Type 42 Destroyer / Help

Hiya all,
I'm new to the world of digital photography and the forum & am amazed at the difference to film. I shot this Destroyer returning to Plymouth last week. Im pleased it came out at all as i was nearly a mile away and i had to use a X2 converter on 300m and had no tripod.
The trouble is that its grey, on greyish water and gaining decent contrast is hard - any tips?. Living on the coast in Uk it is very often overcast and i'm finding it all quite difficult. - Please Help

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That is one of the great difficulties in shooting warships....they are painted to minimize their visibility. A circular polarizer may prove of some benefit.

a different lighting position might also help to make the ship stand out more form the background.

These are definately a difficult thing to shoot. Even with the sun behind you they are difficult. How about trying to exposure bracket and then recombine in post processing?

Got PS? Take a look at this thread for how to use a Layer Mask to selectivly lighten/darken part of a pic: Airport runway shoot

I'd try a polarizer and see it that helps. That's HMS Gloucester BTW, I saw her off the coast of Guernsey on the 12th, the weather was kinder to me.

http://zarj.cwgsy.net ….ShowItem&g2_it​emId=40477

Cheers for all of your help. Photoshop and filters are on the top of my shopping list!

If you aren't a student, sign up for a class somewhere & get a nice discount.
http://www.google.com …h=&as_rights=&s​afe=images