line at expensive smartphones. Mine is a
lower middle end smartphone, non-waterproof, but which does reasonable images.
Great for social media but not much else. It gets used mainly for navigation
and texts and that’s it. Great for wide angle images, upmarket smartphones now
do great telephoto shots as well but the risks of dropping it overboard?
Getting it wet? I’m not that brave given the higher costs of the better
equipped phones. If you are braver than
me, then your high-end smartphone should do portrait and landscape mode, render
good flash and allow a fair degree of manual control over exposure and some settings
like aperture. Some will blur the background whilst keeping the subject of the
image pin sharp. Several even allow you to ‘magic away’ distractions in your
photos. And of course, they are great for spontaneous use; after all, we carry
our smartphones with us everywhere.
Figure 4
gives some websites that review waterproof compact digital cameras and smart
phones
Figure 4: reviews
of waterproof digital compact cameras, digital zoom cameras and waterproof
smartphones (I take no responsibility
for the quality of the reviews)
Best
waterproof digital cameras:
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/best-waterproof-cameras
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/best-waterproof-camera
Best budget
compact digital zoom cameras:
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/best-compact-camera
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/best-point-and-shoot-cameras
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/best-compact-camera
Waterproof
smart phones;
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/best-waterproof-phone
https://www.techadvisor.com/test-centre/mobile-phone/best-waterproof-phone-3789597/
https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/best-picks/best-waterproof-and-water-resistant-phones
If you have
an existing compact, bridge or DSLR camera here are some quick tips to help
maximise the image quality in your photo. Firstly, more pixels do not necessarily
mean better quality pictures. It is sensor size which is important. The more
information your sensor holds, the bigger you can enlarge a photo when printing
it off. Secondly, if you are buying a new camera, get a reputable make – Canon,
Nikon, Sony etc. Thirdly, APS-C on DSLRs means it is a crop sensor but it will
do absolutely fine. Full sensor size DSLRs are very expensive!
Fourthly, no
surprise here but salt water smears lenses lens and rusts metal fittings! Some
DSLRs are not weatherproof. Those that are tend to be very expensive. Protect
your DSLR by getting a giant zip lock freezer bag, cutting a hole for the lens
to poke through, sealing the camera in the bag and securing the bag opening
over the lens with a thin stretchy elastic band. Well, that’s how I do it. For your compact, if it isn’t a waterproof one,
you can buy water proof pouch bag specifically designed for optical zoom lens
compacts. Make sure you get one that can accommodate your compact on its full
optical zoom lens stretch – go on – ask me how I know that’s important!!
Invest in a good brand if you buy an
aqua pouch for your compact or smartphone. Cheaper versions leak – go on,
ask me how I know – again!!! Put two little bags of desiccant into any bag
that holds a camera or smartphone – they absorb any moisture trapped in the
bag.
Ok, so at
this point we have briefly discussed basic photographic equipment
considerations. Now a public service health warning – go no
further unless you want to learn how to get off ‘Auto’ mode and into ‘Manual’
mode on your camera, smartphone or action cam. The last bit of this blog
post finishes by examining some very simple, basic, beginner principles about
shooting photographs. This is just for those who like me dream of getting
off ‘auto’ camera mode just once in their lives!
Our final
question:
What basic photographic skills would
I need to develop in order to obtain that ‘good’ photo?
If you haven’t done so yet, I would strongly urge
that you read the article in the DCA journal or the first blog post about the
competition and what makes a ‘good’ boat photograph. By doing
this, the following will then make better sense! The article looks at what
makes a good photo and discusses aspects to do with composition.
Some pre trip
thinking about camera settings is very important. If you want the best
possible quality photographs for inclusion in a magazine or to enlarge as
prints of 8” x 10” or above, shoot and save
images in RAW format but expect some post editing in a photo editing
software program afterwards to get the best out of the image. RAW format images
give you the most information and detail.
If you want
photos for a personal album, a blog or an ‘Instagram’ post, JPEG’s are
perfectly fine and take up less room on your memory card; just dial in the
highest quality JPEG setting your camera can do. My DSLR, GoPro and compact
camera can shoot both simultaneously. My smartphone shoots JPEGs only. Newer smartphones can shoot in both JPEG and RAW.
Quick warning reiteration – RAW images never look as good on your rear-view
screen as JPEGs do – but after post processing – oh my do they pop then. Always,
always select the best/highest quality megapixel resolution/ image size setting
your camera can do. It will need a bigger memory card but will be worth it.
Magazine editors by the way, will love you for that choice!
And talking
of these worthy individuals, resist any temptation to digitally auto enhance
any images you take for magazines. Let the editors and their team do it as they
know what they are looking for and what will best fit their page layouts.
Your camera on
auto setting will give you good pictures straight away as it selects
the optimal exposure, shutter, aperture and ISO speeds. Don’t be afraid to use
auto mode at sea. In lower light or where you are suffering camera shake,
select TV (shutter) mode as it allows you to choose the shutter speed. The
camera will then automatically select the most appropriate ISO and aperture
settings to get you a correct exposure at that shutter speed. However, I like
to exert greater control and thought over exposure and focus in an effort to
really boost image quality and detail, and so I have been familiarizing myself with
manual, shutter and aperture modes on my cameras. It is not within the scope of
this article to give detailed advice about camera settings but getting off ‘auto’ is fun and there are plenty of
YouTube tutorials explaining how to adjust shutter and ISO speed, aperture and
exposure compensation. Look up ‘The exposure triangle’.
On some
compact zoom cameras and most DSLRs, either via a dial or through a menu set up,
you can select from M (manual), AV (aperture), TV (shutter) or P (auto) modes. By
now, you are beginning to realise that there are three things to consider
in getting a well exposed photo: shutter speed, aperture and ISO. So,
let’s look at each of these a little more closely, through the context of this
‘Exposure triangle’.
Shutter
speed is how
long your shutter remains open and is measured in seconds or fractions of
seconds e.g. 1/60th, 1/500th. Fast shutter speeds freeze
action e.g. water splashes and spray over the deck and let in little light;
also good to use if using long telephoto lenses or shooting fast moving boats.
Long shutter speeds (shutter is open longer) allow more light onto the sensor. Turn on the camera’s image-stabilization
system and you can shoot at slower shutter speeds (1/15, 1/8, or 1/4 of a
second) to keep the boat in focus while blurring the water. The latter
technique is easier toward sunrise and sunset, when light levels are lower.
Changing the
ISO (sensor sensitivity) will capture more or less light. The higher
the number you choose, the more light it captures, but at a cost. The higher
the ISO, the ‘grainier’ the picture will become! To capture images of boats sailing, set your ISO speed to between 100 –
400. For example, on bright sunny days choose a low ISO around 100 because
you have plenty of available light. On an overcast day, you might set it to
400. Remember, don’t go higher though as this will lead to a ‘grainy’ picture
and that is something you want to avoid. High ISO speeds do however, allow faster
shutter speeds. (See shutter speed above).
Your choice
of aperture (how wide open your lens diaphragm is to let light
through) determines how much of your shot is in focus. A wide aperture, (the
smallest ‘f-stop’ number) allows a fast shutter speed and more light through,
thus reducing motion blur. It ‘freezes’ any action and gives a shallow depth of
field (only the subject is in focus, the rest of the image may be blurry). Increasing
the aperture (a higher F number) brings in more motion blur, less light but
more depth of field so the background comes into focus more. In low light, use a wide aperture (a small F
stop number) and a slow shutter speed but remember you will need to use a
tripod or prop your phone/camera on something to hold it steady to avoid shake
blur. I would also set a shutter timer delay (on most phones and cameras) so
that when you press the shutter button, the camera delays taking the photo for
a few seconds so that any camera shake settles down before the image is taken.
If you want
that ‘looking along the length of the boat’ shot to be in focus from foreground
to background then you need a big depth
of field so select aperture priority mode on the control dial and set aperture
to between f16 - F22. The bigger the f/number, the bigger the depth of field.
The camera will automatically set shutter speed and ISO appropriate for the
day’s conditions. If I wanted just the boat’s foreground in focus but the background
blurred (called bokeh), I need a small depth of field, so apertures of f8 or
below. A good general shooting setting
for reasonable depth of detail across your image is f8 - f16.
You can read
more about the exposure triangle here at:
https://petapixel.com/2017/03/25/exposure-triangle-making-sense-aperture-shutter-speed-iso/
Diagram 1 –
the exposure triangle. This diagram shows the simple relationship between
shutter speed, aperture and ISO and what impacts altering each has on depth of
field, grain and sharpness.
For a good
video explanation try this one from PhotoPills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA8JGwnxjBw
And for
smart phone camera users, this may help as well: https://thesmartphonephotographer.com/exposure-triangle/
Remember, it
sounds complicated but once you have your head around the basics, it becomes
easier to understand. If you want to move onto manual – practise onshore before
trying it for the first time from a boat!
Some quick tips about other settings, mainly on DSLR cameras. If you
are using a DSLR camera to take a photograph of a boat, from another boat, keep lens auto focus and image stabilization switched on. If you want to keep the moving boat
permanently in focus switch your camera autofocus mode from ‘One shot’ (or
AF-S) to ‘Servo’ (or AF-C) and this will allow you to half press your shutter
button to continually focus on the approaching boat until you are ready to take
the shot.
I set white balance to auto when saving
RAW images as I can alter them in most post editing software programs and if
truth be known, trying to remember to manually set up my camera for the correct
white balance every time I take a shot is beyond my limited brain capacity. My friend,
saves in JPEG’s, and chooses a white balance option mode from his camera menu, suited
to the conditions on the day - bright sunlight or cloudy skies. Remember out on the water, the sky, water,
sails and hull may be over bright so familiarize yourself with how to alter
your exposure compensation if using a DSLR. When your camera’s light
meter reads ‘0’, then exposure is correct. +1 means the image is over exposed
(too bright) by one stop. Conversely, -1 on the meter tells you that your image
is under exposed (too dark) by one stop.
If you have
worn polarising sunglasses at the seaside, you know that glare disappears, and
in clear water, you can see the sandy bottom, the seaweed and scuttling crabs
with startling clarity. A polarizing
filter on my DSLR lens achieves the same thing, reducing glare, removing
unwanted reflections and intensifying the blues and greens in the scene. It
also makes white fluffy clouds really pop in bright blue skies. Be aware that
the filter will often reduce the light entering the lens and so if shooting
in aperture priority mode, your camera will slow shutter speed slightly to
compensate for this. To ensure I get that ‘freeze the water’ shot, I have to remember
to raise the ISO setting a little higher.
Oh, and one
more thing, I turn off any date, time or
GPS location stamps that might imprint on the final image. An irritating
way to spoil a perfect shot!
When you
have got the images, it is time to take them back and process them. If you are
doing them for inclusion in a printed magazine, definitely talk to the editor
before processing your images. They may just want you to send them the RAW file
so that they can make editorial decisions about processing, cropping etc. If
you are wanting to print it and frame it, try not to amend the image too much.
Don’t over process it! Less is more! Do
just enough to keep yourself happy. Focus on subtle iterative adjustments to
exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, clarity, vibrancy and saturation
(depending on the post editing program you use – I use Affinity photo). Use
Youtube tutorials to get better at the post processing skills.
If using a DSLR
or a GoPro you will do most of this editing once home. With a smartphone, there
are many apps which will allow you to do it there and then. Editing and posting
on the move – amazing!
What about
using a drone camera? You haven’t mentioned that yet Steve! Um, possibly with
good reason! On My drone I have some control over exposure, aperture and
shutter speed settings or I can just go auto! You’d better be a really good
drone pilot before venturing it out over water or taking off and landing on a
boat! Know exactly how long your batteries last and leave spare battery time
for possible tricky landings. Disable the ‘return to home’, ‘collision
avoidance’ and ‘distance limitation’ settings. On a moving boat, you
won’t still be where you took off, even if you are anchored! You
may need to grab it by hand on landing! So, wear protective gloves! Learn to
watch the screen not the drone and have an observer watching the drone
position. Take into account wave and wind conditions. Good drone shots include
looking vertically down on the boat, centred over the mast. Try not to over
expose your image. If you have polarising filers to fit the drone camera, use
them. Set exposure settings to the boat not the surrounding sea. Great location
shots are when the boat is anchored in a stunning bay in the evening and you
can fly the drone lower to catch the boat against the backdrop of a cliff and/or
beach.
And finally,
(well done by the way on making it this far), lets finish with a few more
useful tips. Ready to take a photo of
Arwen and armed with correctly set equipment and shot lists (see previous post),
I do try to ensure she is tidy and
clean and looking her best (tip
1). So many of the photos my friend
took of my boat last year were rejected because I’d forgotten to take in
fenders on the starboard side or allowed strands of reefing line and snotter
control halyards to dangle across my face. Worst was my display of poor
seamanship skills, through a sail with a huge clew to throat crease. So, no
baggy sails, no loose lines, no cluttered cockpits and no dragging fenders; just
a tidy, clean, boat displaying a good turn of speed, full sails and water
flowing serenely along its hull. If only!
My planned
‘shots’ list for the day serves as a memory aide but I won’t stick rigidly to
it. I will develop situational awareness
(tip 2) from the start by sitting back a while before shooting and taking a
look around the sailing area I’m passing through. If I’m crew in another boat
shooting other peoples’ boats, I’m looking for those unusual shooting angles as
the boats sail around me. I try to anticipate
what boat and helmsperson might do on different reaches and tacks and also look
for those unscripted interactions between helmsperson and boat which show their
sheer joy in sailing their own boat. Some
images of crew intently engaged in ‘action’ such as raising a sail,
commencing a tack or furling a jib capture ‘movement’ that conveys the sense of
a boat being ‘under way’. My previous post gives further ideas.
And lastly,
a plea about safety (tip 3). Even in an anchored boat, it’s one hand
for yourself and one hand for the boat. Keep your camera on a short neck strap
so, if need be, you can quickly let it go to use two hands for safety. Try to shoot
from a seated position so there is less chance of slipping or being a MOB
casualty and wear appropriate grippy footwear, deck shoes or yacht boots. With suitable clothing and sunscreen for the
day easy to hand, always wear your life jacket or PFD as well.
I hope
across the two blog posts you now have all that you need to help you go out
there and get some really good photographs of your dinghy and of those
belonging to other dinghy cruisers. Don’t be shy, if you think they are ‘good’
shots, then enter them for the Dinghy Cruising Association photography
competition. Details on the DCA website, given at the start of this blog post.
Good luck
now, fair winds and see you out on the water.
How can I get ‘good’ photographs of my boat and other boats sailing on the water?
The recent announcement about a DCA photograph/video/artwork annual competition is a great idea. Perpetually frustrated at not being able to get any decent photos of my boat (or any other boat for that matter) anchored, sailing or sitting on a beach or driveway, this competition now provides the impetus to me getting out there and do something about the situation.
Many of us
carry a camera of some form on our dinghies and a quick trawl of social media
shows there are many dinghy cruisers posting pictures to Facebook, Instagram,
TikToc and YouTube. Some of those photos
are truly stunning........
“A cruising dinghy
under full sail, the skipper leaning on his coaming, gazing up intently at his
well-set sails, whilst the small boat’s bow lifts across the wave tops,
splashed water frozen in minute detail against a sharply defined background of
boat hull, blue skies, tan sail and verdant green creek side reed beds.”
I long for some similar pictures of ‘Arwen’
and any ability/skill to take such pictures for other dinghy cruisers. This new annual DCA award for the best photograph (and
video/artwork) has thus set me thinking:
·
What makes for a ‘good’ dinghy cruising photo’?
·
How can I judge how ‘good’ my dinghy cruising related photos are?
I have two other questions (see
below) and I’ve attempted to explore
these in another blog if you are interested – it follows on from this post.
·
What equipment can I use to get a ‘pleasing’ dinghy cruising related
photograph?
·
What basic photographic skills would I need to develop in order to obtain
this photo?
If you are interested in entering the competition then you can go to this page here on the DCA website
https://www.dinghycruising.org.uk/photo-competition.html and if you want to download a PDF of this blog post visit
https://www.dinghycruising.org.uk/uploads/7/6/9/7/76979649/about_good_photography_steve_parke.pdf
So, without further ado, lets jump
straight in by exploring
Why the DCA should have a competition
at all?
On a recent ‘beginners’
digital photography course, the tutor impressed upon us all that “getting a
good photograph is all about the interplay of subject matter, timing,
composition and light” and that with a little knowledge and planning, this
can be achieved by beginners on a variety of cameras - smartphone, compact
camera, DSLR, Bridge camera and yes, even an action cam. He also stressed the
other ingredient is some thinking! ‘Why do we want photographs of our boats
and other aspects of dinghy cruising?’
An
interesting question – a competition will give more great source material for
the DCA journal and website. But it’s obviously more than just that. Great
dinghy cruising adventures are often made by the people sailing with us, the
stunning scenery and variable conditions we sail through, the skills we develop
and how we grow individually and collectively as a result of the voyage. A
well composed photograph tells the viewer a story – people, places,
events, weather, dinghy design and craftsmanship – a collection of images
with a variety of subject matter, lighting and composition building up a great
visual travelogue and cruise record of our adventures which we can then share
with family, friends and the wider dinghy cruising community. We can also glean
lots from good photos (a picture paints a thousand words and all that); I defy
anyone not to learn something from a photo or video – either appreciation of a new
skill, a sudden idea, or just as importantly, how not to do something!) Most
importantly, good photos provide an opportunity to celebrate and promote
the benefits and joys of dinghy cruising to the wider world.
Figure 1
shows the DCA annual competition categories:
Figure 1 -
Three DCA competitions:
1.
Photography - three categories with all entries in high resolution format,
at least 2MB:
a.
Cruising – the
things that mark a boat out as a dinghy that cruises
b.
Amusing – Make
us all smile
c. Inspiring – The ‘Wow’ factor (whatever you think would make viewers go ‘wow’ on first seeing your photo)
2. Video – All entries to be either 1080p, 2.7K or 4K max, preferably shot in landscape mode and a maximum of 40 minutes in length. No categories for this competition – so anything from an inspiring shot of dolphins at the bow, to technical ‘how to’ or narrative cruising logs.
3.
Artwork – Quick
pencil/pen sketches and lovely watercolours, photos of beach art alongside your
dinghy or pyrography designs on your boat, this is a wide-ranging category.
These
categories are sufficiently broad enough for our individual interpretation.
Tricky
question now, should the competition have any rules? If, like me you have a
natural allergy to long lists of rules, I will tentatively suggest three:
1. Up to 10 entries from any one
individual in each of as many categories as they wish
2. Each entry to be accompanied by a
caption and brief location/explanatory details, if appropriate
3. Minimal digital manipulation that
superficially enhances an image without altering it in any major way
Perhaps it’s
time to move smartly onto potentially less controversial territory then, by
exploring the first main question:
What
makes for a ‘good’ dinghy cruising photo?
Aspiring to
take better dinghy cruising photographs, I’ve been thinking about what getting
a ‘good’ photograph might entail. My definition of ‘good’ is simple – a photo
that has qualities above that of my ‘average’ boat photo. It’s one I’d happily
use in social media, publications or printed off for the wall; or one that
provides lots of pleasure to me when viewing it; or even just one that survives
my immediate ‘keep or cull’ review after taking it.
Figure 2
tries to tease out my ‘good’ photo thinking a little more and you might use this to judge to what extent you think the photos accompanying this post are 'good'?
Figure 2: How
do I judge whether a photograph relating to any aspect of my dinghy cruising is
‘good’ enough to keep and/or print/publish?
‘Good’ is an above average boat photo which achieves
just a few of the following for me:
1.
‘Emotional impact’ – provokes an immediate emotion for me/ a viewer – ‘wow’, joy,
incredulity, pride, curiosity, fun, excitement, intrigue, inspiration, sense of
adventure, comradeship, awe, terror etc. Pick your emotion.
2.
‘Some photographic ‘technical’ skill’ – my photo is sharp, correctly focussed, generally well
exposed. It tries to make good use of light and displays sharp depth of field
or bokeh blurred backgrounds. I’ve achieved basic framing and horizon setting.
My photo shows some compositional understanding – helped by my use of the
‘rule of thirds’ to position key elements; or it has a good balance between
foreground, midground and background. My photo draws in the viewers eye to a
key point and encourages it wonder elsewhere.
3.
‘Some originality/creativity’ – It’s taken from an unusual viewpoint or perspective; may
have an unusual choice of subject matter or focal points within the scene or
even an interesting use of light and/or colour and shapes, textures and
patterns.
4.
‘Tells a story’ – for me this is the important one - my photo
evokes a viewer’s imagination, tells a story about dinghy cruising (the boat,
the crew, the locations sailed, equipment used/made, craftsmanship etc). Composition
conveys a message e.g. emotional impact or it might capture a unique moment in
time like some special lighting on the boat/location/people. An atmosphere or
buzz, an expression of your crew, a seasonal landscape focus e.g. a beached
dinghy on a winter beach with a snowy background.
5.
‘How successfully it promotes and celebrates all aspects of
dinghy cruising’
What
criteria could I use to judge how ‘good’ my dinghy cruising related photos
are?
This is an ‘elephant
in the room’ question which may or may not generate some discussion!
I feel that any
competition needs some clear, simple, transparent, regularly published
‘judging’ criteria for potential competition entrants and judges. The criteria
illustrate what the competition is trying to achieve. In this particular competition
context, it will help me reflect on how I take photos before submitting them.
This competition is, after all, about ‘celebrating excellence and promoting
dinghy cruising to a wider world through the journal and website’.
Figure 2
above is, I think, a start towards these criteria. Simplified to ‘headings’ -
photos/videos/artwork could be judged on ‘emotional impact’, ‘technical
skill’, ‘originality/creativity’, ‘storytelling’ and ‘promotion and celebration
of all aspects of dinghy cruising’. All we have to say to ourselves is ‘does
my photo fulfil some of these criteria?’ If the answer is yes – we enter
it. If the answer is no, we can, if we want to, still enter it or we can work
out why it didnt answer this initial question and correct this. The DCA
competitions are for fun - to celebrate what we do when dinghy cruising –
but they are also an opportunity for us all to learn more from doing the photos
and from the submitted entries. The more visually appealing and interesting the
photos, the more we may learn from them?
If you are
sitting there now spitting out your coffee in indignation …. ‘RULES?
CATEGORIES? JUDGING CRITERIA? - how dare
he …. doesn’t he appreciate the ‘non-conformist’ philosophy of this association
- outrageous suggestions’ – I sincerely apologise and hopefully I can
redeem myself in this last section:
What
kind of subjects might I consider photographing that are dinghy cruising
related and how could I plan to successfully achieve such photos?
I’ll start
by returning to the topic of ‘composition’. Many people do fantastic photographs on the spur of
the moment. Lucky souls! I am so envious of you if you are one of these people.
How do you manage it? Some do the ‘spray and pray’ method – taking hundreds,
chancing that some will turn out brilliant. My approach! It works! Sometimes!
The trawl through the hundred I took to find just the two outstanding ones, is
however frustrating and time consuming.
People who
consistently deliver ‘good’ photos do so because they think about the shot
they are about to take and they practice. I have complete admiration for
these individuals. They understand the importance of ‘composition’, how it
is fundamentally the most important aspect in photographing bodies of water,
boats and seascapes. They see, select and order what is compelling and
purposeful; they visualise how the elements in a picture fit together - what is
important to the scene and what isn’t; what makes a good ‘lead-in’ foreground
into the rest of the picture.
Now
admittedly, thinking about composition is far easier to do when onshore where
the ground is fairly stable! Its trickier, when on a boat with one hand on the
tiller and the horizon rising and falling a metre or more every few seconds!
However, I have been learning some simple ‘composition’ tricks recently and now
consciously think about at least one of them before I push the shutter button,
even when in the boat. Figure 3 below has some thoughts about composition
which I hope might help you.
Figure 3 Some
thoughts about photo composition:
A well
composed photo positions its key elements and lighting to tell a story about
the boat, it’s crew or the sailing scenery. Your eye is drawn from an interesting foreground to a
main focal point. To achieve this, try these tips:
·
Switch on the 3 x 3 rectangles ‘rule of third’s’ grid on your rear screen and viewfinder. It is an
easy way of creating a balanced and visually interesting picture. The grid
breaks the image into thirds - vertically and horizontally - with imaginary
gridlines. Horizons are placed close to either the top or lower horizontal
line, masts aligned on one of the two vertical lines and objects of interest
located on one of the four intersection points between vertical and horizontal
lines. This makes for visually more interesting pictures. A boat on the water would be best placed
1/3rd of the way across the frame – sailing into the rest of the frame space.
Or you can just go for simplicity in composition – choose just three elements
to put into your photo – a minimalist approach e.g. boat hull, watery
reflection, bow line.
·
Find an interesting foreground as a visual stepping stone into the rest of your picture
e.g. a rock pool with a reflection and your boat dried out on the beach behind.
The foreground draws the viewer’s eye in and then the eye explores the rest of
the scene beyond. Obviously, the foreground should be relevant to dinghy
cruising in some way.
·
Direct the viewer’s eye by using lead in lines – a strong linear element such as a
fence, a rock, a wall, a road, the curve of a quayside wall – place it so it
begins in the bottom third of your photo in the left or right corner and
position it so it leads towards the middle where the main object of your photo
is – your boat!
·
Use natural objects on a beach to act as a frame within a frame e.g. your boat is framed
between the branches of a driftwood branch on the strand line; or between two
upright rocks – you get the idea. If doing this – shoot from low down –
stabilise your camera on your rucksack or bag.
·
Isolate your main focus point from the background by using a long zoom lens or compact
zoom and apertures of F/2.8 to F/4. On most DSLR’s and compact cameras you can
select ‘aperture priority mode’, set this aperture and the camera will work out
all the other settings for you. Want the background in sharp focus
as well? Then choose apertures around F/8 – 11.
·
Assess whether you have balanced the amount of water, boat and sky in the
image before
pressing the shutter - try to include lots of ‘air space’ around the boat for
later post edit cropping. ‘Tight cropping’ on the boat will lead to distortion
of hull shape.
·
Check you haven’t cut off - part of the bowsprit;
hidden the helmsperson behind the boom; got something dangling over someone’s
head etc.
·
Getting all of the mast in shot is notoriously difficult so chill - aim to get just
enough in the image so that a viewer can work out what the sail rig is.
·
Wonky horizons distract a viewer, drawing their gaze away from the boat, so check it
is straight.
·
In
the main, shoot in landscape mode. However, if shooting for a
magazine cover, contact the editor beforehand to see if they would prefer
photos in portrait mode – which might better suit a magazine cover.
·
Go for a different perspective – shooting low allows your dinghy to look larger, more
imposing and more majestic – seriously – try it!
·
(Make
sure any landscape shots are in focus from foreground to background – focus on
a point about a 1/3rd of the distance to the horizon and you should
have most of the scene from foreground to background in focus.)
I’m at the
point where I can almost hear some people saying ‘if I wanted to learn
photography, I’d buy a photography magazine!’ but I’m hoping that those of
you, interested in taking better photographs of seascapes, boats and all things
dinghy cruising, are beginning to feel inspired to have a go at the DCA
competition. This next bit will hopefully, provide you with some further ideas,
tips and inspiration.
Tip one – pre-plan your photographs -
it will significantly increase your chances of obtaining high quality,
compositionally stunning images commensurate with your skill level. What is
the essential essence/aspect of my boat I want to capture? What other
situation/subject do I want conveyed in images?
Am I going for ‘mood’ or ‘action’? What is my audience and purpose for
the photo – wall print, magazine, social media account?
Tip two - seek inspiration for ‘good’ dinghy/boat photos by exploring Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and various sailing journalism websites.
Tip three
- Photography
is about light and the best time to photograph is ‘golden hour’ - the couple of hours after sunrise
or before sunset - when winds are less, watery boat reflections more sharply
defined and nature’s colour balance warmer and softer. Golden hour lighting
illuminates the deeper recesses of a dinghy’s hull. If shooting people during
these hours, shoot them facing to the sun to get the light on their faces. If
they are backlit, make sure you expose the picture for the sky not their faces.
On a smartphone and some compact cameras, switch on HDR mode (High dynamic
range) as it will take three identical images but with different exposure
settings and then blend them together so that highlights, midtones and shadows
are all correctly exposed. As the
sun climbs towards midday, its overhead position gives harsher, colder light
and contrasty shadows in my images that hide the finer details of Arwen’s
cockpit interior i.e. all the scratches, dings, scrapes etc. At such times, I should switch on ‘flash
infill’ to better illuminate the shadowy areas. (Embarrassment at Arwen’s
interior state prevents me from doing so by the way!) Obviously, if I’m seeking ‘spray over
deck’ shots taken from the rear of Arwen’s cockpit, then I go when tide,
wind and wave conditions are best for this; and this may be during the day and
not in ‘golden hour’. So be it!
Tip four – if you are photographing your
boat, under way, dried out on a beach or tied to a pontoon, clear away loose
lines, stow fenders and loose gear, trim lines, fill sails (says the man
whose has a permanent throat to clew crease whenever he sails). Neatness and
seamanship counts. Untidy details distract the viewer’s eye.
Tip five – it’s all about the shooting
angles! Shooting another boat on the water? Photograph it from astern – over
the transom stern quarter area as the boat rises up on a wave and you get the
whole boat length in your photo. On a collision course with an approaching bow
is dramatic! A photo taken whilst the focal point boat is on a beam reach can give
great views of decks, crew, helmsperson, sails and rigging. A boat shot from
its windward side shows more hull but less cockpit interior. Shooting from the
leeward side shows more of the boat’s lines and interior cockpit action.
Vertical portrait shots show more of the mast and rigging but try to do it when
there are interesting cloud formations in the sky as a backdrop.
Tip six – go for the sense of ‘dramatic’!
Bow splashes, spray over foredeck or the helmsperson peering from under a sail.
For splashes (and dolphins for that matter), use a shutter speed between
1/250th and 1/500th of a second to sharply ‘freeze’ the spray. ‘Sports’ or
‘burst’ mode on your camera, if you have it, will do this for you. Afterwards
quickly review the image sequence and delete those that don’t look good – it’s
a good housekeeping habit which pays off at editing time. If you are shooting a
dinghy sailing close past really dramatic coastal scenery then use a telephoto
lens or zoom with a compact camera to emphasis the scale of the boat against
that background.
Tip seven -
make a close-up ‘details story-telling’ list – and over a period
of dinghy cruising trips shoot the photos you want e.g. water droplets on a
finely varnished piece of woodwork (not that there is any of that in Arwen,
poor thing); seaweed wrapped around a moused shackle between muddy anchor and
chain; the folds of sail draped over your boom; the curve of your bow as it
meets its reflection in calm waters whilst at anchor; driftwood on the beach, beads
of condensation on that ice cold beer you saved for after you’ve rigged the
boom tent; the mooring ring or cleat you tie up to; a jib block on your side
deck; the fall of a well coiled mooring rope. I try to think ‘BIG picture-
little picture’ for a shot’s list. GoPro’s by the way are great for close ups –
be 30 cm away from the object.
Tip eight – go for uncluttered backgrounds
if you want to show your dinghy at its best.
Marinas, tall shoreline buildings, other background sailing boats - visually
confuse a viewer and distract their eye away from the main subject, your
cruising dinghy. If shooting whilst onshore, crop out clutter by using a tripod
(or resting the camera on your rucksack) and a longer telephoto lens to zoom
closer to your dinghy. The tripod/bag stability also gives better, longer
exposures in lower light conditions.
Tip nine – if you have it on your camera, switch
on image stabilisation, especially if taking photos whilst in your boat on
the sea and if you can, use your body as a shock absorber to reduce the
‘bobbing’ motion transferring to your camera.
Tip ten - taking photos of other people’s
dinghies from your anchored boat in a safe, calm area increases the chances
of getting a really good photo no end. The other skipper can helm his/her
dinghy closely around your boat and between you, you can work out the best
approach angles and distances from your anchored dinghy to ensure the shots you
get are best.
Tip
eleven – get
plenty of photographs of people enjoying dinghy cruising activities whether
it be launching, actively sailing, erecting boat tents, scratching their heads
whilst poring over charts, cooking on stoves or washing up the pots and pans
afterwards. Aim for faces rather than the backs of heads. Try to capture the
emotion – joy, puzzlement, intense concentration, laughter! No halyards, no
shrouds, no masts growing out of their heads! If sailing crews are ‘busy’ and
‘active’ in the dinghy, then use high shutter speeds of 1/200th plus
to ‘freeze the action (or use that ‘sports/burst’ mode to take a rapid sequence
of shots.) People under a boom tent at night or sat out on a beach as dusk
descends requires a higher ISO or ‘dawn/dusk/night’ setting to avoid the need
for flash and ‘red eye’ syndrome. Wide angle lens settings, 18 – 35mm lenses or
zooms, are great for group shots and remember people don’t have to be looking
at you. However, if they are doing anything active, make sure you include their
hands within the shot so that a viewer can see what is being done.
Tip
twelve – during
golden hour (sunrise and sunset) winds tend to die down giving still, flat
water, perfect for those watery reflections of hulls and scenery.
Tip
thirteen – go for
colour! White hulled dinghy, blue skies and grey seas look great but, add a
splash of colour, and the scene really comes alive. Look for those tan sails, the
yellow foulies, the bright red PFD. Any colour that jars the viewer’s eye can
be a good thing.
Tip
fourteen – own a
GoPro? Go for an early evening swim around your anchored dinghy and use the
GoPro to take images of the boat from the water level. Try for a low-level shot with the coastline
in the background during golden hour if it isn’t too chilly by then. (You can
buy a dome for your GoPro which allows you to take one of those
overwater/underwater split shots where you get to see above the waterline and
the keel and hull below the water. Impossible to do this shot without the dome
by the way! Go on, ask me how I know!)
Tip fifteen – ‘look into the light’ – backlit
silhouette shadows of the crew through the white sails and rippled clear
reflections of the boat in mirror calm seas – stunning images. And remember,
the angle your light comes from can really play a part in creating a great
photo. The more acute the angle of the sunlight hitting an object, the better
the emphasis on the object’s texture and shape.
Tip
sixteen – all
those construction projects – that pile of shavings alongside a shapely
oval profile boom; the clamps holding three sides of a materialising ‘galley
box’; the intense concentration on the face of your 8-year-old as she/he
handles a drill for the first time whilst working on the hull of your new
dinghy; the empty mug alongside a dinghy construction blueprint, a pad of
scribbled notes and the pencil? The pile of ‘frames’ cut out and ready to
erect. Those photos? They are all to do with dinghy cruising! They all tell a
great story! They all promote and celebrate dinghy cruising.
Tip
seventeen – those
dinghy drying out locations - dried out in a big sandy bay? Try to get a
little height to ‘shoot’ down onto the boat, setting it within the context of
the enormity of the beach/bay. More dramatic! In any drying out location, shoot
from the side, trying to get foreground interest such as a tidal pool with sky
reflections or ripple textured patterns on the sand in front of the boat hull. Is
there a leading line opportunity like along the anchor rode and chain to the
boat, taken of course, from a low-down perspective? Go for 1/3rd sky, 2/3rds
foreground and boat. What’s the view like out the back of your boom tent – can
you get the stove, your hand stirring the pot and a great view of your drying
out location out back all in one shot? Or how about your cockpit interior under
the boom tent with sleeping platforms sorted? Finally, I’d argue there is a
story to each of your drying out locations – a close up of the rocks, the cliff
geology (keep safe though!) – geology texture, colour patterns, strata. In
shots like this exclude the sky, focus on the rocks. Sometimes it pays to stand
back and use a zoom lens to close in on the rocks. Beach patterns and features are equally
interesting – the meandering stream, the ripple sand marks, footprints towards
your dinghy, reflections in a patch of wet sand. Rockpools provide great
foreground interest because they reflect the sky patterns; or they are fringed
by brilliantly coloured seaweeds. Sand dunes with marram grass give great
foreground interest with your dried out boat behind. Cliff tops give a good
overview of the coastline you have sailed.
I hope you
have gained some ‘food for thought’, some inspiration and a desire to enter the
DCA annual photograph/video/artwork competition this year. Remember,
irrespective of whatever your subject content/elements are …… the absolute
key to a ‘good’ photo is all about figures 2 and 3. Does your photo tell a
story/show any of the following?
- ·
emotional
impact,
- ·
some
illustration of technical skills,
- ·
some
originality/creativity,
- ·
great
storytelling,
- ·
the
promotion and celebration of any aspect of dinghy cruising,
- ·
and,
finally last but no means least, an interesting composition.
www.arwensmeanderings.blogspot.co.uk – in search bar type ‘taking good
dinghy cruising photos’
http://logofspartina.blogspot.com/