IN THIS ISSUE
Why Cruise Vacations Are A Good Deal For Photographers

Tips For Taking Artistic Pictures On Board

Ideas For Good Shots at the Dock, On Tenders or From Your Balcony


Techniques To Photograph the Ship's Shows

Displaying & Preserving Your Pictures

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QUICK LINKS FOR ONLINE ORDERS
Amateur Prints & Enlargements

Professional Enlargements

Photo Books

Shooting Film? Get Mailers!

Cameras and Photo Equipment



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Some of My Cruise Photographs

New England & Canada Cruise
Leaving New York Harbor Telephoto Shot From Aft Deck

Portland, Maine

Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor, Maine

A Friend on the Rocks at
Acadia National Park
Scots Guard at the Citadel Hill Fortress, Halifax, NS, Canada

A Sunny Day at Poolside
A Friendly Hostess

Caribbean Cruise
Wind Surf - Pigeon
Island, St. Lucia
Pigeon Island, St. Lucia
St. Jean's Beach, St. Barths

Shops at Marigot, St. Martin

Sunset on St. Martin

My wife, Elaine & me. Dusk at the Grand Pitons, St. Lucia

Hello ,

Cruises have become America's #1 vacation. They offer travel, food and entertainment at an affordable price.

As photographers we get an extra bonus; the opportunity to visit and photograph multiple ports on a single trip.

But, there's more...

The ship itself can provide some great photo opportunities ... especially during days at sea and in the evenings.

In this newsletter I'd like to concentrate on tips you can use for taking pictures on and around cruise ships.

I hope you'll find these techniques useful.



Best regards,
Dale

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The Atrium - A Ships' Artistic Centerpiece

Millions of dollars go into making cruise ships' central atriums as impressive as possible. From a photographer's standpoint it's tough not to get great pictures.

The key to atrium shots is capturing their shapes, colors, lighting and themes.
  • Experiment with various white balances and you'll get fabulous pictures.
  • Most likely you'll need to shoot at fairly high ISOs.
  • Prop your hands on some support if you don't have a tripod available.
  • Use the Rule of Thirds and your camera's focusing grids to get well-balanced pictures.

Here are a few photos from various ships:
Main Lobby of the Celebrity Silhouette

  • Cunard's Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria provide old world charm and a touch of British class to the cruise experience. The technology is modern. But, the feel is strictly old world elegance.
The Grand Lobby of the Queen Elizabeth


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Deck Shots & Shapes

Consider the ship itself as a work of art. You'll have an array of shapes, designs and backgrounds.

Here are a couple shipboard images I took on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas (an older, medium sized ship) as we sailed out of New York's harbor.

Crossing Under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge


                          














I Zoomed In To Accentuate Strong Patterns






    









The exteriors of newer ships are like floating billboards.

Celebrity Cruises Incorporated the Silhouette's Name Into
the Ship's Sleek Design

Beautiful design elements are everywhere.

Look up on the Silhouette and You'll Find Beautiful Layered Ceiling
Designs. They Incorporate Metal, Glass and Reflective Surfaces.

Works of art are an integral part of the ships' decor.

I Try To Use Light, Dramatic Shapes and Art Together. Note the Way
Filtered & Dappled Sunlight Become Part of the Composition.
















Sailing ships like the Windsurf provide a unique cruising & photographic experience.

There's A Quiet Tranquility on Windstar's Windsurf.
This Early Morning Picture of the Ship's Deck & Sails Against
the Sea & Sky Is An Attempt To Relate That Feeling.


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Ship To Shore - Pictures From Tenders

The key to taking good pictures from a tender is to sit where you have an unobstructed view. Face backwards at the tender's stern for easy shooting.


I Used a Telephoto Setting to Capture This Photo of the Silhouette. Then, I Cropped My Full-Frame Shot On My iMac For a Panoramic Aspect Ratio.

Shots of Sister Ships Can Create An Interesting Juxtaposition. Both the
Silhouette and the Equinox Were in Grand Cayman at the Same Time.


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Dockside Photographs

Taking pictures from your ship and on the pier will add to your vacation's story.

A View of Falmouth, Jamaica From Our Ship's Balcony. A Flip-up, Fill-in Flash Opened the Shadows and Made This Shot Possible.


Using a Wide Angle Lens Setting Will Provide Drama & Perspective.
Use People in the Composition to Show the Scale of the Ships

 

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Photographing Shipboard Activities

Incorporate the ship's design elements for stronger images. You'll get more interesting compositions than if you simply take snapshots of people in their activities.

The Man Is On the Upper Walking Deck.The Zumba Class
on the Deck Below. Color & Ship's Design Elements
Create a "Rule of Thirds" Composition.


Use backlighting, silhouettes and ships' structures for subtle, yet dramatic pictures.

A Quiet Moment on the Silhouette.












Afternoon Tea on the Windsurf.















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Evening Events

Entertainment & Shows -

Shoot available light pictures of the evening shows.

A Gala Performance on the Explorer of the Seas

  • You'll get the best results with an all-in-one camera that has a viewing screen that you can swing down at an angle.
    • Pictures from the orchestra - Just hold your camera above the person in the row in front of you for short periods of time.
      • Be courteous to the people behind you and don't keep your camera up constantly.
    • Photography from the theatre's balcony - Shoot from an aisle using a telephoto setting. If possible, use a small tripod or monopod (ship's rules permitting.)
A Picture Taken From the Balcony on the Silhouette

  • Be careful with your white balance as stage lighting can be tricky. I've found that the autowhite balance often works quite well. But, I will experiment with various white balances until I get the effect I want.
  • Adjust your camera's ISO setting constantly (based upon checking your monitor images for correct exposure) since the stage lighting will be changing. You'll want a reasonably fast shutter speed (at least 1/60th sec.) The noise from an 800 or 1600 ISO setting is preferable to a blurred picture.
Performers on the Silhouette




  • Take pictures of the performers. They'll often be at the top of the aisle after the show. All it takes is asking very politely to take their picture. Offer to email the performers their photos.






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Get formal portraits of yourself and your family.

My wife, Elaine, and me
taken by the ship's
photographer.



Put yourself in the pictures by purchasing some prints or digital files from the ship's professional photographers. You'll cherish those prints long after you forget their price!

 

 

 






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Display & Preserve Your Photographs As Prints or in Photo Books

Print Options -

Your Best Pictures Should Be On Your Walls;
Not on a Hard Drive.

  • Lustre or glossy prints are ideal for proofs and enlargements.
    • We're now offering lustre enlargements up to 30" x 40" on our professional ROES site. 
    • Prints up to 20" x 30" are available on our consumer and beginners' site at iPrints.com.
  • Metallic prints are made on a special Kodak professional photographic paper.
    • Metallic paper produces the richest, most saturated color in photography. Pictures have a near 3D look.
    • Metallic enlargements are available both on ROES and iPrints in sizes from 4" x 6" - 20" x 30".
  • Kodak Canvas prints are made on a new professional photographic paper that you won't find in retail stores or online consumer sites.
    • The deep canvas texture will give your portraits & scenics the look of fine art.
    • Available on ROES and iPrints in sizes from 8" x 10" - 20" x 30".
Photo Books -


Design Templates Make It Easy For You to Include
Multiple Pictures on a Single Page or Two Page Spread

  • Our photo books are printed on Kodak professional photographic paper; not the plain paper of most other books on the market.
  • You can utilize dozens of different designs, key in type and use our new creative borders for a truly professional looking book.
  • Prices start at just $18.95 giving you a very inexpensive way to organize your best pictures in a book you'll show for years.


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Why I Write These Newsletters...  

Two of my greatest joys in life are experiencing our world's beauty and taking pictures of what I see.

I usually meet and befriend fellow photographers as we have a lot in common.


A great advantage that I have is that I manage one of America's best photo labs.

I'd like to share that capability with you...with my laboratory becoming an extension of your creativity.


Too many great pictures never see the light of day as they end up "lost" on computer hard drives.

So, I'd like to invite you to use our online printing services. They're designed for serious amateurs or pros like you. You'll be amazed at just how good your photographs will look when you order online prints from our our consumer site or through ROES from our pro lab.

You snap the pictures ... we'll do the rest!
Best wishes,
Dale
Dale Farkas
President, iPrints.com & iPrintsPro.com
(Online printing services of Dale Laboratories)

Questions? Call (800) 327-1776(800) 327-1776.
We're here to help!
 
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