OT USS IOWA

[Tibia]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Will,

Many thanks for posting those pictures.

The Lady is Looking Good.

Now if I can sneak away from work just as she arrives down here...


Bob

[W J Pearce]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Awesome pics RAD2LTR... thanks for posting!



"Two .50cal machine guns on U.S.S. Tulare (AKA-112) of the Mothball fleet at Suisun Bay. These guns shot 2,100 feet per second. "

"On April 8, 2010, crane assistance was required for the removal of the 9-ton twin .50cal guns from U.S.S. Tulare of the Mothball Fleet."


LOL! Well at 9 tons, that is a bit larger mount than twin .50s...

Yes, twin 3-inch guns would have been a more accurate description and less confusing than twin 3"/50 caliber guns. But .50 cal is just wrong (in my mind anyway).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3%22/50_caliber_gun

[RAD2LTR]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Will,

Many thanks for posting those pictures.

The Lady is Looking Good.

Now if I can sneak away from work just as she arrives down here...


Bob

Word is that she will be anchored out off the coast of Long Beach while they clean the bottom for a couple days.

I'm going to try to get back down there and shoot some long exposure night shots before she leaves.

When she leaves, it should be an impressive armada. I heard the Jeremiah O'Brian will be escorting as well as a few other ships. I'd love to be aboard one of them, but its not happening. I'll be taking my bicycle to the top of the Marin Headlands with all my camera equipment strapped to my back (I have a feeling that driving will be a pointless endeavor, especially when it comes to leaving. I can see the traffic jam already ) Yeah, I'll get a workout in, but I will also have the ultimate in flexibility as far as being mobile.

If I play my cards right, I'm going to high tail it out of there and head north hopefully to Beale AFB to try and catch the Solar Eclipse with SR71 #963 in the foreground. I haven't heard if they will grant me a visitors pass on short notice however. Heck, I don't even know if I can make it from Marin to Beale in 2 hrs or less (I kinda doubt it.) If it looks like there is no way, I'll head out as far as I can get in the Headlands and try to shoot the Iowa as she slips out of sight.

Will

[Tibia]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Wow... If everything goes well for you, should be some impressive opportunities. Looking forward to the results!

Bob

[RAD2LTR]

Re: OT USS IOWA

I went back down to Richmond last night and shot some stuff at night. On the back of the camera, it looks pretty good. I haven't looked at the stuff on the computer (I got home at 0130 and was at work at 0700) so I didn't get a chance to look at it full sized. Still, I think I got some really cool stuff. Someone was aboard as the lights on the bridge were out when I drove up, but 45 minutes later as I was moving to another location, the lights were on (Ghost in the machine perhaps?) Later on, they were off.

It was a fun shoot, I even had the security patrol after me (Why am I out taking pictures at 11pm?)

I'll post what I shot later this evening after I weed the trash out.

Will

[RAD2LTR]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Pics as promised:





Viewed in full size, there is a guy sitting on the bridge in the 8th window from the left.






Enjoy,
Will

[lowpasskid]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Nice shots Will, brave man to be in Richmond at 11 pm!
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/def...spx?level0=100 might be able to track it's progess south with this web site.
The low pass kid....

[C_roundy]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Outstanding Sir!. I have been perusing photos from fine photographers for the years that I've been here, but these night shots of yours are brilliant!

Out of all of those shooters, you are the first one to force me (with the sheer power of your images) to admit that I am a lifelong photographic composition student myself, so that I may say well done!

Sure, other images that have been posted may be technically better, but GOSH, these do the subject vessel proud!

[RAD2LTR]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Outstanding Sir!. I have been perusing photos from fine photographers for the years that I've been here, but these night shots of yours are brilliant!

Out of all of those shooters, you are the first one to force me (with the sheer power of your images) to admit that I am a lifelong photographic composition student myself, so that I may say well done!

Sure, other images that have been posted may be technically better, but GOSH, these do the subject vessel proud!

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, some of them could be more crisp, but when I'm using a cheap lens (70-300mm F4-5.6, its a Nikon, but has no cool lens coatings, nor does it have any sort of image stabilization, and it retails for about $130 or so) they aren't bad. The hardest part was getting the camera to focus on something since it was pretty dark. When viewed in full size, a couple of these are still very sharp (16.2 mp, so the image is HUGE.)

I shot some interesting non-related shots while I was out there as well that I could post, but I don't want to veer too far off topic with them.







I couldn't get a hard focus lock with some of these so I kinda winged it.









As for being in Richmond at 11 pm, I did have a 7 D cell Mag-lite, and a tripod. I only saw one person who was a rent a cop who yelled at me to get going when I was on the railroad spur and trespassing.

Will

[C_roundy]

Re: OT USS IOWA

You've got yer basic, mundane, pedestrian "Letter of the Law", and then ya' got yer much higher "Spirit of the Law" that gave birth to it.

The simple fact that you deem it worthy to seize the opportunity to make images like these bodes well for your ability to discern which is applicable, where and when, to continue capturing history into the future.

Just remember that there are even more petty and dangerous things out and around than the letter of the law at 11pm on a Richmond night...

Best Regards, C.R.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: OT USS IOWA

The chance to preserve history is always worth a small risk of being yelled at by a rent a cop. I did take a friend along, safety in #s. I tried to get access to do another shoot, but they told me they didn't have time for any people taking pictures. In hind sight, I should have thought about this months ago. Oh well.

Now the big question is where to shoot the armada as they sail under the Golden Gate, I could go from the headlands, but perhaps Fort Mason (or is it Fort Baker on the north side of the bridge?) might be a better spot since I'll be able to see it for longer, as well as get some of San Francisco in the background. I can't get from one place to the other fast enough so I'll have to pick one and stick with it. The big plus of shooting from the lower location is that I'll be able to jump on the freeway and head north for the eclipse without too much trouble.

Will

Will

[Tibia]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Will,

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!!

You captured her very well. Now the question is...

Where does one enlist for duty aboard her...

Looking forward to visiting her at berth 87 in Los Angeles harbor next to the transport SS Victory Lane. This will be the second battleship we've visited. The other was the New Jersey, while she was still in commission.

Thanks again Will.

Bob

[RAD2LTR]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Will,

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!!

You captured her very well. Now the question is...

Where does one enlist for duty aboard her...

Looking forward to visiting her at berth 87 in Los Angeles harbor next to the transport SS Victory Lane. This will be the second battleship we've visited. The other was the New Jersey, while she was still in commission.

Thanks again Will.

Bob

Bob,

If you happen to be looking to volunteer, here is the place: http://www.pacificbattleship.com/page/volunteer I would have loved to have volunteered, but I flat out didn't have anytime to spare.

This was my 3rd battleship that I have visited, and the 2nd Iowa class. When I was a kid I was able to go aboard the Missouri, and before that I visited the Massachusetts. I would however like to go below decks and really see what the insides of the ship are like.

Hopefully I'll get some good shots tomorrow. I have two choices for places to shoot from, and I can't decide which one to go for. One will give me a water level view, the other will be on the west side of the Golden Gate up in the headlands. To get there however I'll have to ride a bicycle with all my photo gear to avoid the traffic that will be at a stand still. Both spots will offer a good view, but they will be very different.


Will

[AirDOGGe]

Re: OT USS IOWA

Now the big question is where to shoot the armada as they sail under the Golden Gate, I could go from the headlands, but perhaps Fort Mason (or is it Fort Baker on the north side of the bridge?) might be a better spot since I'll be able to see it for longer, as well as get some of San Francisco in the background. I can't get from one place to the other fast enough so I'll have to pick one and stick with it. The big plus of shooting from the lower location is that I'll be able to jump on the freeway and head north for the eclipse without too much trouble.

Will

Will

If lighting angle at the time of shooting allows (and that cursed fog doesn't show up!), then I'd go for a shot with S.F. and/or the bridge in the background.

There's a large and nicely developed lookout point on the north peninsula that has the perfect angle for your shot. I imagine many bridge photo has been taken from there. I suggest visiting the site at some point before the shooting day to make sure it's open and suitable for your needs. I don't know how crowded it will be there with spectators and photographers when the ship starts moving, so an early arrival is suggested.


Here's a couple of aerial photos specifically showing the viewing location of that lookout point on CONZELMAN ROAD:

[RAD2LTR]

Re: OT USS IOWA

If lighting angle at the time of shooting allows (and that cursed fog doesn't show up!), then I'd go for a shot with S.F. and/or the bridge in the background.

There's a large and nicely developed lookout point on the north peninsula that has the perfect angle for your shot. I imagine many bridge photo has been taken from there. I suggest visiting the site at some point before the shooting day to make sure it's open and suitable for your needs. I don't know how crowded it will be there with spectators and photographers when the ship starts moving, so an early arrival is suggested.


Here's a couple of aerial photos specifically showing the viewing location of that lookout point on CONZELMAN ROAD:

I just got an email that the tow is off for today. Its now a day to day basis due to a weather front moving through. The good news is that the Eclipse from Beale might be a go (I have to get through the gate )

As for shooting locations by the Golden Gate, here are a few shots that I took from some of those areas in the past.
This shot is taken from the pull out on the back road up. It could be a good shot.


This was a little further west along the road.


This was from the battery with the big parking lot.



We'll see if I even get to shoot the pics at this point. My boss is fine with me bailing from work on short notice so as long as I know with a couple hours lead time I can get down there.

Will