In February this year, I invited readers to join Marine Café Blog’s search for the best black and white photos of sunset over bodies of water. I thought it was an interesting, if difficult, challenge for photographers. The post Sunset over water: The power of black & white appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way”. Going by this definition, I can call myself a feminist. Indeed, I am one. The post ‘I am a feminist’: A male writer speaks up appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

The post Which is correct: ‘in a boat’ or ‘on a boat’? appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

Paintings of women in boats wearing vintage dresses fascinate me. Is it the way the women maintain their poise while out on the water? Is it the flow of their garments in sync with the gentle ripples of the river or lake? The post Women in boats: A celebration of beauty appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

The samurai had their bushido, a code of conduct that guided the way they thought and acted. If one considers writing a noble profession, why shouldn’t writers have one, too? After years of wielding pen and pounding keyboards, I finally got down to crafting my personal credo as a maritime writer. The post A maritime writer’s credo appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

People can talk all day long about seafarers’ rights. The fact remains, however, that seafarers lie at the bottom of the maritime food chain. The forms of exploitation and mistreatment of those who man merchant ships are myriad. The post 40 different ways to exploit and abuse seafarers appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

What crazy photographer would take pictures of a sunset in black and white? Colours delight and even mesmerise the viewer. They are addictive. Some photographers, though, have gone off the beaten path to make unforgettable images of sunsets sans the colours everyone is used to. The post Seeing the spectacle of sunsets minus the colours appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

“Of all fruitless errands, sending a tear to look after a day that is gone is the most fruitless,” wrote Charles Dickens in his novel Nicholas Nickleby. How so true. Yet, how many of us have not run the errand Dickens spoke of? As a maritime writer, I’ve had only one regret which I fortunately jettisoned after some soul-searching. The post My one and only regret as a maritime writer appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

Sunsets are a well-worn subject in photography. However, to capture a sunset in black & white can be a real challenge—a test of the photographer’s artistic eye and technical savvy. With this in mind, I am inviting amateur and professional photographers to take part in a special Marine Café Blog feature on the theme ‘Sunset Over Water’. The post Sunset Over Water: A black & white photo challenge appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more

Photographers of the 19th century did not have an easy time of it. They had to put up with the limitations of the existing camera technologies. At the same time, they felt a need to express themselves and their individual take on reality. The post Rivers and lakes in remarkable 19th-century photographs appeared first on Marine Café Blog ..read more