POTD #52 - Just a Fencepost at Night
Last weekend, the HOTps group sponsored a nighttime photo walk. We again headed to the most popular photographic subject here in Waco, the suspension bridge. Everyone arrived at about 9pm and we wandered the area for several hours; moving from Indian Springs Park, up to a parking garage, and downtown. It was great to be outside shooting at night. I have always loved being out late and this was refreshing.
At the park, I noticed the light shooting through this railway and loved the way the shadows fell on the sidewalk. Those shadows really give this image a three-dimensional feel; as if you could reach into the photo and grab the rail.
Tech Talk:
1/2 sec; f/1.8; 50 mm; ISO 200
While my kit zoom lens is in the shop being repaired, the widest angle I have in my bag is 50 mm on a prime lens. I would have liked to have gotten a little wider angle of view here, but was somewhat restricted by my inventory of lenses. I could have stepped back some and used my 70-200, but I thought that the compression from that zoom range would push the posts in the fence too close together and remove the very subject that attracted me to this shot in the first place.
Of course, using the 50 required me to get in as close as possible and, at this angle, that meant being right up against the other side of the fence. I had the camera on the tripod, but couldn't see the viewfinder, it was so close. Now, my camera has "Live view," but I haven't really had the chance to try it out, so I ended up setting the shot and firing the shutter to see how it was framed on the rear LCD panel. What luck! I got it on the first shot!
In post processing, I increased the black level as well as the contrast to further emphasize the shadowplay. Then I desaturated and reduce the exposure of a very distracting red light in the background. After that, I applied my preset to add saturation and to sharpen.
At the park, I noticed the light shooting through this railway and loved the way the shadows fell on the sidewalk. Those shadows really give this image a three-dimensional feel; as if you could reach into the photo and grab the rail.
Tech Talk:
1/2 sec; f/1.8; 50 mm; ISO 200
While my kit zoom lens is in the shop being repaired, the widest angle I have in my bag is 50 mm on a prime lens. I would have liked to have gotten a little wider angle of view here, but was somewhat restricted by my inventory of lenses. I could have stepped back some and used my 70-200, but I thought that the compression from that zoom range would push the posts in the fence too close together and remove the very subject that attracted me to this shot in the first place.
Of course, using the 50 required me to get in as close as possible and, at this angle, that meant being right up against the other side of the fence. I had the camera on the tripod, but couldn't see the viewfinder, it was so close. Now, my camera has "Live view," but I haven't really had the chance to try it out, so I ended up setting the shot and firing the shutter to see how it was framed on the rear LCD panel. What luck! I got it on the first shot!
In post processing, I increased the black level as well as the contrast to further emphasize the shadowplay. Then I desaturated and reduce the exposure of a very distracting red light in the background. After that, I applied my preset to add saturation and to sharpen.