e-photographyspots

Photography spots

This page is tended to aid other photographers in locating spots to picture ships on the way. This information has appeared in "De blauwe wimpel". For moored ships you can take a harbour trip in most ports. Most of the foreign ports were visited on holiday, so the information may have changed. Generally speaking you would need a car to go to these spots. I have given most of the names in the relevant language for eaiser reference.

Preparation is an important part of the trip: it prevents you waiting for hours with not a ship passing by and leaving just before the ship of your heart is coming around the corner. A scanner is very helpful to prevent this. A lot of information can be found in brochures or on websites. Relevant touristical or maritime information or maritime bookshops is also provided.

Departure and arrival dates of containerships can be found on: Shipguide. Most ferry companies have a website. Information on cruiseships can be found in "De blauwe wimpel"or in "Ships Monthly" or in brochures or on websites of cruise companies. The websites of various ports also provides this information; these are mentioned at the different ports if I know of them. Dates of visiting warships can be found on Seawaves.

Actually I have become a fine weather photographer since I have started publishing postcards, as you can take far better pictures in good weather. Grey days make for grey pictures. It may be cold or blustery, as long as it is not a grey day. Even so, sometimes you need to take a picture of a unique ship visit or during a holiday. Generally speaking, I have taken account of this so as to give you information on the best spots, with the sun in your back. Of course, great pictures into the sun can be taken, but they lack the detail of other pictures.

Photography in good, nice or even hot weather also means that you have to protect your gear from the sun by putting a piece of cloth over it. Beware that you also need to protect yourself, with suntan and lots of drinking water. It may be nice to have a bit of food, but the sun and the wind can really dehydrate.

Please e-mail me if you need further information. Please supply your e-mail address, which I need to know to answer you.

Amsterdam	Amsterdam is the best port for me to take pictures of cruiseships in NorthWest-Europe. Generally they arrive early in the morning and depart from around 16.00. Expected arrival and departure dates and times of cruiseships, some already for 2006, can be found on: Port of Amsterdam. In the early morning the best places are on the north side of the North Sea Canal. Ships can be pictured at the locks, along the Canal near the crossing ferries and in Amsterdam-Noord or on the SMN-island. On departure in the afternoon, you had better stay on the south side of the Canal. In Amsterdam near the Central Station, near the Coentunnel, again near the crossing ferries and again at the locks. Don't forget to visit the maritime museum in Amsterdam.
Rotterdam	In the city various spots can be found, but moving ships are an exception here. Rotterdam has a good harbour trip and a fine maritime museum. The museum has a port information exhibition and permanent expositions on the Holland America Line and the Nedlloyd. Within the museum is Bas van der Zwan's shop with a lot of new or secondhand books, postcards and shipmodels. Go here for the latest news on Rotterdam shipping. Between Pernis and the North Sea more and more ships on the move can be pictured. At Rozenburg near the radarmast and at Maasluis near Dirkzwager the ships pass by very close. The Hook itself is also a nice place to be, but most of the day you will be looking into the sun. The Noordzeeweg from Rozenburg, between the Nieuwe Waterweg and the Calandkanaal, is a favorite with many photographers. Personally I like to be at the Maasvlakte, where all the ships can be pictured, including ULCC, big bulkcarriers and containerships. On the website of Dirkzwager information on arriving ships for the next 24 hours, ships in port and departed ships can be found. In summer I start early (06.00 am) in Maasluis near Dirkzwager, then around 10.00 am I move to the Maasvlakte and around 15.00 I go to Rozenburg.
Vlissingen	Vlissingen is easily my favorite because the ships pass so close to the Boulevard. A drawback here is that most of the day you are facing into the sun. Near the statue of Michiel de Ruyter it may become crowded, but along the boulevard it is more comfortable and at least as good. The website of SSS gives information for all ports along the Westerschelde, but it is updated only once a day. Vlissingen now has a new maritime museum, but I haven't visited it yet.
Antwerpen	In Antwerpen all ship types can be seen, even older break-bulk cargoships; however, these are becoming scarce here as well. Antwerp is a good place to picture MSC-ships. My friend Jaap Janse and mr. A.M. de Schipper have written a book on MSC, which unfortunately is sold out. They are working on a new, updated book now. There are several good spots along the Westerschelde in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen between Terneuzen en Antwerpen. If you go with the sun, the best order is: Zeedorp, Terneuzen, Walsoorden. At these places you generally will meet other shiplovers and ship photography even becomes a social event. In the early morning Bath is also convenient. Last but not least, in Antwerp a number of good places can be found: near the locks and at various other spots. There is also a good harbour trip through the locked-in port and a maritime museum near Het Steen. The harbour tugs here are so unique that they even have their own website: Havenslepers.
Zeebrugge	Not yet available. Website: Zeebrugge
Duinkerken	Not yet available.
Calais	If you want to take breathtaking pictures of ferries, Calais is the place to be. Go on a sunny afternoon to the West Pier and within four/five hours you have pictured a dozen ferries. You have to compete for space with a lot of anglers, but being French, they are very considerate.
Le Havre	Le Havre is still an accessible port. There are a number of places where you can take pictures. The greatest problem in Le Havre is that approximately from noon on you're facing the sun. It might be an idea to move to the Seine then in the hope of catching ships to and from Rouen.
Marseille	Nowadays Marseille has only two places to take pictures: the Parc du Pharo and the pier where you end up if you walk up the north end of the Vieux Port. Last year I ended up at the Grand Mole, which is perfect for taking ship pictures, but I was removed from there because one had to pay a fee of some 300 Euro's for a day of photography there. Strange enough, fishing was allowed from here.
Toulon	Depending on the time of day and the type of ship you want to picture, Toulon has a number of places. Early in the morning on the east side of the harbour, just south of the Stade Mayol and the Gare Maritime is a good place to picture arriving cruiseships or ferries. From noon the pier at St. Mandrier is a good spot. This place is really out of bounds and is fenced off, but a lot of boys or men dive off this pier or are fishing there and I don't feel too much of a spy if I go just inside the fence and take pictures. Otherwise you can go to the Maritime Museum at Fort Balaguier, a great spot for picturing departing ships.
Nice	Nice has a pier, from where you can picture cruiseships or ferries in the port. If you walk up on the seaside of this pier, you might still get to the end of the pier where you will be close to arriving and departing ships. Early in the morning you might want to try the other side of the port.
Hamburg	Long, long ago when I was a ship's officer, I regularly have visited Hamburg. Now I visit it regularly for taking pictures. Some ships go to Hamburg and not to the Netherlands. A very informative website is: Hafen Hamburg. Every sailor knows the Landungsbrücke, a good spot for taking your bearings. The harbour trip of Kapitän Prüsse departs from here and Timms, a shop with a maritime knack is located here. Near the Landungsbrücke are the museumships Rickmer Rickmers and Cap San Diego. Between this spot and the Willkomsthöft, where every ship was supposed to greet the flag, is the pontoon of the harbour tugs. These harbour tugs have grown quite impressive. Hamburg is a beautiful city, with lots of green and quite a few maritime shops, such as Galerie Maritim with its website: Galerie Maritim. Go here for maritime books, postcards and models of ships.
Kiel	Kiel is important for its naval port and as the terminus of the Kiel Canal, which the Germans call the Nord-Ostseekanal. A good website is: Kiel Kanal. Kiel is also the terminus of a number of ferries to Denmark, Norway and other Baltic States. During the Kieler Woche (website: Kieler Woche) lots of activities and festivities take place here and a number of foreign warships and sailing vessels pay a visit. In the morning I prefer to be at the U-Boot Ehrenmal in Heikendorf, but later in the day it is better along the Kiel Canal. You can also visit the maritime museum.
Travemünde	Travemünde is also a ferryport, but not so many other ships can be viewed here. It pays to visit the websitse of Finnlines and TT Line for the arrival and departure times of the ferries.
Rostock/Warnemünde	Warnemünde is a good place to picture ferries of Scandlines, Finnlines and TT-lines. Occasionally you can picture cruiseships here, which passengers visit Berlin. In the morning, the east pier is the best place to be and in the afternoon you can easily cross to the west pier. There are a couple of interesting Bugsier- and Fairplay-tugs as well.
Bremerhaven	Bremerhaven is a difficult spot for taking pictures along the Weser. A couple of years ago a spot could be found at the northern end of the Containerterminal, but since then this terminal has been extended. Even then you could do with a pair of boots here. I am not sure about the situation now, but I intend to check it out in 2003. Bremerhaven owns an impressive maritime museum with a couple of museumships and a good harbour trip can be found near to the museum. A number of years ago Bremen was an important port, but nowadays it is only interesting for the ancient port architecture and harbour cranes. Touristical and maritime information can be found at: Bremerhaven en Bremen.
Cuxhaven	It is convenient to visit Bremerhaven in the morning and then go to Cuxhaven during the afternoon. That way you keep the sun on your back. Ships for Hamburg and the Kiel Canal pass here.
Dover	If you cross from the continent to Great Britain on a ferry, chances are you will arrive in Dover. Near the port entrance you can picture other ferries. In Dover you can go to the Prince of Wales-pier or up on the Cliffs near the parking of the National Trust. From the Cliffs you will be impressed at the speed and efficiency of the ferry services. It almost looks like the captains moor the ferries faster than I can park my car. Information on ferry services and calls of cruiseships can be found at: Dover
Portsmouth	Portsmouth is an important naval and ferry port, with a good amount of maritime activity. In the morning the best spot is near the Round Tower and during the afternoon a place can be found on the other side near the pontoon of the Portsmouth-Gosport ferry. A good way to cross might be the interesting harbour trip, which lets you off at various landings. Portsmouth has a number of maritime museums and lots of maritime atmosphere. Gosport has the Submarine Museum. Especially on the days preceding the Naval Days a good number of warships on the move can be photographed.
Southampton	Near the Mayflower-park in Southampton is a great maritime museum with a beautiful display of the port during the 1930's. There is also a huge model of the "Queen Mary". You can take pictures at the end of Townpier but only occasionnally ships pass here. In the afternoon a far better place would be near Calshot Castle.
Studland Bay	Studland Bay of course is not a port, but it is a good spot to picture ferries to and from Poole. You need to drive up to the ferryparking. It pays to know the departure and arrival times of the ferries.
Weymouth	Weymouth is a ferryport and a harbour trip to Portland departs from here. A few years ago Portland was an important naval base, but the last times I have visited Weymouth, not much activity was going on here. There is a good maritime bookshop in Weymouth and (to me) a typically English beachfront.
Plymouth	Plymouth is most of all an important naval port and secondly a ferry port. Britanny Ferries has its own terminal here. Early on a Monday morning is the time to see a number of active warships, some foreign, sail out to sea. My spot to take pictures is at the west end of the Hoe, where a footpath along the waterfront is situated. There is a very nice harbour trip, which leaves from the fishery port. The men on these boats are very knowledgeable and kind and they even know the names of the submarines, which have no visible NATO-number.
Falmouth	In Falmouth you can take good pictures of the ships in drydock from the road to Pendennis Castle. You can take a trip on the Fal, when you may pass a number of interesting laid-up ships, that await better times. Falmouth is very picturesque, there is an interesting maritime museum and it has a good maritime bookshop.
Barcelona	Information on shipping and arrival and departure times of cruiseships can be found on Barcelona Port. Barcelona has a lot of interesting places and a good maritime museum. A real drawback is the great number of thieves, though. A lot of tourists fall victim to them, me being one. Nowadays the only place where you can take pictures at the end of the pier where the World Trade Centre is located. Only a few cruiseships dock here and a good number of ferries. You can still make a harbour trip and picture the cruiseships alongside.