Pacific Explorer in Sydney Harbour

Introduction

Last week I wanted to take a photo from the Opera House of a ship coming into Sydney harbour. I knew the rough dimensions of the ship, and the rough angle of its approach, and was hoping to catch the rising sun behind it. What I didn’t know what was lens I’d need, or what f-number I should shoot at to ensure the whole ship would be in focus.

The image didn’t pan out how I had imagined. Nevertheless, the I found the links below helpful in planning the shoot.

Resources

Having these three links, and knowing that the Pacific Explorer is approximately 50m high from sea level (and the size of my camera sensor, 35mm), I was able to calculate the lenses that I’d need at various stages of the ship’s approach, and where I’d need to close the aperture (increase the f-number) to ensure the subject remained in focus.

Introduction

Resources

Sunrise/Sunset angles

Object/Image Size

Depth of Field Calculator