As photographers we put a lot of time into planning my photo excursions. We scout locations ahead of time, look at photographs, maps and tide charts. We prepare our gear, knowing what lens and filters we will use. All of this work so that we can create the specific shot we have in mind.
At the right time you pack all of your gear into the car and drive off, the vision of the final photo dancing through your mind. You get on location and get the equipment all set up. You establish a base exposure, settle on a pleasing composition. Now you just wait for the light to be perfect, for that magical instant where it all comes together and you click the shutter.
However, sometimes that plan goes right out the window. Sometimes you realize it is a bad plan – trust me on this, I have had lots and lots of bad ideas when it comes to photography. On occasion the idea itself has been flawed, and on other occasions I have simple failed to execute. It is OK to be wrong, and it is OK to fail. Embrace it. Learn from it!
One of the key ingredients in any photograph is the quality of the light. We are so dependent on the weather to give us a scene with great light and there are many occasions that the weather simply does not cooperate. Radar can show tons of clouds and a glance out the window will reveal a blue sky full of gorgeous, puffy clouds. You rush to a location, and when the light is right every one of those clouds has vanished. It happens to all of us.
However, there are some special occasions when the plan goes out the window because the world is giving you a gift! You have to be on the lookout for these, because they do not come along often, and they can be over in an instant! And on a recent morning I was lucky enough to experience one such special occasion.
I was shooting at Conimicut Point in Warwick, working on getting a shot of the Conimicut Point Lighthouse. Conditions were very favorable, as low tide coincided with sunrise, and my plan was to get some close up photos of the lighthouse as the suns first rays crossed the horizon.
As I waited for the sun to rise I heard the faint grumble of a powerful engine in the distance behind me. I turned to look for the source of the sound, and could not believe my good fortune! Steaming directly towards me was the most beautiful little red tugboat! Lighthouse? What lighthouse? I forgot all about that lighthouse and focused on the tugboat! This is where the action was going to be!
Let me diverge for a moment and say that I am fascinated by tugboats. Stubby little ships that are capable of doing work far in excess of what their appearance might suggest. As I commute up and down 95 each day I often see the might little tugs pushing and pulling larger ships around Providence Harbor. The little tug that could. The under dog in a fight. Powerful. Rugged. Their bright red color symbolic of their bold confidence as they navigate up and down Narragansett bay.
I have tried to photograph the tugboats on many occasions, and in the past have gotten some decent shots of a docked tugboat when I visited the fishing village of Galilee. However I have not been able to get a shot of the tugs in action. They were always too far from shore to create a decent image.
However, the same low tide that allowed me to get close to the lighthouse, also allowed me to be close enough to the tug boat! I quickly switched from my wide angle landscape lens to my 70-200mm telephoto lens and I was ready!
As the tug came closer the sun crossed the horizon and the gorgeous light of sunrise danced across the front of that mighty little tug as it powered down Narragansett Bay!
The Tugboat Joan Moran at Sunrise
Today I challenge you to be like that might little tugboat. Be bold. Be strong. Be a tug