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Black and White Spiral
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Black and White Spiral



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upload_dateDec, 2015

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Winner in Your best awarded stairs shot Photo Challenge
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Tags

#black and white #b&w #architecture #portugal #travel
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Behind The Lens

Location

This was taken in the beautiful city of Sintra, Portugal at the Quinta da Regaleira, which is a phenomenal historical mansion with magnificent gardens. The stairs are part of an "initiation well" which was used for ceremonial purposes.

Time

This photo was taken mid-day, which allowed for the nice flood of sunlight into the top.

Lighting

While the "golden hour" is widely known as the preferable time to take photos, mid-day light can be great on architecture, which can accentuate its geometry.

Equipment

At the time, I just had my Nikon D5100 with my standard kit lens. I had the passion, but not the equipment. However, equipment is certainly not essential for decent photos!

Inspiration

The unique architecture, style, and lighting begged a photo. I waited for 20+ minutes for a gap in tourists. I find that photography is mostly waiting for the right moments.

Editing

For this photo, I used Photoshop Elements and did some basic editing (sharpening, increased contrast, shadow recovery, etc.) and obviously converted to black and white.

In my camera bag

Nowadays, I carry my trusty D7100 (still not "pro"), an ultra wide angle (10-18mm) Sigma, a standard kit lens (Nikkor 18-105mm) and a 35mm Nikkor prime for very sharp and/or low light photos. I also often carry my Tamron 70-200mm, but it's bulk and weight makes me think hard before I do.

Feedback

In notable tourist sights, patience is key. Tourists with bright, neon jackets (for example) will ruin a shot, even if your settings were perfect and the lighting was amazing. Sometimes waiting just 5 minutes in the same place will make a big difference. You'd be surprised how even the busiest of places can clear out, if even for just 20 seconds--long enough to snap away!

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