Don't be misled by the title - you're not going to start embarking on Pirate based adventures! Whilst Photographing Transport can be fairly straight forward, like any genre of Photography there are tips and tricks out there to get the best results.
Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows...
Pick a sunny day! If you want to capture the postcard shot of colourful boats lined up, reflecting in the water while a bright blue sky frames them from behind you'll have to head out on a sunny day when there's not much of a breeze in the air so the water's still. Make sure you use a polarising filter to saturate the colours and enhance the sky. They can be fairly cheap. For UK based people Warehouse Express is a fantastic online shopping experience
But Where's The Sea?
If you get to the harbour and find the tide is out don't think you need to head for fish and chips while the water trickles back in. Instead, photograph the boats which are now stuck in the mud and take advantage of the mooring ropes which are now fully visible, using them as lead in lines for your photograph. A small aperture is needed to ensure everything from the front of the rope to the distant boat(s) or other objects are sharp.
Clear out the clutter
Harbours are bursting with photographic potential but don't make your scene too busy. If you can, single out one boat and place it near the foreground of your shot as this will give the photo more impact and will certainly be better than a shot of several boats that are fighting for your eye's attention.
Quite often it's easy to capture a lovely beachy scene away from the seaside and use selective colouring techniques to enhance the image.
No sea?
No problem!
Away from the coast you'll still find plenty of boats on canals, rivers and in reservoirs waiting to be photographed. Canals create leading lines that will help with composition while the winding curves of a river will guide the viewer through the image to a boat making its way through the bends. If there's a bridge find a position where you can use it to frame a boat passing under it, just watch your exposure as the light under the bridge will be lower than the outside and it's easy to end up with a shot that's underexposed if the camera's meter reads from the brighter part of the scene. Switch to spot metering where possible, taking a meter reading from the side wall of the bridge and use that as the starting point.
Barges found on canals are often very colourful and feature flower pots and other accessories that are worth a quick snap. Just remember to use a wide aperture to blur the background. Round the harbour you can crop in on sails, boat hulls, lifebuoys and fishing nets.
And what's a canal boat without the obligatory dog captured in the frame?
Not fast paced enough?
For those who like things to be a little more fast paced head for a water-sports centre where water-skiing, jet-skiing and other adrenalin pumping activities take place.
Don't forget the contest that ends on Sunday - if you can put any of the above into Practice then do so soon!
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