Photographer Lukas Korschan got on the wrong boat, but made a great series out of it

Accidentally messing up transport plans is one of the most annoying things that can happen. Missing a flight, getting on a train in the wrong direction or going past your bus stop by accident, we’ve all been there. When this is most frustrating is when it’s not your fault, which is what recently happened to photographer Lukas Korschan: “I was on assignment in south Turkey and supposed to take a ferry to a small island for photo production,” he explains. “By accident I was put on the wrong boat and got stuck on this 12 hour tourist day cruise ship.”

In a situation where some would go into blind panic, Lukas’ job let him see the situation as advantageous. “At first I was a bit in shock because I am not a big fan of boats in general and day cruises in particular, but then I was pretty entertained by the whole situation and the setting was fun too.”

As a result, the best part of Lukas’ series is how unstaged the photographs are, candidly showing the realities of a day trip. Mostly shot in portrait, the photographer zooms in and exemplifies familiar sights of bored kids, towels territorially marking a sun lounger, sweaty backs and arms, pot bellies and cheeks growing pinker and pinker. “The boat was comparably small and there were maybe 50 people on it — the majority from Germany, the UK and Russia,” Lukas describes. “There was loud music, loads of drinks and sunburn.”

Lukas’ happy accident has provided some of our favourite work of his to date, where the sightseeing opportunities lie not in the mountainous scenery, but in the relatable views of a holiday.