All in a Day’s Work

Viking Village in Barnegat Light, New Jersey

The photo above was among the first I took upon my arrival in this small fishing village.  Viking Village was founded in the 1920’s by first generation Norwegian fishermen and was at that time primarily a lobster fishing co-op known as the Independent Fish Company.  As usual, I had high hopes for a cloud filled sky when I left home.  Along my hour and a half drive to this spot, I saw the cloud cover slowly dwindle away.  It’s been par for the course for the past month really, I expected it.  Instead of featuring dramatic clouds and warm colors in the sky, I decided to refocus on the fishing boats and make my trip worthwhile.  When the sun had just set, the light was still strong enough to capture this shot.  At this point I was about ankle deep in water while the tide slowly rose in the marsh I was standing in.  I liked how all of the boats were facing the distant lighthouse, which had just turned on.  The green boat in the front is Sea Dog, an 86’ steel scalloper built in 1987 on the Gulf Coast in Texas.

Since the tide was rising in the previous location, it was time to walk the perimeter and look for interesting views.  This shot was the reason for me picking the title of the entire article.  Everything is in place and cleaned up from the previous day, and is ready to go right back out.  Worn and used, but all in order.  I was also facing the sunset, so there was little daylight left.

It was while shooting this location, I noticed a few bright stars stood out in a shot I just took.  It was time to adjust and shoot for the night skies that were mostly clear.  This set up another group of difficulties, extremely bright spot lights that ruin long exposures.  In order to take a decent photo of stars, you need to have the sensor in the camera be exposed to light for a certain amount of time.  But with spotlights everywhere, it was extremely difficult to get a decent shot, without overexposing or seeing lens flares all over.

Now we’re talking!  RELENTLESS is a 76’ steel scalloper built in 1978 at Eastern Marine Shipyard in Panama City, Florida.  I thought it was a good parallel to my shooting style that night.  Never give up and keep trying.

The wind had calmed down significantly, and the water in the bay followed.    Nice conditions for reflections.

Here’s a close up from the above shot.  The dock I was standing on was floating, mix that with the ships slowly bobbing up and down and it’s not a great recipe for ultra sharp long exposure photos. This still came out nicely.

One last shot before I wrapped it up for the night.  Yet another photo adventure with fellow photographer Dante Fratto as well.