Hermione

Thelensspot · June 8, 2015

The replica of the French sailing ship Hermione (pronounced er -me - own) arrived in Yorktown on Friday and spent the weekend. The original Hermione brought General Lafayette to the Colonies in 1780. This replica has an incredible history which you can find here:

http://www.hermione2015.com/#home

I wasn't lucky enough to get tickets to allow me to board her so most of these shots are taken from the beach at Yorktown Park on the York River. C & C's always welcomed!

Stumblebum · June 8, 2015

I LOVE the last shot!
Second last is fine too!
The earlier shots......the bridge messed you up.....confusing the background....
Excellent! Party on Wayne!!

ivar

Thelensspot · June 8, 2015

Hey Taz, Thanks!
Yeah, I agree with the bridge issue. Unfortunately they docked her practically under the bridge which is the George P. Coleman bridge connecting Yorktown with Gloucester, Va. All the other angles of view were pretty much just taking pictures of her stern with minimal profile.
It was also rainy and cloudy the day she sailed up the York to dock so I didn't bother.
The last shot is a panorama consisting of three separate shots "stitched" together with PS.

Stumblebum · June 8, 2015

Thelensspot wrote: »

Hey Taz, Thanks!
Yeah, I agree with the bridge issue. Unfortunately they docked her practically under the bridge which is the George P. Coleman bridge connecting Yorktown with Gloucester, Va. All the other angles of view were pretty much just taking pictures of her stern with minimal profile.
It was also rainy and cloudy the day she sailed up the York to dock so I didn't bother.
The last shot is a panorama consisting of three separate shots "stitched" together with PS.

Rainy and cloudy is good most of the time....especially if sun rays escape for just a bit....but even if gnarly dark clouds.....gots to go after those!

Cornflake · June 9, 2015

I agree about the last two shots. I can see why it was hard to find a good vantage point, but you did well.

Thelensspot · June 9, 2015

Cornflake wrote: »

I agree about the last two shots. I can see why it was hard to find a good vantage point, but you did well.

Don, thanks for looking in and the kind comments! Means a great deal!!!

Thelensspot · June 9, 2015

Taz, this is another shot of that same bridge (George P. Coleman) that I had taken back in the fall.

Stumblebum · June 9, 2015

I am looking at it on my crap monitor at work and it is still a WOW!
Gorgeous blue hour shot!!
Something I learned from k-dog.....if you remove all kinds of filter.....and shoot with the lens only......the starbursts are cleaner and crisper....so not sure what was the case here.
Cheers Wayne!!

Thelensspot · June 10, 2015

Taz, thanks again. I think I had a UV filter on. I'm pretty sure that was it as far as filters but I will keep in mind Kdog's advice.

Party on Taz!

bristlecone · June 11, 2015

I'm with Taz regarding the last shot..... very nice.
-Len

Thelensspot · June 11, 2015

bristlecone wrote: »

I'm with Taz regarding the last shot..... very nice.
-Len

Len, thanks so much for checking in and your kind comment! The last shot was a last second thought as I was leaving the river "beach". I had been watching Photoshop CC videos on YouTube and decided to try the panorama option. I took three shots overlapping the edge of each shot by about 25% going from left to right...so if you divide the shot into thirds you'll have the three separate pics I took as i was leaving. After I loaded the three shots in the panorama merge option and then used "content aware" fill the picture you see pretty much appeared on the screen! I tweaked it a little with "curves" and that was about the extent of my efforts. Thanks again!

Sam · June 11, 2015

Nice images! Great color and crispness!

When I saw #1 my first thought was "that has to be the busiest photo I have ever seen."

When I looked at # 5 I thought " why would anyone want a ticket to ship you couldn't see anything because of all the people?"

Sam

Thelensspot · June 12, 2015

Sam wrote: »

Nice images! Great color and crispness!

When I saw #1 my first thought was "that has to be the busiest photo I have ever seen."

When I looked at # 5 I thought " why would anyone want a ticket to ship you couldn't see anything because of all the people?"

Sam

Sam, you're right about the crowd (and also about pic #1). People started lining up at 7 AM for tickets to board the ship. I think the gangplank opened at 9 AM. At first I was disappointed not to be able to get on board and take some perspective shots of the rigging etc. but when I saw the crowd (toe to toe) I figured that getting a descent picture would have been impossible. As Taz had commented earlier, the bridge in the background turned out to be a much bigger distraction in the photo than it appeared to be through the view finder but all I could see at the time was the ship and the rigging. They had a lot of things going on around the area both on the water and around the ship so getting a nice isolated shot was difficult (translated...impossible). Another issue was the fact that it didn't set sail until midnight so getting a shot as it left the dock from that distance was going to be difficult. Maybe a very high ISO and good moonlight would have produced better shots than what I got during the day.

I did see a picture in a local blog taken very early in the morning with the sails illuminated and lantern light showing through the port holes that was just breathtaking. I'm still kicking myself for not thinking of that! :bash

chadd · June 12, 2015

Hermione? Was the ship named in honor of Hermione Granger?
The set is awesome by the way.

Sam · June 12, 2015

Thelensspot wrote: »

Sam, you're right about the crowd (and also about pic #1). People started lining up at 7 AM for tickets to board the ship. I think the gangplank opened at 9 AM. At first I was disappointed not to be able to get on board and take some perspective shots of the rigging etc. but when I saw the crowd (toe to toe) I figured that getting a descent picture would have been impossible. As Taz had commented earlier, the bridge in the background turned out to be a much bigger distraction in the photo than it appeared to be through the view finder but all I could see at the time was the ship and the rigging. They had a lot of things going on around the area both on the water and around the ship so getting a nice isolated shot was difficult (translated...impossible). Another issue was the fact that it didn't set sail until midnight so getting a shot as it left the dock from that distance was going to be difficult. Maybe a very high ISO and good moonlight would have produced better shots than what I got during the day.

I did see a picture in a local blog taken very early in the morning with the sails illuminated and lantern light showing through the port holes that was just breathtaking. I'm still kicking myself for not thinking of that! :bash

Please note my comments were not intended to be criticisms. I have shot a fair number of events of all types and understand the difficulties.

We get what we can.

Sam

Thelensspot · June 12, 2015

Sam wrote: »

Please note my comments were not intended to be criticisms. I have shot a fair number of events of all types and understand the difficulties.

We get what we can.

Sam

Sam, I appreciate criticism wherever I can get it here (I usually end up learning something ) but your comments were taken as observations on this end. You can critique my shots anytime! I think my response was more just sharing my regrets about not getting what I really wanted to get when I headed over to view the event.

Don't mind me when that starts happening! I really would like your thoughts on a lot more of my posts!

Thanks again.

Thelensspot · June 12, 2015

chadd wrote: »

Hermione? Was the ship named in honor of Hermione Granger?
The set is awesome by the way.

Chadd, thanks for the kind review. Your opinion means a lot. The pronunciation is different but the spelling is the same as Miss Granger!

CCoop · June 12, 2015

In addition to "the amazing last shot," I liked the zoom/crop shots of the rigging. Great lines and patterns, captures the feel of the ship. Nice! --CCoop

Thelensspot · June 14, 2015

CCoop wrote: »

In addition to "the amazing last shot," I liked the zoom/crop shots of the rigging. Great lines and patterns, captures the feel of the ship. Nice! --CCoop

Carter, your comments and opinions are always much appreciated. Thanks for taking the time.

Hermione

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