Super Yachts and Lingerie.

In my other life, I work on yachts. Simply described, they are the big, luxurious toys of the super rich. It pays better than photography (in my experience) and working and living on these beautiful boats does have its perks.
We were docked in St. Martin in the eastern Caribbean last year for few months. Of course, I can’t ignore a great photo opportunity. I spent most of my down time photographing some of the most expensive and opulent private yachts in the world. Above is the 315 foot yacht “Limitless” owned by Les Wexner the chairman and CEO of Limited Brands. (Victoria Secret)

I like to photograph yachts at evening time because they are always well lit and I like to show that. The aesthetics of the lighting design on a yacht is often as important as its seaworthiness. In fact sometimes, unfortunately it is more important.

Whenever I shoot an evening shot like this my goal is to show some of the ambient color in the sky. Timing is important, there’s about a 5 minute window following the sunset when the light in the sky is the same intensity as the artificial lighting. That’s the moment I like to get.

Too early and you can’t really see the artificial lights. Too late and the sky goes black and you start blowing out the lights. For me, timing it right usually means scouting out a spot for my tripod and knowing what time the sun will set. Arrive at the spot early (30+ mins.before sunset.), set up the camera, choose my lens, compose the shot, focus and wait for the moment.

Being prepared is key. I hate to be scrambling with my gear in the fading light but its not always avoidable.

Gear: Nikon D2X / Nikon 85mm 1.4 lens / Manfrotto tripod with Ball head.

Exposure: Manual mode ISO 250 F8 1.8 seconds.

As always, click any image for the large version. TR