All About In Extremis
The Project
In 2012, while driving out of an Ikea parking lot in Philadelphia, I spotted a massive ocean liner, rust on her hull and paint peeling from her funnels. It was the SS United States, the ship of state for the U.S. merchant marine fleet and holder of the prestigious Blue Riband. Intrigued, I shot a picture through the windshield on my iPhone. That was the seed for this project. Ships in America are underappreciated, even though up until the 1960s almost every immigrant arrived here by ship, almost every war required ships to fight or deliver personnel and materiel, and much of what we consume or produce today comes or goes by ship. I am interested in ship history, but it is the condition of these ships that fascinates me. I see beauty in their lines and their industrial strength intrigues me. These photos are not intended to advocate for or against the preservation of any one ship. Some of the photos make the ships look perfect while others make them look derelict. It is not a judgment. It is simply an observation. My goal is to create images of ships that people want to look at. Even when a ship is sitting still, there’s beauty and power. The photos in the collection are intended to travel the country, so people can see them in person. Like the ships, the prints are large. They are for sale in limited editions of 10. For more information, go to the Gallery page.
The Process
It's not as easy as you might think to make good photos of giant ships. Access is not always easy, you can't move the ships, you can't move background objects, and as a journalist, I don't use Photoshop to remove anything from my photos other than dust. What I see is what you get. Without water, you wouldn't have ships, so I try to photograph from a boat whenever I can. Most of the photos in the collection were shot from a small craft, either an inflatable dinghy, a rowboat, a rented skiff or while driving my own Zodiac RIB. Some of the photos were shot from shore, either because getting on the water was impossible, or because it simply made for a better photo. Getting these shots has led to some interesting situations. If you'd like to hear about the stories behind the photos, I'm available for presentations and speaking engagements. You can reach me through the Contact page.
The Prints
The photos are printed on large aluminum sheets using a dye sublimation process, which melds the image into the substrate. The photos range in size from 32X48 inches to 48X72 inches and are sold in limited editions of 10. Each print is numbered and signed on the back by the artist and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Prices are available upon request.
The Photographer
I was born in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, in 1961. I immigrated to America in 1976 and in 1984 graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's degree in journalism and photography. I spent 10 years as a photojournalist covering everything from the common man on the street to presidents and war zones. As a newspaper editor at The Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey, I built an award-winning photo department and won two Pulitzer Prizes. After 25 years as a newspaperman, I became a nautical journalist and now work as the executive editor at Soundings magazine. I am married with two adult children and live in Midcoast Maine. I continue to hunt for historic ships so I can photograph them before they disappear. If you know of a ship that you think ought to be in this collection you can reach me through the Contact page.