The BU31 is a classic Dutch fishing boat of a type called "Botter". The name "Botter" is derived from the fish for which it was used to catch: Bot (= Dutch for Flounder or Flatfish).
BU31 was build on a shipwarf in Urk, a former island in the Zuiderzee (now known as IJsselmeer, and Urk is no longer an Island because we build some dykes around it and pumped out the water). It was build in 1902, but the design is much older and dates back to early 18th century. Even that design is based on much older designs dating back to 16th and 17th century (when Holland was one of the leading naval powers). It is build from oak and 'karveel', measures 13.5 by 4.5 metres, has about 70m2 of sail and goes about 80cm deep in the water. It has no engine.
Around 1900 there were about 1000 Botters, spread over several harbours around the Zuiderzee. Now there are only sixty left. These boats are part of the "Bruine Vloot" (Brown Fleet), a fleet of historical sailing ships. I guess the 'brown' part comes from the color of the sails and wood. Most, if not all, the sails of botters are brown.
The BU31 was used for fishing from 1902 untlil 1957.
From 1902 to 1946 it was known as the UK213 (UK stands for Urk).
From 1946 to 1953 its harbour was Harderwijk (HK) and the name changed to HK11.
From 1953 its name is the BU31. BU stands for Bunschoten/Spakenburg.
In 1983 it came in the hands of mr. A. De Sitter, from Hoorn. The boat's harbour since then is Hoorn, but I guess that when a boat isn't used for fishing anymore it will keep its last name. The sign for Hoorn is HN, but the boat is still a BU. Nowadays it is used for recreation.
When I left home I wanted to take a photo like this. You need to be lucky because there are only a few and they need to be out on the lake and heading your way.... After walking for 40 minutes from the place where I parked my car I arrived at the old lighthouse. You can see it from the cityside of the harbour but you need to make a huge detour to get there.
On the horizon was a tiny brown dot and it seemed to get bigger. I had to wait for 1.5 hours before it was big enough to decently fill the viewfinder. (afterwards I had to walk back half an hour again). In the meantime the sky went from blue to light gray. It was going to rain soon (it did half an hour after I got home).
The original is very dull colored, so the idea was to convert it to something from the past. This version is only halfway there. I did some vignetting but corrected it back. The color suits the subject. It is a boat from the 'brown fleet', the brown part is because of the color of the wood and sails. These are historical boats kept alive by enthousiasts.
PP:
NC4.2: Adobe RGB, Hard contrast
Photoshop:
- FM B&W yellow filter
- desaturate
- contrast +
- brightness +
- colour balance changed (to get sepia like tone)
- added vignetting
- dodging and burning on all the sky and selectively on the water
- took the vignetting out
- Contrast USM 10% on 50px
- cropped to 4x5 (the width is original, only the top and bottom are removed, so this is a viewfinder view)
- USM
- sftw
Date: 01.05.2005 at 15:21:17 (16.21 because the camera is on wintertime)
EV +0,33 EV
Program: A - Aperture-priority auto
Metering mode: Multisegment
Orientation: 270° / Z:left S:Bottom
35mm Focal length: 300 mm
Image Quality: RAW
Focus Mode: AF-S
Record Mode: Single shot
Statistics
Place: 8 out of 114 Avg (all users): 6.5364 Avg (commenters): 8.1429 Avg (participants): 6.4186 Avg (non-participants): 6.6119 Views since voting: 2255 Views during voting: 370 Votes: 220 Comments: 33 Favorites: 0
The rich textures brought out by the sepia tones are my favorite part of the image. My least favorite aspect is the writing on the sail. I'm sure that it would have earned you more than a few complaints about the crop, but I would have preferred this image if it was cropped just a bit below the letters and included more horizon off to the sides.
I dream of sailing all the time. Love to sail. The use of those yellowish tones works so well for this shot where it might not for many others. It's an interesting choice that you hit right on the head. Very nice work. Good Luck!!! 9
Quality photo and editing choices...one of my favorites to win this challenge. Great fade of horizon line, leaving us with that dreamy misty feel to the edges...
Wonderful tone in this image. My only comment is that I would like to have seen the very bright thing on the side of the boat burned down a little. As it is it draws the eye too much. Wonderfully evocative image, though. Well done. 9
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