The ship looks like a sleeping colossus by Johan van Vliet

About "The ship looks like a sleeping colossus"

by Johan van Vliet

About the artwork

The winter sky hangs heavily over the harbour. The giant ship lies tight against the jetty, silent but impressive, as if holding its breath. At the front, the bulkhead shows obvious wear: deep, dark scratches where anchor chains have made their marks for years. The metal gleams dully in the cold light.
In the background are low, hollow echoes of machinery and the rhythmic sloshing of water against the hull. The cargo was unloaded hours ago; the loading arms stand still, as if frozen in the air.

The ship looks like a sleeping colossus that could wake up at any moment. Everything on board is checked. Lights spring on along the deck, one by one, like stars lighting up. Rotterdam's harbour lights reflect in the water, drawing stripes along the steel.
The image feels cold, clear and reverent: a gigantic ship ready to take to the ocean again after a long voyage.

Port photography is a fascinating form of photography that focuses on capturing the activity in ports. Port cities are often bustling centres of trade and industry, with ships, trucks and trains moving back and forth to load and unload goods. This offers photographers the opportunity to capture beautiful images of large ships docked at the quayside, crane machines loading and unloading containers from and onto the ships, and workers busy at work. Port photography can be challenging, as there is often a lot of movement and activity, and the light is constantly changing. But when the right moments are captured, port photo's can produce impressive and inspiring images.