Do Extraordinary Things
A cruise ship cruised past the hazy orange sunrise this morning.
I had already taken a few shots earlier, but when I saw this cruise ship approaching I knew I wanted to capture it. As the ship drew nearer the sun created a bright orange glow through the haze as it was starting to emerge above the city skyline. I waited for the right moment as everything came together perfectly.
It must be cruise season in NYC, because this is the third cruise ship I’ve seen this week.
When I arrived at this location, there was a tugboat pushing a barge, which I thought would work nicely with the working docks you see in the foreground. After all, Hoboken’s waterfront used to be full of docks where ships would get built or repaired. But I was in too much of a hurry and my photos didn’t come out very good.
A few moments later, I was excited to see the nose of a cruise ship approaching, being escorted by a pair of tugboats. Even better. This time I was ready. And the horizon was aglow in orange and peach.
It’s nice to get an unexpected treat–especially for two days in a row.
There was a lot going on in the sky this morning, and it was difficult to capture it all in one frame without zooming out too far.
As I explained yesterday, the most brilliant colors were once again seen at the far north end of the Hudson. But there was also a break in the clouds near the horizon above the city, while far overhead the edges of the clouds gowed in a faint pink.
I tried several compositions from multiple locations, but most of the shots just still seemed empty, like they were missing a subject or foreground element.
Just then, I turned around and saw a giant cruise ship approaching, which was unexpected on a Friday. I knew this would be my chance. I framed a shot and waited for the cruise ship to arrive, and that was it.
Front row seats to the passing cruise ship.
This cruise ship has been my “white whale” ever since the start of this project at the beginning of the year. I’ve attempted to capture it in a photograph many times, but have never been quite successful. The photos either came out too blurry, or incorrect exposure, or I would get outside just as the ship was passing in which cases I was too late.
In fact, if you go all the way back to January 2nd (my second sunrise photo) you will see the tail end of the cruise ship from my window, and I mention seizing opportunities before they pass you by.
Finally, just last week I figured out how to correctly photograph the cruise ship, but the sky wasn’t right at the time. Today it was perfect.
And so today’s lesson is not just about seizing opportunities but also maintaining persistence to get what you want.