The weather yesterday afternoon, when I stumbled upon CSCL Globe berthed at Landguard with half the population of Suffolk blocking Viewpoint Road was dire. It is as equally if not more dire as I write this post today.

I got a good vantage point yesterday  from the nature reserve with the elevated position overlooking the terminal having been forced to park nearer the town. I have made images at Landguard before but at dusk when the navigation and dockyard lights are twinkling and all the images yesterday reflected the true light, namely dire. The 24hours aspect of the working dock is something that makes a more dramatic image for me. I used to love seeing Associated Octel and Stanlow Oil Refinery when I worked vessels going up and down the Manchester Ship canal in the 1970s. Industrial complexes always present better at night in my opinion.

Much of my earlier work is on film and one thing I noted yesterday is in just over 13 months since I made work there as part of my degree project, the whole dockscape has changed. One thing that attracted me to the viewing area were the almost omnipresent tugs bobbing away in the foreground. Now it seems they are tucked away beyond the deep water berth.

In my quest to master the D810 some low light long exposure work was calling out to be tried so at 0657 this morning I took the fist image at ISO64, F10, 6secs.

I watched the cranes shuffling down the quayside yesterday like guardsmen shuffling to the correct gaps on a parade ground. I have not seen seven cranes working one ship but maybe I don’t get out enough. As I was setting up this morning I did notice that all the lifting gear moved aft on each crane. I rather like that number 2 or 6, whichever way you look at it is out of step with the rest. This is not the norm so it was a hasty set up to frame, and decide on the exposure. Within a second of this image being made the scene was once again dynamic. I’m quite pleased with this image and the amount of data that is visible at 1:1.

Despite the very overcast sky which was a bonus for stretching out the darkness test there was as ever that imperceptible change in light level. This image, with no colour correction is very similar to an image made in late 2013 using Portra400 in my Bronica. I rather like the ‘Stephens Blue Black ink’ look. Readers of a certain age will know what I mean. This image was at ISO400, F10 1sec.

Whereas I love some of the long exposure images with blurred containers travelling at speed in their cradles, I wanted to get at least one shot just as the cradle secured a container.

I do miss not having the tugs in the foreground though.

By sunrise, not that it was evident, precipitation was not just ‘in sight’ as they say of the shipping forecast, I was well and truly in it so time to pack up and get home to a well earned breakfast.

Lots more practice required.