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Up the Stairs

NIKON D7100

settings

Aperture f/4.0 ISO 100 Shutter 1/25 Focal Length 180/10

upload_date

May, 2015

Views

558

Likes

Awards

Legendary Award

Summer 2020

Outstanding Creativity

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Peer Award

Magnificent Capture

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Behind The Lens

Location

I shot this photo from the bottom of the front door of a well known abandoned house outside of the Dalles, OR, a few miles off Highway 197. Many folks know the house as the Nelson Homestead, being built around 1900-1906 and welcoming multiple families through time. The steps to the front door disappeared long ago, giving me opportunity to be eye to eye with the floor and capture the entirety of the staircase leading up to three bedrooms.

Time

I believe it was about high noon or one o'clock. I remember the sun being particularly strong that day with intensely blue skies. And the group I was traveling with that day and I had just had lunch at the one and only bar in Dufur, OR. (Great place for a cheeseburger!)

Lighting

Even though outside of the house had harsh lighting because of the clear skies and high sun, the inside of the house was still relatively dark around the staircase. I had to hold my camera against the floor and use its self-timer to be able to steady it enough for the 1/25th exposure.

Equipment

I shot this with my Nikon D7100 and my first lens, a Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II lens (which originally came with my Nikon D3100). I travelled light that day and didn't have any other equipment with me.

Inspiration

Having visited this house before and getting a lot of shots of the exterior, I wanted something different this time. Only, the floorboards looked too decrepit from age and weather to actually hold my weight. So I went around to every window, opening, crack, door, and possibility, and looked for a composition of the interior. Finally, getting around to the front door, I saw the stairs and knew that was it. Being able to get such a low angle (basically from the floor) and having the sun peer through missing boards really set the shot for me. I felt like I could see the kids who lived in that house running up and down the stairs playing, or getting ready for adventure.

Editing

I didn't do very much post-processing for this image. I always shoot in RAW, so I did have to bring the image into Adobe Camera Raw; where I made small adjustments so my white balance and temperature were correct. I adjusted my exposure and contrast slightly as well. Then I brought the image into Photoshop for the finally touch of sharpening, adding a watermark for my website (I took the watermark out for my Viewbug profile), and saving the image.

In my camera bag

On any given day, there's a good chance I have my Nikon 40mm macro lens attached to my D7100, Tokina 11-16mm wide-angle lens, a tripod, a few ND filters, always a CPL filter, and a lenspen to clean away any fingerprints or dust. Oh, and can't forget a remote of some kind! Every time I leave the house without one, I end up needing it. Sometimes, I throw in a 70-200mm zoom lens, or some props like strings of lights or glass animals.

Feedback

I don't have much for specifics, but I encourage anyone to try every angle they can. Get away from whatever you consider normal and shoot the subject in the weirdest way you can!

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Up the Stairs

Behind The Lens

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