David's Images of the Day Photoblog
Empty deck chairs. Not many students are out on deck early in the morning. Later on I attended a tour of the bridge, and got a picture of the nautical chart for our route leaving Canada.
Time-lapse video of the sun setting over the Atlantic Ocean from the aft deck of the MV Explorer. Images taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. Raw images processed with Capture One Pro, and the time-lapse video created with Photoshop CC.
Waiting for the Sun to set from the aft deck of the M/V Explorer. Image taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 122 mm, f/11, 1/200 sec).
Time-lapse video of the sun setting from the aft deck of the MV Explorer. Images taken with a Nikon D800 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro. Time-lapse video created using Photoshop CC. Two versions first without additional processing, and the second applying a warping filter using After Effects CC to minimize motion while hand holding the camera on a moving ship.
The students boarded the MV Explorer in shifts beginning at 08:00. It was an efficient process, and most everyone was on board by 11:00. We were told that after lunch that there would be a mandatory evacuation drill. Everyone was supposed to get their life-jacket and report to their evacuation station wearing long pants, long shirt, shoes, and a hat. Once we got to our station, the ship staff did a roll call to make sure everyone was accounted for and present. The drill is required before the ship can leave port. After the drill was completed, we were ready to leave at 17:00. Most everyone lined up on the open decks to watch the departure. The parents and relatives that came were all lined up on the roof of the port terminal. Michael Mariant was set up to take a series of images from Deck 7 that will be combined into a time-lapse video for the entire Fall 2012 Voyage.
Weather permitting I plan to take an early morning image during dawn or sunrise, and an evening image at sunset or during dusk. I did this exercise during the previous two Enrichment voyages on the MV Explorer, and got images with great colors.
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Arrival of MV Explorer in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Overnight I received an e-mail from Michael Mariant that confirmed the MV Explorer would arrive in Halifax at 08:00 hours. I went down to the harbor early to watch the sunrise, and scout a good location to photography the ship when it arrived. When the ship did not arrive at 08:00, I walked to the Halifax casino, and then back to the cruise line terminal. Part way back, I saw the MV Explorer coming into port and started taking pictures. The ship went around an island in the harbor so it could dock on the port side of the ship. After waving to Michael and the other staff and faculty on deck that sailed from Boston to Halifax, I went back to the hotel to have breakfast and pick up my luggage.
The Life Long Learners and students with work-study assignments boarded the ship the day before departure. The boarding process included inspection by both Canadian immigration authorities and ship staff. Prior to leaving we were provided with a list of prohibited items, but I noticed some students giving items back to their parents when they realized that the luggage was going to be inspected. Passports were checked and those going to Ghana and Brazil needed their visas a yellow fever vaccination certificate. I did not need the visa and Yellow fever certificate since I would be departing the voyage in Casablanca, Morocco. We all received a ship ID with the picture we provided. The luggage was both scanned by x-ray and hand inspected. There even was a dog that sniffed the luggage. Finally, after going through a metal detector we were allowed to board the ship. The majority of the students board the ship tomorrow.
Once on board, I found my cabin on deck 4. For this voyage, my cabin was on the starboard side of the ship. This confused me a bit since I was on the port side on my previous Enrichment Voyages. I spent the afternoon wandering around reacquainting myself with the ship and its layout. I recognized many of the ship staff from my previous Enrichment Voyages. My suitcase was delivered to my cabin mid-afternoon. In the evening a reception was held on the ship for the parents of the students that would be on the Fall 2012 voyage. I am looking forward to meeting the students and getting on way to Europe.
