The Story: Fire in the Hole!
Here’s an oldie but a goodie, dug up from one of my past escapades. I had taken a day trip down to Battleship Cove in Fall River, figuring there had to be something cool to photograph.
I was not wrong.
The torpedo room aboard the USS Lionfish — a World War II-era submarine — was not exactly what you’d call spacious. Frankly, I don’t know how anyone spent more than a few hours in that tight, claustrophobic tin can without losing their mind. I’m pretty sure I would’ve been court-martialed before we even left the dock.
But the moment I stepped into that torpedo room, I stopped in my tracks.
It was a glorious mess of knobs, buttons, dials, gauges, and blinking lights — like someone gave a six-year-old a Navy budget and said, “Have at it.”
There was just one problem: the lighting.
Or rather, the complete and utter lack of it.
A few sad little bulbs struggled to illuminate the space, and the contrast between light and shadow was brutal. My camera’s histogram basically just shrugged and said, “Good luck with that.”
Still, I got to work. I ended up taking ten exposures at different brightness levels, knowing full well I’d have to blend them later using HDR software if I had any shot of saving the detail.
At the time? I wasn’t feeling it. I glanced at the LCD and thought, Meh. It didn’t have that “nailed it” moment. But I chalked it up to practice, packed up, and moved on to other things — crazy scenes inside the massive guns of the USS Massachusetts, sweeping views of the Braga Bridge from the deck.
It turned into a full-blown photography buffet.
Weeks later, back at home, I circled back to those submarine shots. I loaded up the HDR software, told it to work its magic, and sat back.
Boom.
Suddenly, all the things I didn’t see on that tiny LCD screen leapt to life: detail in the shadows, glowing lights that didn’t blow out, and a sense of drama that just oozed from the metal walls.
I ended up printing it using a sublimation process onto aluminum. That torpedo room photo — the one I almost wrote off entirely — became the centerpiece of my very first gallery exhibit.
Exploring the USS Lionfish at Battleship Cove
For anyone who hasn’t visited, Battleship Cove is home to one of the largest collections of historic naval ships in the world. Walking through the narrow corridors of the USS Lionfish gives you a sobering glimpse into what life was like aboard a World War II submarine.
It’s tight. It’s mechanical. It’s layered with history.
And for a photographer? It’s a challenge in the best possible way.
Low light. High contrast. Reflective metal. Tight angles.
In other words — a playground.
Photographing the USS Lionfish Torpedo Room
HDR was the only way this image worked.
The dynamic range inside that torpedo room was extreme. Without bracketing exposures, the highlights would have blown out and the shadows would have swallowed the detail whole.
By blending ten exposures, I was able to preserve:
- The glow of the instrument lights
- The texture of the aged metal
- The depth and mood of the confined space
It transformed what looked like a throwaway shot into one of my most meaningful pieces.
Lesson learned.
Never trust the back-of-camera review in brutal lighting conditions.
And never underestimate a photo just because it doesn’t immediately sing.
Sometimes, it just needs a little rescue work.
The Lesson
The images you almost delete?
Those are often the ones worth revisiting.
Sometimes your best photographs are just waiting to be rescued from the shadows.
Technical Details
Camera / Lens: Canon 7D with 70–200mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter Speed: 10 seconds
ISO: 100
Light: Blue hour, soft lunar glow
Approach:
It was suddenly incredibly quiet, and it was me and a million flowers watching the show in the sky. I wanted to carry the feeling of peace — and a little bit of awe — into the final image.
Tip:
Walk the scene slowly. Move with intention. Look for subtle highlights that reveal themselves when the crowd is gone.
Practice Patience Yourself
You don’t need a sunflower field to practice patience in photography. Try this:
- Arrive at a location early, but stay a few minutes after everyone leaves
- Put your camera down for a moment
- Watch how the light and mood shift once the scene is empty
- Capture the subtle details you might have missed
Often, the photograph you didn’t expect is the one you’ll remember.
Step Further Into the Series
This photograph is available as a fine art print in the Sunflowers collection.
If this image resonates with you, explore other photographs in the Sunflowers series or discover the Landscape gallery to see more moments captured with patience and quiet intention.
Fine Art Prints & Coastal New England Galleries
This HDR image of the USS Lionfish torpedo room at Battleship Cove is available as a fine art print on metal or paper.
If you enjoy historic New England landmarks, coastal scenes, and dramatic architectural interiors, explore the full collection in my Fine Art Print Gallery and browse additional coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island work.
There’s a lot more where this one came from.
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