It is supposed to take around 5 hours give or take to make the crossing from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basque, Newfoundland. One of the ferries was down an engine, so we ended up leaving 4 hours late. Out in the middle a sudden atlantic storm hit us and she started rolling and I started turning green.
When we got closer to Newfoundland the seas seemed to get better, but in fact at that point it was blowing 90km per hour which was far too windy to dock. We went back and forth along the coast for hours, the lights on the land teasing us, so near but so far. It ended up taking a total of 10 hours to make the crossing. We were not allowed on the vehicle deck so I felt sorry for the poor dogs. Oscar was fine, but Angie peed on the couch 🙁
It was 2:30am by the time we got off the boat. We only drove a short distance to the visitor centre and then went to sleep in their parking lot since we didn’t want to drive at night. We had been warned by some Newfoundlanders we met on Prince Edward Island not to drive at night because of all the moose. Now I find out that a lot of Newfoundlanders won’t take that ferry either!
At last we arrived at Gros Morne National Park. Was it worth it? Of course it was! Newfoundland is awesome with its rugged coast and upturned ocean floor. More about the geography in future posts, but for now, two images I took at Lobster Cove.
For these I used my Singh-Ray 3 stop soft graduated neutral density filter (to darken the bright sky) and my 4 stop neutral density filter (to allow a long shutter speed to blur the ocean waves).
Lobster Cove #1 is a 2.5 second exposure:
Lobster Cove #2 is a 4 second exposure:
As always, I would appreciate your comments if you prefer one over the other. It is so hard to decide which one deserves a place in my portfolio.
Sorry for the rough trip but looking at these great photos, it was worth it in the end. 🙂 Nice work on these long exposures. Glad you made the trip safely. 🙂
Thank you Jimi, I love doing long exposures 🙂 The trip back was much smoother.
NL is so worth the effort to get there! First image in my favorite. Looks a bit more ethereal and I love the sky.
Hi Michelle, thanks for your visit and comments and letting me know which image you prefer. I appreciate it!
Sorry…I can’t choose. I really like both shots for different reasons. I love the sky in the first one and the wave splashing against the rocks on the left hand side. I love the effects of the water in the second shot due to the longer exposure.
Glad you made it safe and sound.
Thank you for your kind comments Edith! I couldn’t choose either, so I need to enlist some help.
So worth all the trouble you had to go through. These shots are so beautiful!
Thank you so much Chris, I would do the ferry trip over again to see that landscape. I think we were lucky actually. I heard stories of people who waited over a week for the weather to clear before they could take the ferry across.
Sounds like a horrible ferry ride; I feel for you! Both are great shots, but my preference is probably the first one. The foreground is a bit cleaner, and I find I like the organization of the rocks better. Plus I love the clouds 🙂
Hi Marc, It was a tough trip, but it is not the fault of the ferry, mother natures calls the shots. Thanks for letting me know which image you prefer, I appreciate it.
Really nice shots, Anne! I love the first one, for the same reasons Marc just mentioned. Also, the second one has the horizon line very high up in the frame. I often do the same thing, but I find it a bit tense here.
I’ve always been intrigued by Newfoundland, and I can’t wait to see more of what you brought back!
Hi Jackson, thanks for your visit and comments. Ok, I see what you mean about the second image feeling tense with the horizon up there. Thanks for bringing that up. I always appreciate feedback!
Nice shots, Anne! And yes, Newfoundland is gorgeous! We did a two week backpack trip down the East Coast Trail a few years ago. Enjoy your time on The Rock!
Hey Dan, nice to see you! Readers, Dan has an excellent adventure photography blog well worth a visit. Not surprising that you did a backpacking trip! I admire people who do trips like that. With my back I think I would need someone to carry my stuff and blow up my air bed 🙂
Nice Anne – what a wild and rugged coast. I think I like #2 the best for the definition in the rocks and the silkier waves.
Thanks Russ, I think you are the first person that picked the second image. I have a gazillion of these, so I might be able to find one that has the best of both images in one. That’s why it is good to get feedback so I can focus on what people like and dislike. I know what I like and dislike, but it is always good to get a fresh perspective.
Gorgeous shots Anne, sounds like it was a rough ride but well worth it! As for which shot, I’d go with #1; I like the composition a bit more.
Hi Curt, thanks for letting me know which image you prefer, I appreciate it very much!
Sounds like you had a great trip Anne, and certainly worth the ferry ride! As for the pictures I do prefer the first one.
Hi Beate, it was a great trip to the rock. The landscape is so dramatic and the people are so fun!
wow! Those are so cool looking. Looks like mist around the rocks. Very cool.
Thank you very much A. I love doing the long exposures to get that misty look around the rocks. The longer the exposure, the smoother the water seems, even if it was actually quite rough.
My fav of the two is #1. Composition with more sky appeals to my eye as does the placement of the rocks not touching the bottom left corner. (PS the horizon is not straight on #2)
Hi Rob, good point about the rocks touching the border in the second image. That is one thing I prefer about the first image, the clean border. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting.
Newfoundland is worth the trip and the Newfies are at riot! Very nice people, seemingly all with a great sense of humor. But who’s going to visit if they can’t provide better ferry service? Rough seas are beyond their control, but our experience last year was cancelled boats, boats that were randomly 4 to 12 hours late while others were almost on time or only a couple hours late.
Hi Wren, Yes, I understand that they had boats that were out of service last year and when combined with the weather, it made for some long waits. But now they have two new boats and all the locals say the service is much better. It is hard when you come from outside and it seems like bad service when the ferry takes 14 hours (including the wait in the parking lot) instead of 5, but much of it is really out of their control. Having said that, some heat at 2am would have been nice. It’s one thing to be on the ferry a lot longer than expected, but it was cold too!!
I like them both, but prefer the composition in #1.
Thanks Michael, I appreciate your letting me know your preference.
Great photos. I like water effect slightly better in the 2nd, but the composition better in the first. Regardles, their both great long exposures. What time of day was this?
Thanks for the comments Kris. These photos were taken around 11:30 am! I used my 4 stop solid neutral density filter to allow me to have a longer exposure in mid-day sun.