Photography – Knowing Where To Stand

Photography – Knowing Where To Stand

Schooner on the Delaware River, Phliadelphia PA
Schooner on the Delaware River, Phliadelphia PA

 

In this particular case, standing on a tall bridge (with pedestrian walkway) provided a spectacular view.

Where to stand?  I do ponder this question in advance whenever possible. But sometimes I don’t have detailed information in advance.   If I recall correctly, on the day of this parade of sail, I did not know precisely where the ships would be sailing and realized the potential of the bridge only that morning when I arrived at the waterfront.

The question of where to stand sometimes involves the location of the sun.  In the morning, sunlight will be coming from the east or southeast.  Later in the day, it comes from west or southwest.  That can be extremely important if my photographic expectations are front-light, back-light, or side-light.

A staged event, such as a parade of sail, will generally have a fixed start time that is outside of my control.  In that case, perhaps the biggest question is whether to stand on the left bank or the right bank.  For a recent Sail Boston event, I knew that the ships would be sailing into Boston Harbor through a channel between East Boston and South Boston; I had to choose one location, as travelling between the different locations was impractical.

 

 

Tall Ships

Schooner visits Boston Harbor - OpSail 2012
Schooner visits Boston Harbor – OpSail 2012

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The phrase “tall ships” means tall-mast rigged sailing ships.  Historically important … modernly fascinating … and just plain fun.  These ships remind us of the golden age of sail, before the rise of motor power.

The largest tall ships are referred to as Class A, having a length more than 40 meters. (The bowsprit is Not included in that measure.)  Vessels shorter than Class A are designated as Class B, C, and D; these are not the largest but are still very impressive.

Today, we have more than sixty Class A tall ships across the globe.  More than half are European and eight are American.  This includes the U.S.S. Constitution, which is based here in Massachussetts.  U.S.S. Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides (a nickname earned in active battle), is retired from service but retains the title “the world’s oldest commissioned naval ship”, meaning it is officially staffed with Navy officers and sailors.

A gathering of tall ships is often referred to as Operation Sail or OpSail; but these events do not happen very often. The largest gathering in my memory occurred in 2000 under the moniker Sail Boston. We last saw OpSail on the east coast in 2012, in part to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the War of 1812.

Sail Boston happens once again in 2017 – more than fifty tall ships!
>>   SailBoston.com

 

Upcoming 2015 tall ship events

Philadelphia PA … June 25 – 28, 2015  … more than a dozen ships

Tall Ships Challenge 2015
• Greenport NY … July 4 – 7   www.greenportvillage.com/tall-ships-2015
• Portland ME … July 12 – 20  www.tallshipsportland.com/invitedships

And more
• Boston MA … July 1 – July 5
Maybe four ships (Liberty Clipper, Liberty Star, USCG Eagle, USS Constitution)

Hermione :
• Baltimore MD … June 19 – 21, 2015
• NYC … July 2 – 4, 2015

Kalmar Nyckel :
• Provincetown MA … July 10 – 19, 2015

USS Constitution stands watch as a parade of sail passes by
USS Constitution stands watch as a parade of sail passes by