Ships at Sea

In January of 1979 I boarded the USS Seattle AOE-3. The ship was loaded up in Rota, Spain then we went out to sea. It was not long before I new what the mission of the ship was. We were a replenishment ship. The AOE stands for Auxiliary Oiler Explosives we were the mother ship that provided food, stores, oil and explosives to the ships at sea. 

The photo above shows ships that have lined up to pull along side of us for replenishment. It provides a sense of the rough seas and wonder of what these ships are doing in such a formation. 

Keep in mind that my camera was a Pentax K1000 with a fixed 50mm lens. I was able to wait until the ships pulled closer and take a picture that shows some of the feelings of the sea we were in.

With the digital cameras of today with the zoom lens features pictures like this may not require the wait time I went to for the ships to get closer. 

So take the time to learn and understand how to compose photos in the frame. The pictures you take will make for good memories and stories down the road.