The Mary D. Hume(c) Darlene Lyon Kruse, All Rights Reserved
Most of the work I've done on the Oregon coast over the past 20+ years has been done between Port Orford and Newport so, when David Winston and I scouted locations for our upcoming workshop at Port Orford and Cape Blanco, it was an opportunity for me to explore Gold Beach. The Mary D. Hume is much photographed but this was my first time. Here's a little info about the boat, first:
Built in Gold Beach in 1881, she is named for the wife of the builder and first served as a steamer serving Mr. Hume's cannery business. Later she became a whaling ship and, when the whaling industry ended, she served as a tugboat, a tender for halibut fishing boats and a towboat before being retired to the harbor near where she was born. The Mary D. was in service until 1978, the longest serving, commercial boat on the Pacific coast. Now she sits at the mouth of the Rogue River, slowly decaying, becoming part of the river.
I was drawn to the texture of the timbers -- there's something SO seductive about peeling paint & old weathered wood --, the bright green of the moss growing at and below the waterline, and the tilt of the ship against the pier, as if leaning on it for support. I hoped for a soft spring sunset to warm her up, maybe some clouds in the sky. But the sky was cloudless, and the sunset didn't manifest its full potential. Sometimes you just have to do the best with what you're presented with. So...I have helped it along in Adobe Lightroom. I did that by adjusting the color temperature to bring in more warmth & using Lightroom's graduated neutral density filter to intensify the existing color in the sky.
My vision was to create an emotionally satisfying image of the Mary D., one that is warm, sweet, nostalgic, even romantic. That didn't happen when I was there -- so I'm really grateful for the technology that allows me to come close to expressing my vision for her. I can't wait to go back and photograph her again...
Metadata: 6/30/10. 8:28PM. Nikon D300. 24-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens at 70mm (35mm equivalent - 105mm). ISO 400. 1/180 sec. at f/8. Gitzo tripod with Linhof ballhead.
You succeeded brilliantly in achieving your vision for her. This really is a wonderful, emotion-filled photograph, Darlene!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon! Even though she's falling apart, slowly for sure, she has such beauty and dignity. I plan to go back when I can and see if I can get a really good coastal sunset to frame her in. Thanks!!!
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