Unless you’re a rum drinking, peg-legged pirate with a parrot and an eye patch, I’ve heard that the two best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. As a photographer, you won’t be able to afford one so your zoom lens will probably be the closest you’re getting to one anyway. The rum and the eye patch, however, are almost a certainty.
Boats (or anything else on the water for that matter are excellent subjects for creating some great art for a few reasons.
First, they get tied up close to shore so unlike helicopters and rocket ships, you don’t actually need your own to take photos of. Secondly, seasons and weather change continually so the backdrop is always different. Also, the water’s reflection always provides an extra lighting element that is unpredictable and absolutely great for photos.
For free, you are getting the same kind of production value that film studios spend crazy amounts of money for. Wetter is always better and photography is no exception.
Finally, there is the element of movement that not only provides scale but a sense of motion to draw your viewer in. Waves lapping against the bow, the spray of sea behind the churn of the outboards or the ripple of the sails catching the wind all help to add another valuable factor to your shot.
So grab your grog and get out there, me hearties!
Top photo shot from picture perfect Petty Harbour in spectacular Newfoundland.
Middle photo shot at Bronte Harbour in Oakville, Ontario.
