A Fishnet – 2

Fishing boats, when they’re not at sea, have a stillness to them that’s almost deceptive. You look at this image and all you see at first are the nets — layered, coiled, heavy with their own weight. But you know that once the boat moves out of the harbour, these same nets will vanish into the water, turning into something entirely different: a tool in motion, an extension of the crew’s livelihood.

The shot is a straight-on composition, framing the netting in the foreground so it fills most of the image. It creates a natural barrier for the viewer’s eye, almost demanding you examine the knots, the frayed edges, the contrast between ochre and green. The depth of field falls away slowly, keeping the interior of the boat recognisable without stealing attention from the nets.

Light on a working vessel can be tricky — often a mix of ambient daylight, shadow from the cabin roof, and reflections off wet surfaces. Here, I exposed for the nets themselves, allowing the shadows inside the boat to deepen without losing texture. It gives the image a slight tunnel effect, with the nets as the focal anchor.

Technically, the frame benefits from its symmetry. The boat’s structure naturally funnels your gaze to the back, but the slight asymmetries — ropes hanging from one side, a white bucket in the rear — stop it from feeling sterile. Colours are honest; the seaworn surfaces show their history without any need for exaggeration in post.

To me, the image works because it captures the in-between state — not the drama of the catch, nor the emptiness of an idle berth, but the quiet readiness of a craft waiting to work.