Things that Aren't

Vancouver is a port city--that means there're lots of boats; big boats. Ships, even. Ship require tug boats to steer a course at slow speeds. They head out into the Narrows and push a ship around to keep it in line. 


I met Roger at the park and he told me some great places to go shoot, all the while shooting what was in front of us right then. I had my eye on a pair of double crested cormorants, but they just weren't poppin' for me--the sun was high, and they were just a little too far away for my lens' reach. But, right below them, the crews were getting ready to tug some ships. 


I was intrigued by this boat in particular. Evidently, all the harbor craft are painted blue--there were lots of official looking boats in this same blue streak. Makes sense--it's bright and distinguishable. They also all make use of the tires hanging from the gunwale; and I thought that was just in cartoons. What really caught my eye here, though, wasn't the blue the paint or the black tires: it was the grey door. It appeared to me that the blue was maintained rather well for a rough environment like the salty sea. So, a neglected, colorless door really stood out to me. Sometimes it's the thing that isn't that makes the most impact.

Nikon D90, 70-300mm lens @ 300mm, f/11, 1/60s, ISO 200.