When on your cruise, be sure to take your camera to capture those special moments
The greatest moments in modern history have been recorded by professional cameramen who have opted to take film camera rentals rather than buy the equipment. It makes a lot of sense in a world where the gear can get knocked about, and is open to climates from very hot to very cold. The photographer who has the camera specially oiled for such occasions is very wise as in the colder climates the camera rental can simply pack in and refuse to work. But as a comparison the mechanical film cameras are lot more hardy than the sensitive digital versions where the chip gets very upset if it’s in either of these conditions. So for the photographer whose assignment is on one of the big liners traveling the world the film camera rental is by far the best option. From the celebrity passengers to the dear old couple spending their entire pension on one big blow out, people on ships love to be photographed. It’s all part of the scene and that can be whilst taking the trip to the port of Barbados on the Caribbean cruises or it can be somewhere a lot colder and not so inviting, weather wise. But once on board the weather is only to be seen from the well appointed cabins or when out on deck getting a quick blast of fresh sea air. And this is certainly very fresh air, with not a pollutant for hundreds of miles. The ship becomes the home from home as it cruises across the ocean, it could be said, without a care in the world. That’s not strictly true because there’s a very professional crew aboard who ensure the ship does care and so does all the crew members. But it’s really like a great big community, and having the job of recording the best moments on board is the job of just one of those professionals, and that’s the ships photographer. On the trips to the North Cape on the Norwegian cruises passengers love to have a photograph taken of them disembarking. The best thing about that is that it can be midnight up there in the very north and still light in July. The opposite is true in February but there are few cruises that make passengers endure the harsh conditions of northern Norway at that time of year. Celebs, aboard! The job of the ships photographer is to get the shot which captures the moment for the passenger. That can be dinner with the captain, some action shots on the dance floor or the moment when the TV star invites a guest on stage on one of the celebrity cruises. It’s a big deal and one which any passenger would relish. Most of the ships have invited guest speakers and TV celebs. to provide on board entertainment and these can be comedians, authors, writers or soap stars. Even the smaller ships such as those of the Princess cruises, there will be a guest or two who will join a table for chat over dinner. These are times in a passengers life when they can look back and show their friends and relatives the evening they spent with the current heart throb from Hollywood. It’s all very well doing these things but the photo reminder is all important. To make sure there is no possibility of something going wrong a pro photographer may use both the digital and the film camera rentals for the work. It’s called belt and braces as no one wants to lose a picture through some silly technical issue – least of all the photographer. Breakfast with Goofy! The bigger shipping companies employ more than one person to carry out the film camera work as there may be up to 2,000 passengers on board. That’s a lot of people to photograph so there is a photo unit team who will work with the likes of P & O cruises on a temporary contract to provide the services as and when needed, and on a particular cruise. The work comes from specialist agencies who know the cruise companies and know the photographers. Some snappers may be really good with children so they could be the right people to put on one the MSC cruises where the family experience is all important. Breakfast with Goofy is one such experience the little ones will want to remember and that’s for sure! Spotting the big sea creatures from the deck There a far greater interest in the environment these days with some travellers looking to see the remaining endangered species such as the big whales and even the polar bears which roam the areas such as Alaska, Greenland and the Arctic. The really good cruises for such locations are the ones which head out from Vancouver heading north. The sights from the deck may well be the huge whales although there’s no guarantee that a wildlife enthusiast on one of the Fred Olsen cruises which takes this route will be privileged to spot the whales. Unlike some of the big game parks of Africa the wildlife does not appear to order in the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean. The chances are pretty high though as these voyages are carefully planned to go to the right places in the right season. 
The voyages which are operated by British companies have a long standing tradition of having a British officer crew. The very best navigation schools are found in the cities where shipping has been a traditional occupation. The crews of the big ships are multi national but most of the officers will be from the UK, America or Central Europe, with Liverpool, Glasgow Oslo and Southampton being three of the main home locations. So cruises from Southampton could well be led by a captain or First officer leaving his or her home port. Only the best will do Ships departing for a long voyage have a certain romance about them, and few ever forget the experience. In the earlier days of the luxury liners crowds would gather at the dock side to see off a ship bound for New York or coming in the other direction to Southampton. We know this because there was a film camera man on the dockside and one on the ship to record the event for posterity. A camera has always been present at the greatest of occasions and a big ship leaving for the other side of the world is indeed a major occasion. The pictures of such scenes were also recorded on movie film cameras and in black and white. The great scenes from the docksides on the maiden voyages across the Atlantic are there for all to remember and have become embedded in the new events of the century. Although the recording medium may be different now, and digital colour is the accepted norm, the skill in getting the best images and capturing the moment remain exactly the same. There are those who can do it, and those who struggle. That’s why the ships have professionals on board, and why passengers can look back at a crisp clear picture, not one taken on the spouse's mobile phone! Christmas at sea The time to celebrate at sea is on the most festive of Christian occasions and that is on the 25th December. The big day at sea and the Christmas cruises are the ones to really push the photo unit to the full. Who would not relish having that memorable photo when entering the magnificent dining room for the Gala Christmas dinner and dance. This is the time when the best Tuxedo and the most glamorous dress come out, and every one is dressed to the nines, it’s a grand occasion with all the officers and sometimes their wives joining the passengers for the celebration. There are plenty of opportunities for passengers to get the formal wear out, and some of the gala events on board specify that formal dress should be worn. There are new shipping companies to have done away with such formality and that is intended to attract a new generation of younger passengers round to the idea that a cruise does not have to a formal affair with set meal times and a strict dress code. That is a good thing because we all want choice and the greater the choice the better. There are those who like the formality and the whole idea of dressing up for dinner whilst those with young families might find it a bit time consuming and difficult to arrange. So there are cruises to meet all budgets and cruises to satisfy all tastes. Be it the food, the travel experience, the events or the company, there are plenty of reasons to take to the seas and enjoy the ocean air on one of the Royal Caribbean cruises or similar. Wherever the voyage, and what ever the vessel, there’s a guarantee there will be a crew member there whose job it is to record the event for you on the digital or film camera. 
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