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In the Shadow of the Queen


In the Shadow of the Queen
Photo Information
Copyright: John Plumb (JPlumb) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 854 W: 204 N: 1036] (3113)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-23
Categories: Transportation, Architecture, Event
Camera: Nikon D200, Nikkor 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 G ED AF-S VR, Sigma EX Wide Circular PL 72mm
Exposure: f/9.5, 1/45 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2008-03-03 18:45
Viewed: 613
Points: 16
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This is a view of the courtyard in front of the Overseas Passenger Terminal a couple of hours after the Queen Victoria docked in Sydney. There weren’t huge crowds for the docking (that comes later) and by this time many of the people had dispersed, and gone back to their normal routines. It is still relatively early in the morning so the sun is still low, and its on the opposite side of the ship. It is very bright, but the shadow cast by this ship is huge. This shot was taken at 18mm so you get some kind of indication of size. Its like a big wall. It totally dwarfs the Overseas Passenger Terminal (the building on the left).

While in port, work continues on the ship. To the right of the white umbrellas you can see a man washing the hull, with a stream of water and if you squint, and look real carefully 3 decks above the “A” in Cunard, you will see a man painting. I was intrigued with this one so I climbed up onto the observation deck of the Overseas Passenger Terminal for a closer look. You can see the painters in Workshop 1. I’ve included a Workshop 2 to show another workman, on the other side of the ship. The early morning moon was out, with this guy standing just under the "Queen". I couldn’t let an opportunity like this slip by.

Workflow for the first shot was as follows:
Shot was taken in Raw, with a jpeg for reference (ISO 280 18 mm @f/9.5, 1/45)
NEF file adjusted for exposure, shadow and vignetting
Cropped with perspective to pull flag poles into alignment with edge
Duplicated original layer and changed blend mode to screen (opacity 25%) to lighten
Levels – not used
Curves – minimal, some slight contrast only
Added an overlay layer and dodged and burned with 5-20% opacity black and white Saturation layer +25 to master
Saved as a tiff
Cropped, resized, reduced noise on sky selection, added a layer, inversed selection, selectively sharpened with USM in small increments, modified sharpening with a layer mask (30-75% opacity black brush), framed and saved as a jpeg.
mvdisco, ribeiroantonio, Matthew-Watt, daddo, bakes888, skippy007, jusninasirun has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To daddo: Public AccessJPlumb 1 03-04 02:55
To Matthew-Watt: Paint JobJPlumb 1 03-04 02:36
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi John,
Une belle photo prise au quai du débarquement du Queen Victoria, Excellent POV. et détails , jolies couleurs naturelles ,, very well done.
Michel

They are all three beautiful photos but it is WS2 the one I like the most, because of its colour combination. The white, red, black and blue are terrific and with the absolutely sharpness everywhere create a wonderful picture. The moon is just the cream!
Very well done. I love it.
Antonio

  • Great 
  • Stepan Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4893 W: 93 N: 3800] (24978)
  • [2008-03-03 22:03]

What I really do appreciate here is that we can't see the boat. It's a wall, a building and nothing else (thanks to the pov and the hidden perspective). And then, the Queen Victoria becomes amazing, giant, unreal... Really stunning and inspired.
Stéphane

Hello John,

This photo serves as proof of the immense size of this liner, the people are just dwarfed by the huge bulk. I think it was a shame that you were not able to fit in the whole Cunard signage but then I see that if you were to move more to the right the SHB would not be in the frame so it is a worthy sacrifice. The patterning of the tiles on the walkway certainly compliments the artistic POV. It is comforting to see so many lifeboats, I hope they are never used but we all know too well that not having them is a critical error. The paint job of these huge vessels in this Cunard fleet is to me the very best combination - they just look so sleek and formal. A great POV, I am sure you enjoyed strolling around this Queen of the seas.

Matt

  • Great 
  • daddo Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1657 W: 29 N: 1696] (7770)
  • [2008-03-04 1:42]
  • [+]

Hi John. A photo that conveys unambiguously the size of this Mother of Ships. I am surprised that the public was allowed to get this close. i got the impression that in Melbourne we were not allowed on Station Pier itself.Maybe Melbournians are more of a security risk.Regards. Klaudio.

Hi John. These ships are indeed massive, we saw similar in Alaska last year. You have handled the high contrast well and managed some colour in the sky. Good detail and sharpness. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.
PS Like the WS’s also.

Hi John,
Your shots are are always very well composed but what I like the most is their clarity and detail, this one is a perfect example. I always read your notes with interest.
Thanks
Regards
Santo.

Hello John. The Queen is not an everyday motive. I saw never such personal coulossus. The size of the steamer becomes only clear by the small people. An impressing photo. Really worth seeing. Exemplary also the informative text. Best regards, Wolfgang.

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