Skip to main content

Worthy of her grandeur, this is how you take a photo of a luxury cruise ship

By Les Shu Mar 20, 2014 2:15 PM

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner, Cunard commissioned a photo shoot that harks back to the posters of luxury transatlantic ships of the early 20th century, which involved the ship’s captain playing a daredevil role.

Once the largest cruise ship in the world, the QM2 was launched in January 2004, with Queen Elizabeth II smashing a ceremonial bottle of champagne on the bow. That bow, once again, is featured prominently in the new commemorative photos, with the ship’s captain, Kevin Oprey, standing on it.

Recommended Videos

The photo shoot, according to The Daily Mail, wasn’t exactly easy. The ship was anchored a mile off the coast of Bali in Indonesia. When photographer James Morgan suggested the shot of the captain standing on the bulb, “they all looked at me like I was a tiny bit mad, but the fact it hadn’t been done was why we had to do it,” Morgan told the The Daily Mail. Weather conditions had to be perfect, and although it didn’t seem ideal when Morgan arrived in Bali, the weather calmed enough for Morgan to set up the shoot safely.

Cunard created a behind-the-scenes video (below) of how they achieved the spectacular photo, with Oprey and Morgan discussing the experience, and what it was like to stand on the ship’s bow and surrounded by water.

(Via Jaunted; images via James Morgan/REX/Cunard)

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism… Read Full Bio

Cafe Charmant, The Corner Store Crew’s Latest, Puts Food Ahead of the Scene

Clothing, Long Sleeve, Sleeve

I’ll be honest. If I weren’t a writer, there is no way in hell I could have landed a 7:15 Saturday night reservation at Cafe Charmant just a mere four weeks after its opening. The most recent jewel in the buzzy Catch Hospitality Group’s crown, the glitzy eatery is the newest IT restaurant to hit the downtown scene, so chalk it up to one of the perks of the job that I could walk in, order a drink, and be ushered to a corner table for two in under 10 minutes.

Though the state of making prime reservations in New York City may not come as a surprise to many, I’m still not able to reconcile with the current velvet rope of so many of this city’s restaurants. Sure, the 90s and early 2000’s had their Indochine, Moomba (if you remember that one, we need to grab a drink). The Waverly Inn, but for the most part, you could easily make a reservation or even walk in and wait for a table with a cocktail in hand at most popular establishments. And, let’s be honest, half the people weren’t even eating, if you know what I mean.

A tasting guide to Livermore Valley, California’s friendliest wine country

Adult, Male, Man

Livermore Valley sits in Northern California’s East Bay, where the hustle and bustle of neighboring Oakland and San Francisco give way to grassy rolling hills, big open skies, and over 40 tasting rooms. The region is home to some of the best wines I’ve tasted in the state, without the pretense and rigidity I’ve come to expect from other tasting rooms in the region.

And thanks to the valley’s marine-influenced winds, varied climate, and diverse soils, I tasted an unusually broad range of wines. Crisp whites, structured reds, and everything in between seem to be able to find their footing here.

High Society, Low Alcohol: A Trip to the Hamptons with Heineken 0.0

Ball, Sport, Tennis

After a multi-year bender of back-to-back press trips, I decided to swear off travel this past summer. The old dog was tired, and I desperately wanted to reconnect with old friends, visit family, and continue wooing a lovely lady in New York. Oh, and I needed to find time to actually write the stories I had promised publicists in exchange for gallivanting around the globe on their dime. I am, after all, a professional.

As summer raced by, my inbox swelled with tantalizing invitations. I turned them down one after the next with Spartan fortitude. A junket to the Loire Valley to review wineries? Thank you for considering me, but for the next few weeks, I’m committed to rekindling my relationship with my bed. A sailboat cruise on the Amalfi Coast? I hear it’s beautiful this time of year, but sadly, I’m in the weeds bingeing Landman.