Everybody has their own taste when it comes to photos. Some people like full-boat shots that show the sails; others like close-ups with facial expressions. Some like a serene sailing scene, others like epic action. Some like to see boats in the background (especially boats behind theirs), others prefer a solo shot. We’ve learned to take enough shots to cover all the angles, and to keep everything, but we still get a kick out of unusual requests.
For commercial and editorial photos, we never know what will be useful- we’ve sold capsize shots to positive flotation manufacturers, countless sail shots to sailmakers, and photos of lobster pot buoys showing current. We had another somewhat unusual request from WindCheck recently, but given our past experiences, we weren’t surprised.
We inadvertently take “dirty bottom” shots all the time, especially in late summer when the water’s warm and the boats have been in it for a few months. Usually these dirty bottom shots lead to a conversation about whether we’ll offer photoshopping services, and they may occasionally lead to a fired bottom-cleaner. But we got a kick out of sending this shot to WindCheck for their latest article on selecting a bottom paint.
