Sunset Sail
Friend's Good Will sailing at sunset on Lake Michigan.
Friend's Good Will sailing at sunset on Lake Michigan.
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Jun, 2016Views
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victoriarichardson
April 15, 2017
Thank you for entering my Silhouette challenge. There were 3989 entries and over 22,300 votes cast. I wanted to let you know that I loved this photo and it was in my top 30
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken from a power boat on Lake Michigan near South Haven, Michigan. This sloop is a square top sail ship which was built in the early 2000's as a replica of the 1811 ship of the same name which is "Friends Good Will". It sails daily out of South Haven so there are lots of opportunities to catch a photo of the fantastic profile of this ship while it's out and about on Lake Michigan (it recently sailed around the Great Lakes including Chicago for the tall ship festivals at several ports).Time
I have taken numerous photos of Friends Good Will over the past few years as I have a sailboat slipped in South Haven, Michigan. The profile and size of this ship never disappoints, no matter the conditions or time of day on the lake! This particular photo was taken, obviously, near sunset which on Lake Michigan can often be a glorious orange experience that must be seen to truly appreciate!Lighting
I focused on getting a great silhouette of the profile of Friends Good Will on this particular evening. We powered back and forth with Friends Good Will about an 1/8 of a mile between the sun and our position. This allowed me to use a long lens and really compress the sun into the background.Equipment
This photo was taken with a Nikon D600 and a Nikon 28-300 f3.5-5.6 VR lens handheld with VR set to active due to the rocking of the boat.Inspiration
Every time that I'm in South Haven and Friends Good Will appears over the horizon or around a bend in the river as it returns to port is always exhilarating for me! I really love navel architecture and especially vessels of the sailing variety! I've taken numerous photos of this ship (and others), but every time I get an opportunity to capture this ships beautiful classic lines is a unique experience.Editing
Nearly all my photos undergo some level of post processing. I use Lightroom and shoot RAW, so usually I will do some basic manipulation. In this instance I cropped the image a bit and adjusted the horizon to level (since I was shooting from another boat). I boosted contrast and adjusted the tone curves a bit to really define the boat's profile and lines. A bit of shadow bump just to bring out the waves was also done.In my camera bag
Depending on the project, I have a couple different bag options. For excursions where flight may be possible, I use a PolarPro DroneTrekker backpack which contains my Phantom 4, PolarPro Cinema filters plus my Nikon D600, 28-300 VR, 85 1.8, 50 1.8 and occasionally a Nikon 14-24 2.8. If the project calls for more mobility I have a smaller Kata hiking pack where I usually carry the Nikon D600, 28-300 VR, 14-24 2.8, 50 1.8 and occasionally one or two SB-800's. If I'm doing a portrait shoot I'll also pack a lighting bag with a couple SB-800's and light stands and a couple tripods.Feedback
As with most photography projects, this type of photo requires patience and planning. I would suggest thinking about what gear you want to use ahead of time and making sure you have packed what you need and consider the distances you will be shooting on the water. I will also suggest lining up a good boat captain who knows how to use their boat and can give you a stable platform for shooting and is willing to move around on the fly to line your subject up!
