I grabbed the shot above from the bridge wing of the guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) while she was conducting a 5-inch gunnery exercise at sea.  Capturing the projectile leaving the barrel is not an exact science, but it’s not all luck either.

Because someone standing on the bridge wing really has no idea when the operator that is firing the gun actually pushes the button, it’s very helpful to know when it’s about to fire.  Given my experience, I’m fortunate enough to know exactly when that point is.  I listen to the sounds of the upper hoist bringing the round into the cradle and from that point I let my shutter release fly.  The bit of luck comes in that my shutter opens and closes at the exact moment that the gun has fired and the projectile begins to escape the cloud of smoke and gas that is forcing it out of the barrel.

Out of probably 200 or so frames that I shot during the exercise, I got three whole pictures that were useable.  Had I not known about how the gun operates, I might have gotten less – if any at all.

In the photo above, you can see the projectile a little further out of the barrel as it’s headed out of my frame.  It’s a hard thing to capture unless you’re getting to shoot this kind of stuff all the time.  Fast shutter speeds prevail, for sure.

Hearing protection while doing this kind of work is a must, and even if you know it’s about to fire – you never quite get used to that concussion caused by the immense firepower of the 5-inch gun.  Hold your camera tightly!

The photo above was one of the harder challenges I have had to overcome as a photographer.  Competing with my idea of the shot was space, time, and temperature.  It made for quite the challenge!

It was very hot down in the engine room due to equipment that was operating as well as the location of the ship at the time.  Geographical location, water, and ambient air temperature all come into play when affecting the temperature of an engine room.  I spent 10 minutes setting up for the shot before the crew arrived and I was already sweating like crazy.

Space is at a premium down there.  As you can see in the photo, I had to really push it to get everyone in the shot.

Lastly, I only had about a 15 minute window with the crew members to get the shot that I wanted before everyone had to disperse and go back to their watch standing and work.

Nonetheless, a Repair division is a vital to the survival of a ship.  They are the fire fighters and structural engineers that prevent a catastrophe from sinking a ship.  And while every Sailor in the U.S. Navy is taught basic damage control and fire fighting, these guys are the experts.

I will have limited access to e-mail and phone, so if you do contact me please know that it may take some time to return your phone call or e-mail.  I appreciate your understanding.

In the mean time, I will be updating my blog when I can with photos and stories about my assignment and adventures.

Thank you for visiting my blog and website.

All the best,

Stephen

On a recent assignment, I was tasked with taking photos of a U.S. Navy destroyer while it was at anchor.  In order to do this, we headed out in a small boat called a RHIB (short for Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat).  Since a RHIB pales in comparison to a 510 foot-long Arleigh-Burke class warship, the lower perspective makes for some incredible shots.

The last shot was one of my favorites from the morning.  It’s a very different perspective than what most folks are used to, which makes it interesting and appealing.

I hope you enjoyed the images!

Stephen

As mellow as the title sounds, I’m excited to announce that there are some changes coming to my website and blog.  You get a little sneak preview with the image above (which includes my new logo), and the rest will come very soon!

For quite some time (pretty much since the iPad was announced/released), I have been struggling with the design of my website and blog. I really like the slick interface of Flash, but the fact still remains that you cannot see Flash websites on the iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.  With the amount of sales going into iPads and the iPhone 4, that’s potentially a large group of viewers who will be unable to view my website and that is not a good thing in my opinion.

You can bash Apple all you want for not allowing Flash on their devices, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my audience for Flash.  (Sorry Adobe, I still love ya.)  With as many folks out there that are surfing, e-mailing, viewing, and enjoying Apple’s latest devices one would be borderline crazy to not provide a viewing solution to the non-Flash bearing pieces of “fruit”.  Heck, even art buyers and photo editors are calling in photographer’s books (portfolios) on iPads these days.  So needless to say, it’s kind of a big deal.  :-)

I am happy to say that I have found a solution and design that is pleasing to my eye – and I am my own worst critic.  I hope that you too will enjoy the new look and feel of Stephen Zeller Photography’s presence on the web.  Once it goes live, please let me know what you think here in the comments, as they are always welcome.

Images are coming soon and I look forward to sharing some of what I have been shooting recently.

Have a great week!

Stephen