going in all directions, a photo from Hong Kong, South

Photographer's Note

One of the most indispensable boats that you will find in Hong Kong's busy harbour are the rugged little tugboats.

These modern tug boats employ the most advanced technology available to control the different engines on board, enhancing their maneuverability and allowing them to pull in any direction: forward, backwards or sideways.

Even with the aid of computers, the tugboat captains must keep a vigilant eye on the elements. One wrong signal and a tug can easily be pulled over, capsized if the tow line is not cut fast enough or run around.

These fascinating workhorses, pack up to 10,000 horsepower into a compact, efficient hull, and they're capable of moving ships and barges thousands of times their weight.

To see this point demonstrated, take a look at Paul Leduc's excellent photo of a tugboat pulling the QE2.

Tech: Cropped, resized for TE and sharpened.

CVTJan, jrj, Kenny10pin, summer89, mortijo, manny, sunny, robbertjan, carper, nwoehnl, jhm, pamastro, kajenn, PLD_images, Georges, allotfy, Jeppe, kourosh, eleparc, roconnell, castellano has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

CVTJan (1244) 2004-03-19 3:42

Hi Andrew, excellent picture. I especially like the background with no sky and only skyscrapers. Composition ist great. Same day as your tallboat in the fog shot ?
Yours, Jan

gringofil (0) 2004-03-19 3:43

Nice shot! I really like how the boats are placed throughout the image...they don't overlap each other. The HK skyline in the distance (behind a thick coat of haze) is a nice addition. Well done!

clodreno (0) 2004-03-19 3:47

I really like your boats pictures. i enjoy looking at those landscapes. This one is very nice, the tugboats beeing the main attraction. But it's a nice image because of the buildings in the background.

jrj (34843) 2004-03-19 5:19

I like very mucg the presentations of the harbour life in this huge city. Always with the large houses in the back. Interesting and well done Andrew..

Kenny10pin (19301) 2004-03-19 5:32

Is this the same boat as in the photo i posted 2 days ago?

Well nice shot anyway, lovely detail and yep, still the smoggy background.

Well done

summer89 (5422) 2004-03-19 5:43

Excelent Andrew,

I like the detail of the first boat, the compositiont it's great, the fog give a special effect to the photo.

Well done

mortijo (12828) 2004-03-19 5:46

Aaah!!! Boats and water!!!! How I love them. Your picture is very nice, the background in a haze, the troubled water, and the tugs, the workhorses of every big harbour. Nice, thanks for sharing.

manny (22032) 2004-03-19 5:46

Another very good one. The MIST makes this shot. It does emphasize the red in the tugboat. Great shot, once again.

sunny (3069) 2004-03-19 5:52

I love the vivid and bright coloured boat in foreground and how the backgrownd is deeply sunken in mist. It gives a very specific look to your composition. Your notes are very inofrmative too. Very well seen and captured Andrew!

papagolf21 (152605) 2004-03-19 6:06

Excellente note permettant de mieux apprйcier la photographie. On a du mal а croire que ces petits remorqueurs puissent tracter ou dйplacer des йnormes bвtiments. Comme toujours la composition est rйussie.
Trиs bien fait Andrew.
Une petite question Andrew : La brume que nous voyons est-elle due а la pollution ou simplement un brouillard matinal ?
Bien cordialement.
Excellent note allowing to better appreciate photography. There is evil to believe that these small tug boats can tractor draw or move enormous buildings. As always the composition is succeeded. Very well done Andrew. A small Andrew question: Is the fog that we see due to pollution or simply a morning fog? Well cordially.

robbertjan (2906) 2004-03-19 6:18

Hi Andrew. You no what i gonna say. I like boats..even tugboats. I like your boat pictures so much also because of the background. There is no sky but only skyscrapers. That a good contrast. You composed this one very well!

carper (96) 2004-03-19 6:51

Realy good photo Andrew,
I like those photo's with those boats, my father was a captain of such a boat.Good composition, and I like also the behind. good note too. Well done

nwoehnl (122) 2004-03-19 7:31

In terms of how the boats are positioned in your frame, you really found the best moment to take this shot, Andrew. I like how the visibility and level of detail on the tugboat in front is very high, and then gradually gets hazier, overlooking the other boats, and finally arriving at the HK highrises behind. A fine addition to your series.

jhm (211734) 2004-03-19 8:12

Excellent great picture Andrew, another very good one, you're specialist in those. nice sharpness too. You did good job.

avigur_11 (22535) 2004-03-19 11:33

Excellent picture andnote, Andrea. It seems that this fog never ends in HK. Still a very nice view of the buildings and the tug boats look so impressive and powerful. A busy harbour is a place where I can stand for hours and just watch the activity arounde.

pamastro (7296) 2004-03-19 12:53

Very nice shot. The fog really looks great but yet your colors really stick out. The black is so black and the red so red. The background really suits the fog, too. A wall of buildings rather than sky. It's very impressive. And I read your reply to Jan about the fog. It has been like that for me. I keep wanting to go out but then it's either very cold or very ugly outside on the days I can go. Good luck tomorrow! But this fog certainly has given you very nice shooting situations, too. Nicely done.

scalerman (26900) 2004-03-19 12:55

This photo really captures a mood: crowded ubran waterways, noisy, foggy. Great one!

PLD_images (7149) 2004-03-19 14:51

Thanks Andrew for the praises and the link up to my photo. Very nice of you.

Like I have said to you before, I love these shots of yours that show action on the water and that include a background of the amazing city. I would like to know if you are in the water when you take these photos ? If not where are you ?
Again this photograph has your trademark superb sharpness. The haze of the DOF helps to make the tug come out even more.

You have inspired me to do a theme on Tugboats.

Georges (11185) 2004-03-19 15:04

M%erci de cette note et surtout de la bonne quelitй du premier plan. Je me posais la meme question que Philippe au sujet de cette brume.
BRavo Andrew de cette visite de Hong Kong

kajenn (2462) 2004-03-19 16:41

Once more a very strong capture from Hong Kong's harbour. Taken at the very right moment - in 30 seconds the composition no longer exists!

I like tug boats, they do their job and get very little credit for it. They are pure force and they don't brag about it! And, as you write in your note, one false move and ...!

And I love your photos from Hong Kong's harbour, Andrew, the mist creates basis and backdrop to fantastic pictures. I don't know about the DOF in this photo, but there's an illusion of boats and buildings fading away, leaving only the tug boat remarkably sharp and clear in colors. Even the mast head with white against white stand out! Really I don't understand how you do it - but you do it well!

allotfy (1525) 2004-03-19 17:20

very nice shot with really very useful note , the shot is very sharp, and succeful composition, well done

Jeppe (18654) 2004-03-20 12:21

Very fine capture of this little "workhorse". Whitout them ships like QE2 would have serious problems.
I like to DOF in your shot and the hazy background.

kourosh (2346) 2004-03-22 8:38

intersting notes Andrew. i shot a very similar picture a couple of days ago but i had no idea about the function of the boat. thanks for the educating me!

eleparc (24063) 2004-03-23 15:45

I am discovering your boat pictures from HK. they are really great pictures. both informative about what is going on and photographically successful and mastered! bravo;-) nice shots. DOF and compo are really a plus in them

joseelias (0) 2004-03-24 9:13

Nice powerful image. I especially like the clearness of the boat against the haze at the back. It really makes it stand out. The low saturation of the colors also work well here.

roconnell (327) 2004-04-25 16:28

Fantastic harbour scene. The tugboat is ever present in HK harbour. The DOF is great and there is just the right detail in the background to immediately place this in HK. Both the subject and context are skillfully composed. Well done.

castellano (791) 2005-02-02 8:19

Perfectly captured!
The fog over the city gives the impression that the ship comes out from the unknown.
Nice job!

norman_isaure (4) 2007-06-29 12:43

Hello Andrew
Jolie photo ou tu as su saisir l'atmosphиre de la ville.La couleur du bateau au premier plan et la nettetй de celui ci fait ressortir la brume а l'arriиre plan. Encore bravo.
Cordialement.
Georgy