Waterfronts are often hubs of human activity with lively businesses ranging from fishing boats and shipyards to pleasure boats and restaurants. Instead of the peace and tranquility one expects at the beach, there is a feeling of perpetual motion. Even a seemingly still scene vibrates with excitement. There is a cacophony of color; reflections bounce and jostle one another; birds take off and land nervously; and people are on the move.
Here is a setting that tests a photographer’s eye for composition. Defining the scope of each photograph to a relatively simple statement is the surest way to bring order to the waterfront chaos. Aim for some overviews — either from shore or from a boat — just to capture the scope of the scene. But don’t rely too heavily on them because they may turn out to be too much of a good thing.
Here is what you need to know about photographing the waterfront:
1. Hone in on vignettes and details
I wanted to capture the colorful waterfront on Mackinac Island on Lake Huron in Michigan as we came into port on a small cruise ship. For this overview, I used a moderate 100 mm telephoto lens to slightly compress the line of boats and also used the row of pilings and masts to bring the viewer’s eye into the scene. (Photo by Allen Rokach)
For vignettes, look for repeating lines, shapes or patterns that lead the eye into your image. These might be the boats themselves, posts along the dock or fishing paraphernalia along the shore. Hone in on interesting combinations of color and shape to create abstractions that appeal to your eye. Even the movements of the water can offer opportunities for fun images.
2. Look out for the details
Sunrise is the best time to see pilgrims dipping in the holy waters of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. To make sure I didn’t miss any of this amazing sight, I arrived before dawn and hired a boatman to row me along the waterfront. But first I wanted to establish the scene and the atmosphere: a few boats in the water, the flight of steps or ghat coming down to the river, the series of Hindu temples at the top of the stairs and the people starting to assemble below. I used a 24mm wide angle lens to keep everything sharp, and overexposed to brighten the scene and bring out colors. (Photo by Allen Rokach)
Train your eye to limit the scope of your image by looking for small patches of color, pattern or shape that create a strong composition. There may be piles of buoys, ropes or other seafaring gear thrown on the dock and waiting to be discovered for their visual potential. This may be a different kind of perspective on the scene but it’s worth cultivating to keep your images fresh and inventive.
3. Incorporate reflections
It was a cloudy day when we arrived at a fishing village on the coast of Ghana. At a distance, I could see that the fishermen were neatly positioned, one behind the other, pulling in their hugs fishing nets. To capture the scene in a simple way, I decided to go for the pattern of the fishermen, with that pattern nicely reflected in the shallow waters on the beach. I used the uniform light and misty setting to enhance the atmosphere. (Photo by Allen Rokach)
Other possibilities involve using reflections in your waterfront images. Reflections can help fill a wide expanse of water in the foreground of your image. Or they can provide a sense of repetition that the scene otherwise lacks. You can control the extent of reflection, even on a dull day, by using a polarizing filter on your lens. Just rotate the filter until you see the degree of reflection you want.
4. Don’t forget the sky
As soon as I noticed this lobstermen’s shack in the bay across from the town of Lunenburg, I knew I wanted to capture it and its reflection in some special way. I kept coming back to it throughout the day but I finally got what I wanted after the sun was below the horizon. Most of the sky was already dark, but the residual light on the left created a beautiful soft wash on the building and assorted equipment. I broke all the rules by composing my shot symmetrically, with the horizon line just about in the middle. I overexposed to get blue in the sky and in the water — and to brighten those important reflections. (Photo by Allen Rokach)
Undoubtedly, you’ll have to make decisions on how to work with the sky. If you’re faced with a bright, cloudless day, either limit the amount of sky or, if you can’t, work with your polarizing filter, which can help you control the color of the sky by deepening the blue can also affect the color of the water. Just be careful when you are trying to shoot reflections against a blue sky so you don’t inadvertently eliminate the reflections.
5. Work in the clouds
Once the fishing nets were pulled in, Ghanaians hustled to make their purchases. This young girl filled her plastic tub with fish to overflowing and balanced it on her head all the way back to her village, where the fish would be smoked. I wanted to portray the girl but also show the setting, so I approached fairly close to her, then framed the shot with a 35mm lens so she would fill the left side of the frame leaving room on the right for the setting. The turquoise of the tub provides a nice touch of color. I exposed for the sand, which was fairly neutral, then brightened the girl’s face in PhotoShop. (Photo by Allen Rokach)
On days with some clouds, you can find ways to incorporate the clouds into your composition and still use the polarizing filter to give you the color and reflections you want. But if you have an overcast day, either try to capture the atmosphere of the scene or focus on details, which can actually look better, with more saturated colors on such days.
6. Focus on the human subjects
The waterfront cafes on the island of Mykonos in Greece are filled with tourists and colorful local characters. As I walked along, I saw the bright red boat with white trim, then noticed a local sailor in a nearby cafe wearing a bright blue vest. I immediately thought the red, white and blue would make a great shot. I told the sailor I’d like to take his picture and brought him to the red boat. Now all I had to do was deal with the super bright light. I posed him to minimize shadows on his face, exposed for the sky to saturate the colors, and snapped the picture with a 35mm lens. (Photo by Allen Rokach)
Overcast days are also ideal for photographing people on the waterfront. Without the distractions of glare and shadows, you can capture some of the crusty characters you’re likely to meet there or easily put your family and friends into the picture without having them squint and squirm. Fishermen will probably be glad to show off their latest catch, or the boat they’ve owned for decades. Also, look for people engaged in their work: repairing nets, drying fish, painting boats or painting the scene.
7. Do some post-production work
The fan-like pattern of these silvery fish was what caught my eye when I saw this fishmonger in the port of Istanbul. My objective was to show the fish, but I also wanted to include the vendor. I opted to crop the top of the vendor’s head so I wouldn’t have too much sky in my image. I underexposed my reading on the fish, which kept their sheen and brought out the clouds in the sky. Then I brightened the vendor’s face in PhotoShop since it was completely in shadow. The small touches of red behind the fish and in the vendor’s cap give a bit of sparkle to an otherwise colorless scene. (Photo by Allen Rokach)
Finally, go over your images in your computer to see if after-capture adjustments can make them more alluring. For those working with PhotoShop my advice is to experiment with the white balance slider using the HSL/Greyscale slider to remove colors or diminish the color(s) of your of choice. To create a black and white photo, just click on the box “Convert to Greyscale.”Or if you want to add a color cast to the entire scene, use the hue slider in the HSL/Greyscale for the color you want to add. Have fun playing with your images and you’ll bring another dimension to your pictures on the waterfront.
Allen Rokach spent many years as a magazine and commercial photographer and now runs photo workshops around the world, including to Cuba, the American West, and India. Go to www.allenrokach.com for details. Anne Millman has written countless articles on travel, culture, science and photography, including 8 books on photography with Allen Rokach.
