Armorique | Tous les passagers motorisé

How to while away the hours on a ferry crossing? Some hole up in the bar, no matter the time of day. But for me the engaging aspects of the voyage are to be found largely on deck, the changing light, the ever present breeze and the forms and colours of the ship's architecture. At first pristine, the salt air patinates the surface of much of the on-deck equipment and fittings until they take on an almost organic feel, at one with their maritime habitat.

I use either a macro 'portrait' lens with a wide aperture, necessary to enable the fast shutter speeds required for a sharp rendition in the strong breeze and to cope with the roll of the ship, or at other times an ultra-wide lens or even a fisheye which I am particularly fond of. The hard edges of the ship's design become sweeping curves and help to enhance the organic flow of the imagery.

This collection of photographs were the first shot in colour following the black and white series.

Ian Harrold | Latest Work

Ian Harrold | About

Strands | A Breton beach.

The littoral, the space between the tides. A place to walk, to wander and to gaze upon the ocean. Lost in thought as the sand gives way beneath the feet, pools of salt water flow around the toes.

The Mauritanians | A ship's graveyard.

Nestled in its bay on the Crozon Peninsula in Finistere, Brittany lies the fishing town of Camaret-sur-Mer. A long history of fishing has gifted it the industry's highly visible remains -the ship's graveyard on the foreshore.

Totem | The library of forms.

A photographic project, begun in the late 70s, set in an old long forgotten coal yard behind Whitechapel station in London's East End. Now the site of a Crossrail station.

St Ives | The New Pier | New Perspectives.

The maritime and commercial future of St Ives, a sleepy Cornish fishing village, determined by the failure of the ill-fated wooden pier. Re-imagined in 3D from the original plans.

Armorique | The First Voyages.

A collection of photographs shot in the first week of sailings of Brittany Ferries new ship, Armorique. Taken on both day and night crossings on black and white high-speed film.

Armorique | Inside Out | Airflow.

Vents. They connect the workings of the ship to the outside world. Fresh air is taken in, stale air is expelled. The ship breathes.

Armorique | Clean lines | A breath of fresh air.

New exhaust scrubbers, fitted in 2016, keep the environmental credentials of the Armorique up-to-date.