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This is probably the last of the shots I'll be putting up from my trip the other day but I may try to shoot a couple from a different vantage point tomorrow. I did go out this morning, at around 7am, as I had two shots in mind that I wanted to try. The first was a long exposure of the waves around the boat (the tide was in this morning) but all of these ended up being blurred. I've got a pretty steady tripod, and did my best to shield it from the wind, but obviously didn't do a good enough job and they're all far too soft to post. The second shot I tried, which I may well try again tomorrow afternoon, is one from further up the coast – looking back towards the ferry and Blackpool Tower. Again, I tried this shot this morning, but by the time I got there the sky was far too bright in comparison to the water (which was still partially shaded by the coast), so none of these worked out either.

As for this shot: it's my favourite of the four I've posted so far, but do feel free to disagree.

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10.48am on 1/2/08
Canon 5D
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
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3x2 + beachcombing
comment by Jennifer at 07:47 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

Think I like 2 best and this a close 2nd. Look forward to seeing tomorrow's - sound interesting!

comment by Tim Barry at 07:49 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

Be nice to see this one in black and white. It's very true to the colours of the flyde coast - especially in February.

Did you try any HDR shots ?

comment by El Jefe at 08:15 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

Me gusta mas la anterior con esos reflejos. Un saludo

comment by Richard Trim at 09:04 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

It always strikes me that it's the shooting angle that is the fundamental element of any shot and is a major player in the success or not of an image. I just think the ship from his angle has limited potential. richard

comment by Pete at 09:07 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

I've enjoyed this series, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you get from a little further north. I decided to shoot from the beach near Jubilee Gardens this afternoon and you can definitely get some really cool angles with the tower in the background - the ship is leaning a lot more now!

comment by csj @ id7.co.uk at 09:36 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

oooo ooo theres a little booooga in the bottom left of this shot that my eye keeps pinging back to, its upsetting the blanace a little, blip it out for me..... go on.... I like this altho again as Richard said, the angle is important here and I feel the ship has no space to travel into, whereas the previous frame, compositionally for me worked better.... but get rid of booga and I'll give it another look ;-) ...... csj ....P.S Who am I to talk, I didnt even get runner up in the finalist exhibition tonight ;-(... ho hum...

comment by Robert Mourik at 10:53 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

I really like the pastel like colours of this picture.

comment by RD at 10:57 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

It strikes me as so desolate! Why isn't anyone out there working on this ship--trying to save it or something? I think my favorite is the one with the car in the foreground.

comment by MoonHEAD at 11:07 PM (GMT) on 4 February, 2008

I do think you now need to change your vantage point as (to me) this 4th post has become very similar to all the previous shots. Fat Pete has found an excellent viewpoint near Jubilee Gardens. The best angle/shot I've seen so far is the reuters's image that shows the wheel and tower in the background. You have to explore your subject to find its full potential!!

comment by rataki at 12:04 AM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

Eventually, I preferred the first one on which the boat seems forsaken and eaten by the uprising tide (well, it looks like the tide is going up at least). I also like a lot the third one for it has a very nice reflect (and I love reflections) (I actually would even have tried to reverse the picture upside down :p ).

Nevertheless, great shots ! But as MoonHEAD said, the point of view is always the same, would have liked to see the boat under a different angle !

comment by mal at 01:12 AM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

this is my fav to Dave! Of the series of images, this one accentuates the hopelessness/beached/lost feeling that I can imagine that the ship would have if it were a living thing. It seems to looking at the sea as if to say "I'm trying to get there" but can't! Beautiful. mal

comment by g at 04:20 AM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

if you ask me -and i know you did not-but i'll say it anyway, this shot is better close to raw. the polished versions of the beached steel whale take away from the brutal power that blew it in.

comment by jkm at 07:01 AM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

Agree on the angle theory but still like the toning in this image. I like the planes, shipwrecks and automobiles shot ;-)

comment by Thatch at 07:09 AM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

Like this too. But think no 3 just has the edge for me.

*Waves at Mal*

comment by Ásgarðr at 08:05 AM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

I'll stick to nr.2 Allthough I really like this toning.

comment by claude at 04:38 PM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

I like the pastel colors in this picture! Simply beautiful..

comment by djn1 at 08:26 PM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

Thanks everyone, and I agree: there are only so many shots you can post from exactly the same angle ;-)

comment by Bill at 09:30 PM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

I enjoyed this image and colors are wondeful. It also a setting were you can play around in you mind, think out of the box. How many times to you get the chance to photograph a ship that washes up on a beach?

Some of the my ideas would have a person on the right side of the photo looking at the ship to give a sense of size of the ship. Maybe have foot prints in the sand to give an idea someone walked away. Having a couple picnicking in the forground with the background the beached ship and making the photo look surreal.

This is not to say this is a bad photo. As a photographer, it is a photo that make you think what would you do with your camera if you saw a beached ship.

Bill

comment by djn1 at 10:18 PM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

Bill: I quite agree, and if I'd been a bit quicker I could probably have photographed some of your suggestions. Unfortunately though, there's now a 300m (or 400m) exclusion zone around the boat that is being maintained by the Police. When I was up there yesterday morning, there was a police van and a couple of police cars driving up and down the seafront at 7am - so getting close to the boat is now almost impossible.

comment by Pete at 10:51 PM (GMT) on 5 February, 2008

David, I've just been browsing around Flickr and it appears that the salvage operation has now started in earnest - there was a big crane there today. Just giving you advance warning in case it disappears soon!