Messing About in Boats

I mentioned in a recent post how I would have loved to go to sea and how I would imagine being shipwrecked or living on a remote island, ideas that were inspired by many of the books I read when I was very young.

I think sailing vessels have a unique romantic quality and the thought of being transported, powered by the wind is very tempting for me. Aside from the fact that I do not know how to sail a boat, have never sailed a boat I am absolutely sure I would love the experience.

I have driven/sailed/piloted/skippered (I don't know the correct nautical term) a small cabin cruiser and a friends motor boat and I thoroughly enjoyed that and if I had the money a cabin cruiser would be quite high on my wish list and I would spend time sailing, exploring hidden coves and beaches, maybe fishing for my tea (ha ha) and just getting away from the hustle and bustle of daily  life. I might find myself alone though as my better half does not have sea legs and would prefer to stay on land. Oh well, a little alone time would be fun...
 

All Aboard!

To get this shot I had walked along a narrow pathway alongside a workshop. Getting up close to this big locomotive, the noise and the smell was amazing. I am not at all mechanically minded but there is and always has been a fascination for me about stuff like this. 

I love wildlife and nature photography and to be a wildlife photographer would have been my dream job but big industrial settings and machines also make great images . I remember one of my first outings with my first SLR camera over 35 years ago was with my best friend in Boston and we took pictures of the railway tracks and bridges around the town and the fishing boats along the river, I'm sure I will have a stack of negatives from that day in a box somewhere.

Anyway, back to today's post I really do like this image and I think it works equally well in either colour or black and white. Sometimes if I do a picture in colour or black and white like this I will have a clear favourite but with this one I'm not sure, I really like them both. The black and white might just come out on top but its a close run thing. 

One of the things I like about this image is the fact that it feels alive. It isn't just an inanimate lump of machinery, the people in the shot, preparing the engine for its days work give the shot a vibrancy that would be missing if it was just the locomotive on its own and there is movement from the driver as he is preparing to climb the ladder into the cab.