The 27 Fleet

Photo hints:

(Ideas shamelessly swiped from Wooden Boat.)

1. Use a digital at its highest resolution and quality settings. Send the file as it came from the camera; please do not retouch it or colour-correct it. If the photo was originally film, scans from a photo finisher beat home scans hands down. Turn the visible date-stamp function off; digital cameras preserve date stamping as an invisible part of the file called Exif that can be read by any good photo-editing or cataloguing application.

2. If you have control over the shooting session, tidy up the boat. Trim the sails correctly or furl them neatly.

3. Take your pictures early or late in the day when the sun is low and models shapes in an attractive fashion. A high sun or overcast flattens the shapes of boats and makes them much less interesting.

4. Get the horizon level (I can fix this, but I have more flexibility if you get this at least reasonably close).

5. Be careful of the background – you don't want a tree to appear to be sprouting on the foredeck, or a chimney from the binnacle. If possible, set up the shot so background objects are far enough away to create some visual separation.

6. Send several shots. Try shooting your boat in portrait mode (long side vertical).

I said it on the first page and I'll say it again here – this is a work in progress. Give me something now because I'm happy to update as you get better pictures or new information. This site will give you more information on digital photography.