Alan John Villiers - a photographer I admire

Alan Villiers

An Australian photographer and adventurer, lived from 1903-1982.  He was also an author and master Mariner and spent a tremendous amount of time at sea. Much of his photography is a journal of life on the rigged sailing ships on which he voyaged. As a Master Mariner he commanded ships including work for films like Moby Dick and Billy Budd.
I first came across his work visiting the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth (Cornwall) and found his photos captivating. The detail of the sailors everyday life, the realism and the pure power of the sea are all caught by his his work and considering the film cameras he would have used at the time, the results are just spectacular.
His work makes me feel like setting out on an awesome adventure, itching feet to go out and voyage to an undiscovered world..... and makes me think about the hardships of life onboard those stunning vessels from a different era.

These photo's are a journalistic record of daily life aboard these ships, the work rest and play. The sepia tones enhance the historic feel of a different era.

The next photo just captures the majestic sight and beauty of these craft.

These next two photos capture the stunning and immense power of the sea. I love the way the images feel 'burnt into the paper' and the slight smoothing effect of the slowish shutter speed on the spray and  breaking waves add to the sense of power.

The rigging and sails on these ships was not only intricate and complex but primitive in their nature and ecologically sound in capturing power from the wind.