Here's a couple of tall ship shots in Halifax Nova Scotia. They were here this past weekend. Kinda tough getting a clear shot without someone walking in front of the camera given there were an estimated 750,000 visitors. The theme this year must have been "fog" as there were only a few hours of sun over the 3 day visit. So we did more sightseeing than shooting.

Many of these were taken with the K10D & Sigma 50-500 F4-6.3 (which helps to get people out of the shot and many move out of the way as well since they certainly can see the camera!!).

Pleased and surprised to see so many Pentax cameras out. The K100D certainly was out in full force. Twice had other users 'borrow' the Sigma to take a few shots on their cameras.

[Peter Zack]

Next time (in 2009) I'll go by myself as I was with a group of 'out of town' friends and wound up being tour guide more than shooting. Great event though and if you can get to see the ships it's well worth the visit.

[Peter Gnemmi]

Beautiful Pictures Peter. I work here in Halifax and was able to take in some of the festivities with my family. Tremendous shooting opportunities.
Here's one of mine 1/350 @ f/6.7 Pentax P-FA 100-300 @180mm

-Peter

[scott-devon]

Great shots and wow!... I 'd love to see that gathering of beautiful old ships.

[davek]

Wow. Great shots, love the one with the lighthouse.

Would have loved to have been there too.

[mingdie]

I love the old sailing ships and you have really captured them well. Great photos on what looks like a beautiful day.

Cheers
Eddie

[Fritz]

I've always loved those tall ships. Thanks for sharing a great series of pictures!

[PeterAM]

Nice work. I'm impressed with the quality of that lens; is it correct to assume that you were shooting handheld?
I haven't been up to Halifax in quite a few years (at least 17); I think they were still working on the "new" harbor area at that time. I have family in the Truro area and really should get up there for a photo swing around Cape Breton. Another thing to add to the list.....

[Peter Zack]

Nice work. I'm impressed with the quality of that lens; is it correct to assume that you were shooting handheld?
I haven't been up to Halifax in quite a few years (at least 17); I think they were still working on the "new" harbor area at that time. I have family in the Truro area and really should get up there for a photo swing around Cape Breton. Another thing to add to the list.....

Thanks for the comments all. Great shot of the Provindence Peter, Thanks for adding it. maybe we can meet for a beer at the Lower deck someday. The only time I was near that ship it was crowded with smaller boats around it and I couldn't get a decent shot.

Cape Breton is a great spot for shooting or just visiting. It sort of reminds me of the Smokey Mountains in some ways with out the ocean.

I do like the Sigma 50-500. It's not a typical 'walkabout' lens due to the weight but it has it's own strap and I just hang it over my shoulder. The picture quality is very good and on a tripod it is excellent. If anyone is looking for a long lens I'd recommend it. All the shots were hand held and it's a surprisingly easy lens to hand hold, well balanced . I didn't think I'd use it as much as I do when I first got it but since the range is so broad, it is often the only lens I will carry other than a short prime or 2. The only shot that wasn't taken with the Sigma was the first one taken with the 43mm Ltd.
Below is a shot of a member of a band that was from somewhere in Central America. They were playing on the waterfront to all the crowds. I couldn't get close so the shot is at 388mm f6.3 @1/60th (gotta love that SR!!). It could have been better if there was more light but the sun was already setting and this shot was wide open with almost no DOF and a slow shutter speed for the focal length used. I cropped the same image to show the detail of his face. To make it more interesting my SD card crapped out and I used my backup card. Since I only had 1gb with me I shot all these in Jpeg. They would have been even better in RAW but who says the Pentax's can't shoot a good Jpeg?

EDIT: If you look in my gallery, you'll see a shot of a seagull taken around 420mm. IMO the clarity is very close to a prime.

[Donald]

ship+lighthouse is a fine photo. Nice composition, both subject matter and balance in picture plane. Minor suggestion, if you are into post processing, play with colour and contrast a bit to make it come alive but still posess it's moody feel.

[Peter Zack]

ship+lighthouse is a fine photo. Nice composition, both subject matter and balance in picture plane. Minor suggestion, if you are into post processing, play with colour and contrast a bit to make it come alive but still posess it's moody feel.

I gave your suggestion a try, thanks for the suggestion. I'm no expert when it comes to PP but I brightened the picture a bit and added some green and blue. Just did it quickly and there are more involved ways to do it but the result isn't too bad IMHO. The original out of the camera was pushing the lens to the limit when hand held. The Sigma is great but at sunset (when this was taken and why it was a bit dark) a tripod should be used instead of relying on the SR.

[Sailor]

Wonderful shots, Peter. These are very well done; thanks for sharing.

Jer

[roentarre]

I really enjoyed the guitarist photo. Up close and personal. A nice series too