Ferry Spotting

[SolDuc]

Feb 3, 2013 19:37:00 GMT -8 @cheese12345678 said:

Where are good places to view and take pictures of the ferries in San Juan Islands?

Orcas
Orcas Village
Obstruction Pass SP - Don't bother if you don't have a 250mm+ lens (around 20x multiplier?)
Lopez
Spencer Spit SP
Odlin County Park
Shaw
I'd say the county park could be good
If open to the public the float directly to the east of the ferry terminal
Broken Head if east beach open to the public
Blind Island SP if you have a canoe and can get to it!
San Juan
The pier just next to the Ferry silp
Turn Island if you can get to it by canoe
Anacortes
Washington Park/Ship Harbor Beach/rocks to the west of the terminal/Ship harbor blvd (or where ever Mr. Horn takes pictures from)

[SolDuc]

Today I dropped my the library and got an awesome book:
The photographer's guide to Puget Sound & Northwest Washington (link is to KCLS)
Includes many sweet ferry spots, what lens reach you should have (mm) and many other things, like the at what time you should go.
A must-read for any WSFan!

[SolDuc]

So little updates on sweet ferry spots in WA:
Friday Harbor: The end of West St., which overlooks the marinas and ferry slip (Google Maps)
Bainbridge: South Beach drive (the part where it's right next to the beach) offers views of the Bremerton ferries as well as F-V-S with a good telephoto (250+mm) (Google Maps)
Rockaway Beach is a sweet spot for the Bainbridge Ferries and the Seattle skyline (Google Maps)
That goes with Waterfront park, Hawley cove and Pritchard Park.

[Deleted]

Where is this?  What is the zoom that I need for this location?

Sept 3, 2012 8:45:14 GMT -8 @sccommuter said:

August 31, 2012

Queen of Coquitlam in berth 3, Horseshoe Bay by Howe Sound Ferries, on Flickr

Where are good places on Galiano Island to take picture of the ferries? What zoom do I need for the locations?


Where are good places on Mayne Island to take picture of the ferries? What zoom do I need for the locations?

[WettCoast]

Feb 10, 2013 18:50:27 GMT -8 @cheese12345678 said:

Where is this?  What is the zoom that I need for this location?

Sept 3, 2012 8:45:14 GMT -8 @sccommuter said:

August 31, 2012

Where are good places on Galiano Island to take picture of the ferries? What zoom do I need for the locations?


Where are good places on Mayne Island to take picture of the ferries? What zoom do I need for the locations?

A/C - try reading through this very thread, starting from the beginning on page 1.  You will find answers to all of your questions.

[Low Light Mike]

Jan 5, 2012 21:05:09 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

I have been thinking about my 2011 ferry related highlights and I had thought that I might suggest this 'Passing Spirits' photo as my favourite of the year. It was shot from the road between Miners Bay and Georgina Point, perhaps 500 metres from the Miners Bay end. There is a pull off on the water side of the road just big enough for one, maybe two, cars. This is not far from the country Anglican church along that road.

I am getting ideas for 2013 summer day trips, specifically to do some long-video shooting, for purposes of doing a sped-up video of marine traffic in Active Pass.

I am thinking of doing this here Mayne Island road-side (beach side) location, on a summer day. I will have 4-boat service on Route-1 to enjoy, as well as some extra summer sailings of routes 5, 9 and 9A.

It would be a 5 or 6 hour shoot, and that's part of the fun for me.

Here's hoping that I make it happen.

[SolDuc]

So I was looking at things to do in Shaw Island to plan a possible weekend there this summer and I stumbled on this:
faculty.washington.edu/cemills/UWSanJuanPreserves.html

UW owns two preserves on Shaw Island, both on the south side that should offer excellent views of the ferries, including the Friday Harbor. And fortunately one of the preserves (Cedar Rock) is open to the public:

The Cedar Rock Preserve is presently open for day-use; visitors without an approved project are asked to stay on established trails in order to minimize disturbance of the flora and fauna.

The other preserve, the Fred and Marilyn Ellis Biological Preserve is not open to the public on a regular basis but

It is not open to the public, but visits can be arranged.

.
My guess is that the visit is most likely to happen if it is scientifical. But on some kind of forum outing with several people, we might be able to enter it. That's a big might though.

[SolDuc]

And some more from the preserves:
The Friday Harbor Laboratories Biological Preserve, located just north of the preserve is also open to the public:

The public may visit for day-use, but is asked to check in at the Office before venturing out into the Preserve and to stay on the well-traveled, wide, fire-access road (the “fire trail”) that runs through the forest.

I do not know if the trail provides good ferry views but it might not, so I will try to check it out if I go on the Island.

But I wish that that french law that shoreline cannot be owned, except by the government could exist here! If I want to find a beach spot to watch the ferries out on the Dover-Calais run from the shoreline, I have about 20 miles of sandy beach on either side of Calais, plus a public breakwater. A ferry fan's dream, if I want to summarize it.

[Nick]

Feb 26, 2013 18:53:18 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

And some more from the preserves:
The Friday Harbor Laboratories Biological Preserve, located just north of the preserve is also open to the public:

The public may visit for day-use, but is asked to check in at the Office before venturing out into the Preserve and to stay on the well-traveled, wide, fire-access road (the “fire trail”) that runs through the forest.

I do not know if the trail provides good ferry views but it might not, so I will try to check it out if I go on the Island.

But I wish that that french law that shoreline cannot be owned, except by the government could exist here! If I want to find a beach spot to watch the ferries out on the Dover-Calais run from the shoreline, I have about 20 miles of sandy beach on either side of Calais, plus a public breakwater. A ferry fan's dream, if I want to summarize it.

Don't know about the US, but that is law in most of Canada. Anything below the high tide mark is public property. It's access that's the hard part... there aren't always public access points.

[SolDuc]

Some more Bremerton Points:
-Manette Bridge, obviously is a good spot
-There is a little public beach access on Enteai with a small covered pier. Seems like a good spot (Google Maps
-The Old Point White dock on Bainbridge is now a public pier. Both an historic ferry place and a ship spotting spot.

And on other news, I discovered that the Old Port Gamble dock is still standing (and looking like a ferry dock). Google Maps also shows a few remaining dolphins. Worth the stop next time you're around.

[Blue Bus Fan]

SolDuc, where do you take your pictures of the ferries coming in/ out of Elliott Bay?

[SolDuc]

Mar 10, 2013 16:53:52 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

SolDuc, where do you take your pictures of the ferries coming in/ out of Elliott Bay?

Duwamish Head (the one with the photos with the Space Needle on top of the stacks) is a good spot, or any spot from the Seacrest Pier to Alki Point is good, but that one is the best. The main advantage is that because the ferries pass north of it, you never get extremely backlit shots (which is the main reason why the piers and Seattle waterfront are not as good). However, if you ant nice and clear Olympics, go in the morning.

But if you have an excellent zoom (300+mm or 18+x), Dicovery Park is a great spot as I proved just yesterday. The westernmost point (with the lighthouse) will get you shots with Mount Rainier, or the Bluffs will also get you good shots. I recommend going at late afternoon/sunset to get nice shots.

And to all WSFans, I plan on doing some kind of Sweet Spots guide, similar to MP's BCFs Guidebook. It would include the spots, parking, the needed zoom, the best time to go and what you can see in terms of ferries.

[Blue Bus Fan]

Mar 10, 2013 17:19:51 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

Mar 10, 2013 16:53:52 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

SolDuc, where do you take your pictures of the ferries coming in/ out of Elliott Bay?

Duwamish Head (the one with the photos with the Space Needle on top of the stacks) is a good spot, or any spot from the Seacrest Pier to Alki Point is good, but that one is the best. 

How much zoom do you need for the Duwamish Head? Is their any free parking at Duwamish Head?

[SolDuc]

Mar 10, 2013 18:04:51 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

Mar 10, 2013 17:19:51 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

Duwamish Head (the one with the photos with the Space Needle on top of the stacks) is a good spot, or any spot from the Seacrest Pier to Alki Point is good, but that one is the best. 

How much zoom do you need for the Duwamish Head? Is their any free parking at Duwamish Head?

The zoom range for here is pretty extreme, as you will need a 100mm/6x for the ferries passing just in front of you, but at the same time you will need a telephoto (300mm/18x) to capture anything at Colman Dock or going to/from Bainbridge or Rich Passage. While you can see a long portion of the Seattle routes, you need a very versatile camera to have it all.

For the parking, everything is free at West Seattle, but be ready to spend time looking for space if its a sunny day.

[Blue Bus Fan]

How much zoom do you need to capture vessels arriving at Fauntleroy from lincoln park?

[SolDuc]

Mar 10, 2013 19:24:09 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

How much zoom do you need to capture vessels arriving at Fauntleroy from lincoln park?

85mm/5x zoom is enough for Fauntleroy itself (but a 85mm would just have the ferry and nothing else). If you are looking for the whole route, then a 200mm/11x is needed, or a even bigger if you want to cover as far as Southworth. You can also see the Bremerton and Bainbridge boats, but they're really far and the best here is to crop the pix.

[Low Light Mike]

I don't really understand the purpose for all the zoom questions.

Maybe I'm missing out on technological advantanges, but whenever I've gone to new places to ferry-spot, I just look on a map, or on Google Maps, and see what a good vantage point location would be.

Before I go, I have an idea of whether the location will be a "passing right in front of me" photo opportunity or a "ships in the distance" photo opportunity.

Then I just go and do it. And I don't try to turn my "ships in the distance" location into a "passing right in front of me" photo opportunity with zoom. A moving object that zoomed-up is not going to be a worthwhile image.

If you want a good photo of a ferry showing good detail, then find a spot where she passes right in front of you. If you want a photo that shows the overall location where the little-dot-of-a-ship sails, then find a good elevated viewpoint with a water view.


For finding good photo locations, I think you just need a map, some ingenuity, a sense of adventure, and an idea from the map about whether the ship will be close enough to you to be worthwhile.

Case in point: This series of AMHS Columbia photos from Kelsey Bay, where I figured it out all by myself.
ferriesbc.proboards.com/post/132356/thread


And for this location, I knew if was going to be an off in the distance situation, so that's what it became.
ferriesbc.proboards.com/post/137512/thread

And of course, experiment with zooming-in in any situation, just to see how much clarity you are able to capture. But don't force it if it isn't working.

[SolDuc]

Mar 10, 2013 20:10:47 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

I don't really understand the purpose for all the zoom questions.

Maybe I'm missing out on technological advantanges, but whenever I've gone to new places to ferry-spot, I just look on a map, or on Google Maps, and see what a good vantage point location would be.

Before I go, I have an idea of whether the location will be a "passing right in front of me" photo opportunity or a "ships in the distance" photo opportunity.

Then I just go and do it. And I don't try to turn my "ships in the distance" location into a "passing right in front of me" photo opportunity with zoom. A moving object that zoomed-up is not going to be a worthwhile image.

If you want a good photo of a ferry showing good detail, then find a spot where she passes right in front of you. If you want a photo that shows the overall location where the little-dot-of-a-ship sails, then find a good elevated viewpoint with a water view.


For finding good photo locations, I think you just need a map, some inginuity, a sense of adventure, and an idea from the map about whether the ship will be close enough to you to be worthwhile.

Case in point: This series of AMHS Columbia photos from Kelsey Bay, where I figured it out all by myself.
ferriesbc.proboards.com/post/132356/thread


And for this location, I knew if was going to be an off in the distance situation, so that's what it became.
ferriesbc.proboards.com/post/137512/thread

Well said, Mr. Horn!
Anyways, if you have a fixed lens camera (aka bridge camera or point and shoot), you'll just see what works. If the picture doesn't show a enough, crop it. Most modern cameras have far enough MPs so that you can crop and still get a clear shot.
If you have a DSLR, then bring the lens that you know you'll be using, plus the ones that you think you might need. And if you only have a body, a walk-around lens and 2-3 other lens, bringing them all is not a big deal if you have a "professional" camera bag..

[WettCoast]

Generally, Mr. Horn is right on in what he has said above.  I am not really keen on seeing photos posted here on the WCFF that show a tiny ship way off in the distance, unless the photo has some other scenic merit.

Keep in mind that the zoom of a camera can be just a bit confusing.  It is not common to hear people speaking about the 'angle of view' a lens will give you, but that is what really is important.  Generally it is desirable to have a lens or lenses that will cover a range from 'wide' wide angle to a telephoto that allows distant views to be brought ~8 times closer than they would appear through a 'normal' lens.  A zoom that covers such a range would might be billed as a 16X zoom having a portion of this zoom on the wide able side, and the rest on the 'tele' side.

Most commonly zoom lenses will have their focal length rage converted to the equivalent range on a 35 mm film camera (or 'full size' DSLR).  Most DSLR's nave APS-C sized sensors which are significantly smaller than full size (35 mm) 24 x 16 mm sensor versus 36 x 24 in full size.  The APS-C sized sensor has a 'crop factor' of 1.5 compared to the 35 mm 'full size' camera.  That means that an 18 to 250 mm zoom used on a APS-C sized DSLR has a focal length range equivalent to 27 to 375 mm on a 35 mm (full size) camera.  This lens would also be called a 14X zoom (250 divided by 18 is 13.88 rounded up to 14).  For an APS-C sensor sized camera a normal lens would be about 36 mm.  Focal lengths greater than 36 mm are in the telephoto range.  Below 36 mm you are in the wide angle range.  Keep in mind that although this lens is a 14:1 zoom it actually has a magnification power of just under 7 meaning the lens is able to bring objects 7 times closer than a normal lens would.    

Point and shoot, bridge & ultra zoom cameras have smaller sensors, sometimes radically smaller.  As an example. the Panasonic FZ-200 ultra zoom that I often use has a focal length range of 4.5 to 108 mm.  This camera has a crop factor of about 5.6.  You take that crop factor and use it as a multiplication factor in determining the equivalent 35 mm zoom range for this camera (24 to 600 mm).  The fixed lens on this camera has a zoom ratio of 24:1.  It can bring objects 12 times closer than a normal lens would.  Again the first portion of its zoom range is on the wide angle side.  When zoomed all the way out objects appear to be less than half the size they would be when viewed through a normal lens.

Don't neglect the wide angle side - often ships are too close to you and if you don't have enough wide angle range, you won't be able to get a shot with the whole ship in the photo.  Wide angle lenses can be very useful for interior shots, and for capturing potential flagship - banner photos.     

[Blue Bus Fan]

Apr 10, 2013 16:58:21 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

EHFMU the other ferries are almost impossible to see.

Where is a good place to take good pictures of the ferries coming into Eagle Harbour/ Bainbridge Island ferry terminal? 

[SolDuc]

Apr 10, 2013 18:37:44 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

Apr 10, 2013 16:58:21 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

EHFMU the other ferries are almost impossible to see.

Where is a good place to take good pictures of the ferries coming into Eagle Harbour/ Bainbridge Island ferry terminal? 

See in the BI thread (in the WSF Terminals section) for answers.

[Blue Bus Fan]

We are going to Victoria this weekend. I would like to know some good locations to take pictures of the Coho in the inner harbour? Where is a good location to take pictures of Tachek at Point Hope?

[WettCoast]

May 15, 2013 20:56:58 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

We are going to Victoria this weekend. I would like to know some good locations to take pictures of the Coho in the inner harbour? Where is a good location to take pictures of Tachek at Point Hope?

Try the 'Westsong Walkway' that runs along the harbour shoreline on the opposite side from downtown Victoria.  You will get fine views of the Coho (and other harbour happenings) as she transits in & out of the harbour.  This pathway is somewhat like the seawall around Stanley Park in Vancouver.

See also: www.trailpeak.com/?cat=hike&con=trail&val=6528

[Low Light Mike]

Next door to Swartz Bay terminal is what appears to be a Government Wharf, at the end of Barnacle Rd, which is the short road off of Dolphin Road, next door to the Seaspan Ferries holding yard.

I'm considering visiting this spot to do some video work of a Seaspan ship's loading and departure, as well as for capturing some Swartz Bay berth 2,3,4,5, action.

Has anyone been to this spot before?

It looks like Dolphin Rd. can be easily accessed (on foot, temporarily leaving the BCFS terminal compound) from a terminal exit-lane from the Gulf Islands section of the Swartz Bay holding compound, next to the BCFS drop-trailer yard.

- And I'm assuming that I can get back into the Swartz Bay compound by walking back into the same Dolphin Rd. exit-lane intersection.

Has anyone been there before?

[SolDuc]

May 19, 2013 17:06:51 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

Next door to Swartz Bay terminal is what appears to be a Government Wharf, at the end of Barnacle Rd, which is the short road off of Dolphin Road, next door to the Seaspan Ferries holding yard.

I'm considering visiting this spot to do some video work of a Seaspan ship's loading and departure, as well as for capturing some Swartz Bay berth 2,3,4,5, action.

Has anyone been to this spot before?

It looks like Dolphin Rd. can be easily accessed (on foot, temporarily leaving the BCFS terminal compound) from a terminal exit-lane from the Gulf Islands section of the Swartz Bay holding compound, next to the BCFS drop-trailer yard.

- And I'm assuming that I can get back into the Swartz Bay compound by walking back into the same Dolphin Rd. exit-lane intersection.

Has anyone been there before?

It appears to be public judging from google street view:
(dock is in the middle of the screenshot here)


--EDIT--
There also are several panoramio photos taken there, so it does seem to be public.
ssl.panoramio.com/photo/49034700