The curse of the pylons

 Trying to get a clear photo of a ship, free from background obstructions can be a little tricky. The Narrows between Halifax lower harbour and Bedford Basin presents more than enough of these challenges.

The Nova Scotia Power Corporation has its local electricity generating station at Tuft's Cove on the Dartmouth side of the Narrows, between the two bridges. Its three smoke stacks (it originally had one then added stacks as it expanded) feature prominently  in many of my photos - the trick is not to make them look like the ship's smoke stacks.

In yesterday's (April 7) photo of the BBC Rhonetal at Pier 9C, I managed to squeeze the ship in between some light standards with a bit of an overlap with the stacks.

The power that is generated at the station (by burning natrual gas and sometimes oil) is distributed by high voltage transmission lines, some of which cross the Narrows near the MacKay bridge. The pylons that carry the lines are invariably in the background of my pictures.

As the costal tanker Algoscotia turned in the Narrows to tie up at Pier 9C today (April 8) one of the pylons appeared the background. The ship will be receiving some maintenace at Pier 9C and I believe it may be going to Europe soon for installation of the new ballast water treatment system. It is fully loaded so will likely be headed to its usual destintations of Sydney, Corner Brook and sometimes as far as Sept-Iles, QC.

Only smaller ships can fit between the pylons (photographically) as they pass beneath the MacKay bridge. Today's transit of the Contship Leo on ZIM's CGX feeder service just fit.

There are black balls installed on the transmission lines to make the lines visible to aircraft.

 There are times however when you just have to take the picture no matter what:

...three extra funnels on the autcarrier Morning Peace at Pier 9C and a red and white extra signal mast atop the bridge of the NYK Meteor and another one protruding from a container on deck.

Since I make it a policy never to "photoshop" my pictures (except to crop them and straighten the horizon) I get what I get.

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