"Unsinkable in Belfast"
Looking out the hotel window in Belfast we had this view. The train was cool, and I stalked it one night to get some motion shots. This was taken late evening in May with a 9:41 PM sunset. We were just out of the Blue Hour as it’s 11:16PM. Ireland’s ever-present rain and mist were there but how would Ireland be anything but green without it.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, the shot of the big yellow structure in the background is the Harland & Wolff shipyard that built the Titanic. If you travel to Belfast the shipyard is worth a visit. The museum and self-directed tour are terrific. They do an excellent job at telling the history of the Titanic, the shipyard and other ships built for the White Star Line. White Star was known for its ships such as the Titanic and Olympic. Harland & Wolff built both.
What else you learn is Harland and Wolf was, in the early 20th century, the world’s leading builder of Ocean Liners and they dominated the world’s shipbuilding industry. Wars can be a boon for shipbuilders and in World War II alone, H & S built 140 warships and 123 merchant ships. They are still in business today and build ships for Defense, Energy, Cruise, Ferry, Renewables and Commercial shipping.
Back to the view and the train. The shot was taken at f7.1, ¼ sec and ISO 1600. The .3 second exposure was handheld thanks to an image stabilization lens. The post-production strategy was to bring the train to the foreground.
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