Liminal Photography on a Cruise Ship
- Stephen Knight
- Mar 17
- 3 min read
Early in 2026 I went on a cruise holiday for the first time with my family, sailing on the Carnival Luminosa from Brisbane, Australia to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. As there would be nowhere on the ship dark enough to do some light painting photography, I decided to do some nighttime liminal space photography instead.
What is the meaning of "liminal"?
occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.
"I was in the liminal space between past and present".
relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process.
"that liminal period when a child is old enough to begin following basic rules but is still too young to do so consistently".
In the case of photography, liminal spaces are usually places where people would usually transition (such as corridors), but with no people in the photo. In the case of a cruise ship, the plan was to photograph empty deck spaces at night, with no people (where possible) in the photo. This was somewhat difficult at times, as when there are more than 3,000 passengers and staff members on board a ship, empty spaces are a rarity. Thus, I often had to wait around at times, or come back to a location when it was empty. On the first few nights it was windy, with some rain, and a moderate 3m swell. This was great for getting reflections when the camera was placed low to the ground, but the wind made it hard to keep the camera still, or keep rain drops off the lens. The calmer nights on the return voyage made photography easier, though with less reflections unless the deck had just been mopped.
Only one photo was symmetrical, and this was tricky due to the wind on the top deck (cruise ships typically travel at around 20 knots/37kph). I decided to capture a slightly wider angle to allow for perspective corrections in post processing. I also found one location with a full height restaurant window, which allowed me to create a reflection photo by holding the camera against the window. I got a few funny looks from inside the restaurant!
There were plenty of security on the ship, and they were all chill with me taking these photos when passing by on their rounds. As all of the photos were handheld, there was no need for a tripod. Modern cruise ships have sensors that can detect people leaning over the side of a ship. However, all of these photos were taken from inside the ship's railings.
All photos were taken using a Google Pixel 10 Pro, using a range of different focal lengths. Most of the photos were taken using either long exposure or (handheld) night mode. For consistency, I post processed all of the photos with a modified version of Adobe LIghtroom's TM07 preset.
The cruise certainly gave me the opportunity to take some photos that I would not usually get the chance to capture. I also thank the crew of the Carnival Luminosa for making our cruise a fun week, and something we would definitely do again.
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