Slow Photography #63 Ships, Time & the River Elizabeth

- May 28, 2015

" Time is but the stream I go fishing in.
I drink at it, but while I drink I see the sandy bottom
and detect how shallow it is.

It's thin current slides away, but eternity remains. "

~ Henry David Thoreau

AFTER JAMESTOWN: 3 Cities, 3 Ships

In Virginia, the surging Elizabeth River unites the three cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake. The area is called Hampton Roads. For decades, the Elizabeth River has guided vessels and settlers in from the Atlantic.

Let's go back in time. In 1607, Captain Christopher Newport his three ships into Hampton Roads to find an opening to reach the "Great Indies." He sailed his ships west, up an unknown river. Later, it was named the James River, for the king. Newport's group settled first in Jamestown. We all know what happened there. A lasting settlement along the Elizabeth River came a few years later.

Back to the present. . . Norfolk and Portsmouth today are cities with immense shipyards. They are centers for the Navy. Norfolk's Naval shipyard buzzes with the sounds of vessel repair.

After they tie up to the docks along the Elizabeth river near the shipyards, tall ships welcome visitors. Here, aboard the Cuauhtémoc, tourists explore an authentic Mexican Navy barquentine that is used for training.

IN A GRACEFUL LIGHT

Over the years, the Elizabeth River has acquired a certain grace. Slanting light plays across its docked ships, creating eye-catching scenes. To photograph this light, I used a Canon 7D camera with Canon's 10 - 22mm and 70 - 200mm lenses, and a Nikon D810 and 20mm Nikon lens. As the idea was to create depth using sweeping side light, most of the images were taken in morning.