'Epic' Queen Mary 2 photo shoot
As former photographer for the Times, James Morgan has seen – and snapped – it all.
From Princess Diana, Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher to the Lockerbie disaster, his images have been seen around the world.
But James, who has been based out of Sydney for the past 14 years, reckons his latest project is his most epic yet.
He took a set of stunning images of Captain Kevin Oprey standing on the bulbous bow beneath the huge hull of the Queen Mary 2 in Bali for Cunard.
“I’ve always tried to take pictures that capture the public imagination,” said James, who flew out from snapping the Mardi Gras celebrations on Saturday to Bali for the shoot just hours later to take advantage of the perfect conditions.
“At first they thought I was joking when I told them what I wanted to do but that just made the challenge even more exciting," he told Yahoo7.
The concept took months of planning and had to happen in Bali, one of the few ports in the world where the huge, 151,400 tonne ship could anchor off port, ensuring no distractions in the image.
“I see the captain as conducting an orchestra every night on this huge ship,” continued James.
“It is this towering creature and this little man, it is an incredible juxtaposition. He is an incredible man, this beautiful huge liner he controls every day.
“It is one of the most epic shoots I have ever done. I was quite emotional after it but everything came together perfectly.”
The Queen Mary 2 is currently undertaking a Round World Voyage and will make her tenth call at Sydney on Friday, March 14, before turning west for Sri Lanka and Dubai, entering the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and returning to the UK.
