Meisho Maru wreck at L'Agulhas, South Africa
Taiwanese fishing vessel that ran aground on 16 November 1982
Taiwanese fishing vessel that ran aground on 16 November 1982
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Apr, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken at Cape A'gulhas (also spelled L'Agulhas), the southern most tip of Africa, well known for quite a number of shipwrecks since the 1500's. This particular wreck is the remains of the Japanese fishing vessel the Meisho Maru that ran aground on the 16th November 1982. This image consists of 3 by 8 sec blended slow exposure images. I tried to get a single 20 sec exposure to capture the wave movement, however despite using a 10-stop variable ND filter, the sun as well as the light reflection off the clouds and water made it impossible to take a shot slower than 8 seconds.Time
The images was taken late the afternoon at approximately 18h26 as the sun started setting. As it was summer then, the sun sets quite late, however it was still quite harsh.Lighting
The sun was particularly harsh that day, even at onset of the sun setting, the reflection off the clouds and the wash of the waves were quite strong. As stated above, I used a 10-stop variable ND-filter, the full glare was just too much.Equipment
Camera: Nikon D7000 - images are shot as RAW, AdobeRGB 14-bit, Picture Control set at Neutral Lens: Sigma F2.8 24-70mm IF EX DG HSM wide angle with a 10-stop variable ND-filter attached Tripod: ManfrottoInspiration
I specifically went to shoot some seascapes that afternoon with the incoming tide. The location of the wreck plus the variation in the tide and time of day lends itself to great shots. It is a bit of a drive as it is 120 kms (75 miles) from where I stay, thus one has to plan according to the tide and time of day, the one uncontrollable factor there is unfortunately strong winds, weather forecasts are not always that reliable.Editing
The posted image consists of 3 by 8 second exposure RAW images that were blended using Photomatix Pro v5 using the Natural preset. No HDR effects or other processing was done in using Photomatix. Tonal adjustments and sharpening were done using Lightroom v5.5. I use colour balanced monitors (I use Spyder Express 3). My preference is to edit strictly according to natural colours, however within acceptable limits I'll adjust highlights, shadows and contrast. It is very much a personal choice of "do not process beyond what the eye did not see".....There is the odd one so every now and then which justifies some further enhancement.In my camera bag
2 x Nikon D7000 cameras. Sigma F2.8 24-70mm IF EX DG HSM wide angle lens Sigma F5.6 150-500mm DG OS HSM lens Nikkor F3.5 18-55mm VR G lens Various Polarising and ND filtersFeedback
Time of day, direction of the sun, the tide and wave height, suitable filters for slow exposure shots are all important considerations.
