A personal self portrait.

I have always been fascinated with reflections, abstraction and a different way to view the world.

In February 2009 we were leaving the port  at Fort Lauderdale, USA, on a turnaround day. I had just finished shooting the new passengers boarding the ship and decided to take a walk out on deck. I loved how you could still make out the skyscrapers in the distance.  I was even more delighted to take a shot where I could incorporate myself in this landscape. Taken on board the Ruby Princess.

There is a big rush on the cruise ships to see the first sail away.  In January 2009 I experienced my first one in Los Angeles, U.S.A on the Sapphire Princess.

I noticed how the sun was casting shadows of the guests over the deck. I chose to shoot at a low angle and expose for the shadows, which created the silhouette of the people and kept the shadows.

For six months I have been on a cruise ship which I can only refer to as something out of Big Brother. I experienced some new things and I do think of my time there as an “adventure”.

Despite my intentions to start this blog at the start of my trip, the extremely poor internet connection made it virtually  impossible to put postings together.  My next few posts will be a reflection of my experiences from the first half of the year.

This photograph is of my friend Kartik. Kartik is from Bombay, India and is a Assistant Purser on the Ruby Princess cruise ship. The evening this image was taken Kartik had invited me around to his cabin to photograph the stages of his tattoo being coloured in. I asked him why he chose to have a scorpion tattoo, he replied “it’s for my mother, it’s her star sign”. Kartik doesn’t hide how much he adores his mother, in fact he makes it very obvious how important she is to him.

The tattoo was undertaken by a gentleman who works as a cook. There are so many jack of all trades on a ship!

It was carried out under no form of pain killers, apart from the odd beer and cigarette.

Kartik and I  arrived on the same day but we didn’t become friends until a month later. We stayed friends throughout my contract, and he was one of the few who helped me cope with the “ship life” I at times struggled to understand.