Heritage Fleet Shipyard Revisited

On Feb 5th, the F8 Group went to the Sydney Heritage Shipyard for a shooting exercise - good choice of day - it turned out to the the hottest February day on record (42C). Our planned three to four-hour shooting session was curtailed by the heat. Spare a thought for the volunteers that work in the yard...

Study in texture. 'A wee bit 'o rust' by Glyn Patrick

Great DOF. Coal and Steamer, pic by Glyn Patrick

Cotton mooring ropes, pic by Glyn Patrick

The Lady Hopetoun, pic by Glyn Patrick

'Fire buckets', an eye-catching composition from Lucie Loane

Restoring a bit of history, pic by Lucie Loane

Detail. Old and new plates, John Oxley restoration, pic by Glyn Patrick

Lifeboat on the John Oxley by Fay Burdon

Excellent HDR of the John Oxley galley, by Fay Burdon

HDR machinery in shipyard by Fay Burdon

HDR by Fraser Burdon

Pic by Fraser Burdon

HDR pic by Fraser Burdon

So we managed to photograph our way through most of the exhibits. Well, they are not really 'exhibits' as most are still in the process of being renovated and/or restored to their former glories. The John Oxley is the mainstay as this towers over the rest of the dock but there are a couple of ferries, as well as a tug and numerous other small vessels under renovation. It's an amazingly interesting day out, especially for those into photography. Although there's no entrance fee, a donation to the heritage trust is appreciated simply because there's very little official funding to keep this piece of history alive.

By Mike Clements

By Mike Clements

Here's a short video I made from clips and stills shot at the shipyard and pieced together against a great piece of music from Robert Wyatt, a legendary muso from a band called Soft Machine. Enjoy...