jonbarkeruk

Ghost of the Telamon

The Telamon ship was purposefully run aground on Lanzarote in 1981 when it encountered trouble on its voyage to the Greek port of Thessaloniki. Since then it ha...
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The Telamon ship was purposefully run aground on Lanzarote in 1981 when it encountered trouble on its voyage to the Greek port of Thessaloniki. Since then it has provided an eerie yet beautiful landmark on the coast of Lanzarote. When the last sunlight of the day falls across the bow, the rust begins to glow and it seems like the still ship comes alive. This is one of the amazing locations I shot for eBook ‘Photographing Lanzarote’ available now on iBooks. See photographinglanzarote.com for more info.
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Apr, 2016

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Behind The Lens

Location

I captured this shot in Lanzarote, one of the seven islands making up the Canary Islands archipelago just off the coast of Africa. I've been lucky enough to visit Lanzarote many times during my childhood, and having explored the island as a youngster it later became clear to me that it is a paradise for travel and landscape photographers. This year I created the Photographing Lanzarote ebook as a way to share my insight into some of the best photography locations on Lanzarote, and this is one of the locations featured in the book. The Telamon shipwreck lies just outside the main port of Arrecife in a small bay just beside the port entrance. The Telamon (formerly named the Temple Hall) was deliberately run aground in 1981 when it ran into trouble on a voyage to Thessaloniki. To avoid the risk of the failing vessel blocking the entrance to the busy port of Arrecife it was directed to this bay just outside the port, and has rested here ever since. It's an eerie landmark. Un-nervingly still and quiet for such a huge mechanical object, and perfect as a photography subject.

Time

I knew from previous visits that the last rays of the setting sun cast light directly across the bow of the ship, making it appear to come alive at sunset. When shooting for the book I checked the specific sunset times using an app I rely on a lot called The Photographer's Ephermis (http://photoephemeris.com), which allows you to view the direction of sunlight and sunset times for any location. I arrived just before sunset and shot through until blue hour. This shot was taken just after the sun hit the horizon (out of frame to the right).

Lighting

With travel and landscapes being my primary subject matter I most often have to rely on natural lighting to capture a scene, and the timing of this shot was chosen specifically around the natural light. Visit this location in the morning, or throughout the day, and you'll see a different scene. The sun rises behind the ship, meaning the ship is back-lit during the morning hours which makes it difficult to emphasise the boat itself. In mid to late afternoon the bow is in shadow from the sun directly above. I chose the timing carefully to catch the soft sunlight across the bow of the ship, bringing the rusty surface to life in contrast against the deep blue tones of the sea.

Equipment

This image was shot using a Canon EOS 6D camera with the Canon EF 24-70 f/4L lens. I used a 6-stop B & W neutral density filter to extend the exposure time and still the water a little. I used a Manfrotto BeFree Carbon tripod, and a remote shutter release to minimise camera shake.

Inspiration

I stared in awe at the Telamon as a kid, and always remembered it when returning to the island. At first I couldn't figure out why the ship looked magical sometimes and not others. Once I realised the effect was down to the timing of the fading natural light hitting the bow I couldn't wait to try and capture it in a professional shot. As I was planning locations for the Photographing Lanzarote ebook it came to mind immediately, and from that point it felt like something of a personal mission to try and capture a shot that does the location justice. Of all the varied locations in the book, from epic natural landscapes to man-made architecture, this is the first one I shot, and probably the image I'm most proud of.

Editing

I'll often take a series of bracketed shots when covering landscape scenes, but this was captured in a single exposure. My workflow for this shot was fairly typical for much of my work on the Photographing Lanzarote images. I always shoot in RAW format, allowing me to correct exposure, lighting and shadows using Adobe Lightroom, and then if needed I'll edit the image further in Adobe Photoshop. In this case I used Photoshop to remove some marks in the sky from blemishes and dust on the lens (something the longer exposure makes more prominent), and I used the Nik Collection plugins to bring out some of the colour and contrast a little.

In my camera bag

I shoot with the Canon EOS 6D, which is a great full-frame camera for travel related work. The inbuilt GPS tags image locations automatically, and the logging mode allows me to record travel routes to locations which I then load into mapping software to include in the book. Along with the camera is a 'holy trinity' of Canon lenses for landscape photography: EF 16-35 f/4L, EF 24-70 f/4L, and EF 70-200 f/4L. Along with these I carry an EF 50 f/1.4 prime lens which comes in handy for portraits and low light, and if I want a more discrete lens when carrying just the camera around on foot. Also part of my core kit are screw-in filters from B&W for the larger Canon lenses - a 3 stop ND, 6 stop ND and 10 stop ND. I'll always carry a spare battery for the 6D, along with a lens cloth and a remote shutter release. For the Photographing Lanzarote book I used a Manfrotto BeFree Carbon tripod, and all this kit fits perfectly into a single Manfrotto backpack as my 'go bag'. Given how perfectly this all fits, and the need to keep weight reasonable for travel, I have to evaluate any new gear choices carefully!

Feedback

With landscape shots like this one, being in the right place at the right time is key. To find the best locations photography locations on Lanzarote, check out the Photographing Lanzarote ebook. It's available now on the iBooks Store for your iPad, iPhone and Mac, and gives visiting photographers a host of location information in a visually stunning package. See photographinglanzarote.com for more information, or search in the iBooks Store. Once you've identified a location of interest, think about how natural light will change throughout the day to affect the scene. Use an app like The Photographer's Ephermis to visualise where the sun (or moon and stars) will be at different times of the day, and pick a time based on the creative vision you have in mind. Always plan to arrive a little early, so you have chance to try a couple of sample shots first to check different compositions. I'll often arrive at a scene thinking I'll use a particular lens or vantage point, and change my mind when I see the location under different lighting conditions. One of the best compositional tips I've received, and I'll usually use this as a checklist when composing a shot, is to always have a point of interest in the foreground, mid-ground and background of an image. In this image I used the chains/anchor point in the foreground, the rocky coastline in the mid ground, and the ship in the background. I'll usually frame a shot based on 'gut feel', but I often find that the 'rule of thirds' can be applied retrospectively to whatever I came up with. For example, in this shot the waterline meeting the horizon, and the rocky coastline meeting the water, are at roughly one-third intervals along the side of the frame. If you're unsure about framing a shot, or you can't decide between different compositions, see if overlaying the rule of thirds can help you.

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jonbarkeruk

jonbarkeruk

Ghost of the Telamon

The Telamon ship was purposefully run aground on Lanzarote in 1981 when it encountered trouble on its voyage to the Greek port of Thessaloniki. Since then it ha... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow jonbarkeruk

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The Telamon ship was purposefully run aground on Lanzarote in 1981 when it encountered trouble on its voyage to the Greek port of Thessaloniki. Since then it ha...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.