North Sea: pics of huge seas this week

[Divemaster1]

North Sea - Aberdeen

I don’t doubt that the pictures are real, I live in Aberdeen and work in relation to the offshore industry the North Sea can be a very cruel and cold place....

Yup can be a rough place indeed... a couple of years back I took these pictures after the storm ... one being the harbour entrance, and the other one the marina entrance within the harbour ... we did have some damage in the marina that winter...

 

[MapisM]

not sure of your point, but you seem to be asking why anybody would bother doing it?

Nope, my main point was, debating (as we're doing! ) whether they're photoshopped or not is as useless as actually photoshopping them... And you'll never know for sure anyway: wihch is more original among these two?

 

[blueglass]

Nope, my main point was, debating (as we're doing! ) whether they're photoshopped or not is as useless as actually photoshopping them... And you'll never know for sure anyway: wihch is more original among these two?

which is more original?. Originality only comes once, not in degrees and these are both UNoriginal. Why is the debate useless? always searching for the inner truth that's me.
I think I know what you are saying though - we'll never know unless the originator steps up to the confession box.

 

[scubaman]

Nope, my main point was, debating (as we're doing! ) whether they're photoshopped or not is as useless as actually photoshopping them... And you'll never know for sure anyway: wihch is more original among these two?

That's pretty handy MapisM! Cloning?

 

[MapisM]

always searching for the inner truth that's me.

Do tell, any success so far, in this planet?
Now, that would be worth a thread, if you have any secret to share!
I've lost that aim pretty soon after leaving the University, how sad is that?

 

[MapisM]

That's pretty handy MapisM! Cloning?

Yep, just a bit of Clone Stamp Tool was enough to easily and quickly remove the part which, according to adey and blueglass, proved that the first pic was already manipulated.

 

[3571]

which is more original?. Originality only comes once, not in degrees and these are both UNoriginal. Why is the debate useless? always searching for the inner truth that's me.
I think I know what you are saying though - we'll never know unless the originator steps up to the confession box.

I am not sure why you doubt the piccies, to the best of my knowledge they are real, just another stormy day dodging in the North Sea, it is nothing unusual.

The only thing which is unusual is that his pair trawling partner was close by and managed to capture the severity of the conditions on camera, which for me always end up flattened and looking a hundred times calmer in any pictures that I take.

A mate took this (still working away merrily) in a force 6 SE breeze, wind over tide in the North Irish Sea a while back, or I thought he did anyway......whaddyathink?

 

[blueglass]

Yep, just a bit of Clone Stamp Tool was enough to easily and quickly remove the part which, according to adey and blueglass, proved that the first pic was already manipulated.

it does, doesn't it?

 

[blueglass]

I am not sure why you doubt the piccies, to the best of my knowledge they are real, just another stormy day dodging in the North Sea, it is nothing unusual.

You misunderstand me. I was born and bred on the Northumberland coast and I know very well what the North sea can do. As you suggest yourself, capturing a boat in such seas as clearly and dramatically as these photos did, is professional photography at a very high level indeed. Or, photography at a slightly lower level, with photoshop input, that's all I am saying.
FWIW I think the seas were photographed from on land (hence submerged breakwater in foregound) and the boat inserted as part of a digital process. not difficult.

 

[MapisM]

it does, doesn't it?

Yep, in a sense it does. It proves that it could be, anyway.
Otoh, God only knows if the inner truth is the one you envisage or not...

 

[MapisM]

whaddyathink?

I'm impressed. That must be the workboat with the most luxurious internal wooden finishing I've ever seen!

 

[3571]

FWIW I think the seas were photographed from on land (hence submerged breakwater in foregound) and the boat inserted as part of a digital process. not difficult.

I can't see any submerged breakwater, all I see is water being pumelled in all directions by a savage breeze.

How do you get seas that big as close to the land as a "submerged breakwater" would be, are the pics you show not downwind shots, although it is hard to tell in the boiling cauldron?

 

[blueglass]

1. I can't see any submerged breakwater, all I see is water being pumelled in all directions by a savage breeze.

2.How do you get seas that big as close to the land as a "submerged breakwater" would be,

1. you're just not looking in the right way - the eye is easily deceived
2. yes you can. you can see them every winter from the sea defence wall 100 meters from the house I was born in. Theres an old training wall running out to sea with the waves breaking over it in just the way it is in picture #6, the foreshortening effect of a 200 - 300mm lens would do the rest.

 

[blueglass]

Yep, in a sense it does. It proves that it could be, anyway.
Otoh, God only knows if the inner truth is the one you envisage or not...

still searching

 

[Nautical]

As a simple suggestion couldn't someone ring the owners (the fishing reg number is shown so one could look up the owning co) and ask them .

Not that it matters much , those sort of seas do exist and fishy guys will tell you not hugely uncommon to find your self in such if you fish long enough .

 

[blueglass]

Not that it matters much , those sort of seas do exist and fishy guys will tell you not hugely uncommon to find your self in such if you fish long enough .

not in question, only the photography

 

[3571]

1. you're just not looking in the right way - the eye is easily deceived
2. yes you can. you can see them every winter from the sea defence wall 100 meters from the house I was born in. Theres an old training wall running out to sea with the waves breaking over it in just the way it is in picture #6, the foreshortening effect of a 200 - 300mm lens would do the rest.

My eyes show me a fairly common thing, dodging in severe weather, with the sea making funny shapes due to the wind, it happens fairly often in the winter months.

2. Really, what sort of fetch do the downwind seas have to build to the level we see in the piccys, the wind appears to be coming almost directly from this "training wall" (which I still do not see) and from the land where your photographer was obviously standing, you can't take downwind shots unless you are upwind as far as I am aware.

There is a formula somewhere, fetch X windspeed = wave height, which probably gives a windspeed of several hundred knots in this case, to produce the waves shown in the fetch from this "training wall" which I still can't see.

As an aside, I can possibly see someone bothering with one piccy for dramatic effect to impress someone, but why so many pics and from so many different angles etc, it looks like a fair old job to match sea to boat etc perfectly so many times.........but then I am just a simple old fisherman and not a photoshop expert!

 

[blueglass]

My eyes show me a fairly common thing, dodging in severe weather, with the sea making funny shapes due to the wind, it happens fairly often in the winter months.

2. Really, what sort of fetch do the downwind seas have to build to the level we see in the piccys, the wind appears to be coming almost directly from this "training wall" (which I still do not see) and from the land where your photographer was obviously standing, you can't take downwind shots unless you are upwind as far as I am aware.

There is a formula somewhere, fetch X windspeed = wave height, which probably gives a windspeed of several hundred knots in this case, to produce the waves shown in the fetch from this "training wall" which I still can't see.

As an aside, I can possibly see someone bothering with one piccy for dramatic effect to impress someone, but why so many pics and from so many different angles etc, it looks like a fair old job to match sea to boat etc perfectly so many times.........but then I am just a simple old fisherman and not a photoshop expert!

I agree the sea in the background appears to be downwind of the camera, but the sea is breaking over the "man made object, lets call it" towards the camera. Admittedly its a confused sea and I don't profess to know why or how it has all been patched together.
Don't forget Omega 2 says these have been on line in the past and so could not have been taken this week as stated anyway which casts further doubt.
Just ignore me if you prefer - it doesn't matter in the slightest - they are great images anyway.

 

[3571]

I agree the sea in the background appears to be downwind of the camera, but the sea is breaking over the "man made object, lets call it" towards the camera. Admittedly its a confused sea and I don't profess to know why or how it has all been patched together.

Don't forget Omega 2 says these have been on line in the past and so could not have been taken this week as stated anyway which casts further doubt.
Just ignore me if you prefer - it doesn't matter in the slightest - they are great images anyway.

Or possibly it hasn't been a mega patch together job and is indeed real, it is starting to sound like quite a job to fake them rather than a few minutes playing around with photoshop, it would be far easier to arrange a storm to suit by the sounds of things

I received them in an email in early October and posted them on an angling forum shortly after as per my post #28 on this thread, I have no idea why the timing would cast further doubt on the authenticity of the images.

Anyway, as you say they are fantastic images, some of the few I have ever seen which give even the slightest impression of the fury of the sea when she is angry, enjoy them rather than attempt to pick holes in them.

 

[blueglass]

So jfm was told they were taken from the Beryl Alpha stand-by vessel this week and you were told they were taken from harvester's paired trawler in October. So yes that does cast doubt in my mind. These are, if genuine, world class professional images, so where is the photographer and his copyright?