Two of my favorite hobbies: photography and boating. And they compliment one another well. There are few vantage points better suited for photographing structures and scenery than that provided by the water.
I enjoy a limited amount of action in my photographs, but when shooting architecture, land- and sea-scapes, I like the look of a clean frame with a little foreground for reference, and a lot of sky. In many cases, this is hard to achieve when shooting from land due to proximity, traffic, or other obstacles. Shooting from the water allows me to frame my shots almost any way that I wish, without having to worry about humanoid interference, or changing out gear to get an acceptable angle (just back up the boat!).
In addition to the above, shooting from the water allows for a very unique perspective. For starters, I’m shooting from a lower angle, so nearby subjects (particularly man-made structures on the waterfront) tend to have a “looming” appearance. Wide-angle shots are often easier to frame, because my distance from the subject is far less limited. And generally speaking, the boat allows me to position myself such that I can capture subjects from some uncommon angles. There’s a certain satisfaction to be found in searching for photos of the Key Bridge (above), to find that none are quite near to my perspective.
The obvious downside to shooting from a boat is that, well, I’m shooting from a boat. Even on the nicest of days, the boat is always moving. Add to that the fact that I’m not always in the captain’s chair, and don’t care to annoy other passengers by requesting a photo stop while we’re cruising. As a result, I find myself framing carefully (when I have time to frame at all), and then snapping away like a crazy person, in hopes that one of my shots will level out or end up being otherwise pleasing to the eye. I take a lot of photographs, many of which I end up throwing away. But once in a while, I end up with a shot that, for one reason or another, I think is neat.
I hope to spend a lot more time this season taking photos from the D.C., Maryland and Virginia waterways, and I’ll continue to upload my favorites here. If you’re into photography, and you also enjoy the occasional boat ride, do drop a line and perhaps we’ll plan for a local photoboating meetup later this year.