M/V Northwind and Image Processing

Things have been pretty slow in the yard here in Port Townsend this fall. I was out yesterday during a lull in our string of low fronts, and found this raving beauty on the chocks. The M/V Northwind is a 79 year old 130 foot motor yacht!

Still getting used to all the manual controls on my new digital camera. I am relearning the creative challenge of taking full control of the exposure, right down to processing the RAW format "digital negative."

The difference between a RAW image (RAW means nothing but "raw" ) and a normal camera image is that instead of depending on the camera's internal computer to process a .jpg image, RAW yields the equivalent of a film negative.

The RAW image is down loaded into my imaging program - PhotoShop Elements Seven, which gives me slider control over:

• white balance
• color temperature
• tint
• exposure
• recovery
• fill light
• blacks
• brightness
• contrast
• clarity
• vibrance
• saturation
• noise

to create my final image. All the fun I used to have in the dark room a century ago! My first "major shoot" was the photography for the two part Alaska Railbelt Marine article. Shooting in the RAW does have the drawback of being more time consuming to realize a final print. However, one thing I have plenty of, is time!

Because I have such control over the final .jpg photo, I wanted a more accurate monitor. I replaced my TFT analog monitor with a cPVA digital monitor. cPVA technology yields more accurate image performance and professional-caliber color, with 100% support of the sRGB color mode.

If you do not have "a handle" on LCD technology, or just want to refresh your memory, 3M offers a great LCD Optics 101 animated refresher class. [Be sure your sound is turned up, and click "next" to proceed from module to module.]

The M/V Northwind apparently has no owner, being listed by a broker. After the war ended, it is said that Winston Churchill used her as a refuge to relax and paint. She was built in 1930. Here is her interesting story.