How to take better cruise photos

The best shot I took of my son was with the sunset in backdrop right after it was all the way down, on P setting, with flash.

As one who had to really study the manual and interpret other literature before I finally learned the logic inside cameras, I respectfully argue that you got lucky with the brightness of the background. In full-auto or P, most cameras "assume" they should prioritize the subject and getting a non-shaky shot, so they rely on the flash for "all" of the light. In A or S, the camera assumes you are ready/willing to balance ambient and that bring-your-own-light thingy, so they end up with a much longer exposure that's quite susceptible to shake, but they (more so) ensure that the ambient light is a notable contributor to the end result.

That said, good call to use flash. I often say use flash when the camera doesn't request it, as it can be a great fill light. Conversely, I often say don't use flash when the camera wants it, as you'll get more of the room light resulting in less of a "snapshot".

Here is a shot I got at Brimstone Hill Fortress in St. Kitts... the hole I climbed in was about waist high... talk about one of your non-standard tourist shots...

I agree 100% on the whale tail thing. Also I'll add at Glacier Bay when the glacier starts to break off and fall. I maxed out my buffer as it was dropping and had to wait for it to clear. :( Still got a few good shots but a nice D4 and it buffer would have been nice. :)

 

 

Sent using a small piece of fruit.

My last Alaska cruise was with a canon T3i, I had the same problem as you. Needless to say after quite a bit of research I am now the proud owner of a 7D. In Raw I can get about 16 pictures before the buffer fills. If I were to change it to JPG I could hold the trigger until the card filled up.

My next trip was to Mexico after I upgraded and I was getting the full shot of dolphins jumping out of the water and going back in.

My last Alaska cruise was with a canon T3i, I had the same problem as you. Needless to say after quite a bit of research I am now the proud owner of a 7D. In Raw I can get about 16 pictures before the buffer fills. If I were to change it to JPG I could hold the trigger until the card filled up.

 

My next trip was to Mexico after I upgraded and I was getting the full shot of dolphins jumping out of the water and going back in.

Nice, I had my eye on the 6D but didn't want to swap everything over from Nikon to Canon so now looking at the new D610...hoping Santa will be nice this year. He won't bring me Shakira but maybe he will fill this request. ;)

Sent using a small piece of fruit.