Pirates of Parkgate (Click for larger view)

Alf, I like this very much. The tones are flawless and the details are remarkably clear. The photo has a somewhat chilling effect on me, like a crash landing, stranded type of feeling. Great work.

Best Always,  Holger

I was going out to photograph the old fishing boats at Meols, when I happened upon

this "Pirate Ship" It was built by local artists from driftwood and fallen trees donated

by local parks. The visiting children seemed to approve as they played on board, and I

had to wait a while before they "abandoned ship" to get this shot. Your thoughts and

comments are always appreciated. Thank You.

Alf...

Very appropriate title / caption.  Well worth the wait to get this shot.  Excellent b/w tones and the sky is impressive.  BRAVO!

What a marvelous piece of art. Imagination and the spirit of play still lives. Beautifully photographed by you as well. Thanks for sharing this with us.

You would have thought that with a radar dome on board they could have avoided these rocks ;-).   Seriously, hats off to the creator's, that is one unique Pirate ship and it has a strange authenticity (except for the dome).  As always, your b/w treatment is superb with exquisite tones and detail, and the sky adds the perfect mixture of ominous drama to the scene.  Love it... Mike

Quite a story and well presented! Love your textures and tonality.

Alf, fantástica imagen, gran composicion, el procesado excelente. Te felicito.

Saludos.

Very interesting and creative (both your shot and th eartists that built the model. There really is a moodiness to this shot that works very well. the B&W is appropriate to the shot. Well done!

Cool stuff Alf, This would be a great subject to image say, sun ride or perhaps a sun set. Dramatic the way you captured it, bravo!

Hi Alf,

  Wow....powerful b/w scene with dramatic sky.  Take care, Patsy

fantastic choose of the motive, the B&W is ideal for this photo. Well done..!

Ricardo

Previous comments say it all! Excellent b/w shot.

Very nice image!

Alf,   This is a fantasy delight.  Excellent  sharp image.  The clouds - that have a landscape look of their own -  were made to order to set off the boat.  

Looks like a voyage back to the past, in the XVII century. Well done.

It's  most gratifying to read your comments, I'm really pleased you like it.  I agree with your analogy, it does have that kind of "disaster" aura about it. 

Many Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

BILL 

 

I was getting very impatient, another 5 minutes and I would have made them "walk the plank" : - )  

Sincere Thanks! 

 

Alf 

 

JACK

 

I agree it's a great piece of art, and yes a wonderful tribute to the guys that come up with the idea and put it together. It is surprisingly well made, it kind of looks frail, but upon closer inspection it's really solid.  

Many Thanks 

 

Alf 

 

MIKE 

 

I have the same kind of trouble with my sat nav : - ) 

The volunteers that built the ship must get a great deal of satisfaction when they see the reaction of children, specially us older children!  

The sky was cloudy but there was some very bright patches and unlike most of my photo's this one was taken whilst the sun was still relatively high, hence the B & W. 

Sincere Thanks! 

 

Alf

 

VLAD 

 

Many Thanks for your thoughts and kind words! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

JOAQUIN 

Muchas Gracias por su alimentación reflexivo, muy apreciada!

 

Alf 

 

CHARLES 

 

Thank you for your thoughts and positive feedback. I agree there is a moody kind of atmosphere, accentuated perhaps by the heavy cloud and B & W processing. 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

TONY 

 

Yes I agree it would make a spectacular subject with the right sunset, better still if the tide was fully in, I have marked it for a re-visit. 

Many Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

PATSY 

 

Many Thanks for your thoughtful feedback, the cloudy sky was just right for this shot.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

RICARDO 

 

I agree the B & W looked much better than the original colour shot, it seemed better able to convey the sense of drama.

 

Many Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

GREGORY & VERENA 

 

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words!

 

Alf 

 

GIANNI 

 

Thank you so much! 

 

Alf 

 

LARRY 

 

Something real for kids to play with, instead of X box's, maybe it will catch on : - ) 

I think the lens I used (Sigma 24mm F/ 1.4 Art Prime lens)  is sharper than any other lens I have previously tried, and that includes all of my Nikon lens's. But I suppose being a prime lens it has a distinct advantage to start with. 

The shot was taken early evening and the sun was still far too bright, hence the B & W, but it seemed to work out ok.

Many Thanks Larry.

 

Alf 

 

DANIEL 

 

It does look quite authentic, until you look a bit closer. Of course the scale isn't apparent either as the ship is deserted.  I appreciate your comments, many thanks! 

 

Alf 

 

 

 

 

This is a story telling picture Alf.  A wonderful piece of photography art.  I think that you really managed to create something beyond the picture...a touch of reality.  It's almost that you're finding your way through the rocks to get to the ship.  You're part of the tale...once again congratulation on your achievement.

(I find that the white spot distracts the eye a bit...but on the other hand I really can't tell what it is..so the mystery grows!)

I am in awe of this amazing piece of art!  Lovely presentation.  Also in awe of your patience.  A real pleasure to view!

Hi Alf, great subject really well captured and your processing is top drawer as always. There is another similar pirate ship at New Brighton, same guy has done both, The NB one is good at sunrise and this one as you will already know get great sunset colour.

Jed

"Mackerel skies and mares' tails
Make tall ships take in their sails."

 

Perhaps the captain and crew of this vessel didn't heed the weather reports and the charts.  Their bad luck is propitious for us, since this image is so full of drama and impact.  

 

My best always,

michael

Dramatic, mysterious, scary a bit, full of details of the wreck and so beautiful! Seven! I can only look and wonder how is it possible for a photo to be so impressive!

 

Best regards, Alf!

 

PDE

Many Thanks for your thoughtful feedback! 

I have to admit that the image was taken when I wouldn't normally consider shooting, that being in quite bright light. But the B & W conversion seemed to work and convey a certain atmosphere and mystery as you described. The white spot is a spherical shape, like a float used for marking lobster pots or some such nautical object.

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

DONNA 

 

It's really gratifying to read that you enjoyed viewing this one. 

 

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

JED 

 

I haven't found the one at New Brighton (The one they call the Black Pearl)  but I'm sure it's there somewhere : - )  I have also heard that there is yet another at Fleetwood, but I haven't found that yet either. 

Many Thanks for your positive feedback Jed, much appreciated! 

Alf 

 

MICHAEL 

 

An interesting nautical quotation where is it from?

This wreck was created by design rather than a result of a disaster, although I'm really pleased it looks authentic as I'm sure the original artists must be too. 

I think the B & W may have sold it : - ) 

Always good to hear from you Michael.

Many Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

PIERRE 

 

It is a bit scary I can almost imagine "Davy Jones" (Villain of Pirates of the Caribbean) at the helm : - ) 

Sincere Thanks Pierre! 

 

Alf 

 

When I first saw the thumbnail I couldn't wait to have a better look. Your processing truly is impressive. The many tones from the deepest black to white are amazing (for me at least). How wonderful that this was a community project. I'm almost jealous of the children. As a child I loved any movies about the tall ships and playing 'Pirate games' was a fav among my brothers and I.  My younger brother looked into our ancestry and apparently there are 'pirates' in our family past.  I'm pretty sure they are on the 'English' side of the family. I suppose that is always why I loved digging for 'buried treasure'. If you count rocks, old cigarette butts and the odd piece of glass, then I guess you might say we did find 'treasure'. Any day that we could find a rock with a fossil in it was exciting.  Fabulous post Alf. I think this is one of your very best. I have to be more active in my Favorites folder. I will start with this one!

Superb work and very impressive! I think your processing gives the best and exciting view of this ship! 

Best regards! Hanan

Humble apologies for my very late response!  

I again used that programme "Nike Silver efex Pro 2" it really does a great job with B & W tones. 

Yes, I was jealous of the children too............almost had to make em "walk the plank" to get rid of them : - )  But yeah I agree, it really must be fantasy come true for so many young fans of  "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the like, it is a wonderful adventure playground.

We used to play all those pirate games, looking for treasure. We once dug up some old rusty spanners and these came our most prized possessions, and we used beer bottle tops as currency, well who needs gold doubloons when you have beer bottle tops eh : - )

 

I am very honoured that you include this in your favourites Gail. 

Many Thanks 

 

Alf 

 

HANAN 

 

Thank you so much for your interest and kind words.  I took quite a few shots, but this one seemed to have the most effective angle. 

 

Best Regards

 

Alf