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Man on Bicycle infront of Havana Mural

On a walk to buy rum, I noticed a large painted mural on one of the crumbling walls of Havana. It was the key buildings and charms of the city all crammed into ...
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On a walk to buy rum, I noticed a large painted mural on one of the crumbling walls of Havana. It was the key buildings and charms of the city all crammed into one, some sort of idyllic vision. It was, ironically, starkly contrasted by the holes in the wall and peeling paint.
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Canon EOS 5D Mark II

settings

ISO 250 Shutter 1/640 Focal Length 50/1

upload_date

Sep, 2016

Views

1899

Likes

+281

Awards

Contest Finalist in On Wheels Photo Contest

Runner Up in Finding Letters Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Finding Letters Photo Contest

Peer Award

+137

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

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Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

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Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken on a hot, humid day in the streets of central Havana, Cuba.

Time

It was early in the morning and I had woken up at 6am to go out before it got to humid and hot in the streets. It was quiet and few cars were out, with many people just opening there shutters and doors for their morning cigarettes.

Lighting

It was early morning and the sun still hadn't risen above the ancient buildings, so I was shooting in fairly dark shadows, and with the biker being in motion I had to adjust quickly so he wouldn't blur. I cranked the ISO but tried to keep the aperture not too open to avoid loosing details in the biker and the mural.

Equipment

This was shot on a Canon 5D Mark II with a 50mm 1.4 Canon lens. It was hand held and a quick fire shot taken just as I noticed that the biker would soon align with the mural.

Inspiration

I was stopped viewing this beautiful mural of Havana, one of the many that speckle the many crumbling, ancient walls throughout the streets. I was taking a photo on my iPhone before I noticed the biker coming down the street so I quickly turned on my 5D and waited for him to pass.

Editing

I use post-processing on all of my digital files. I used to primarily shoot analogue and was a bit sad when I transitioned to digital and lost that 'vintage' aesthetic, so I set out in Lightroom to recreate it. This includes adjusting many of the main lighting settings (shadows, highlights, etc) to create a washed out, gamma'd photo, with many of the colors faded to create a muted, but still vibrant and eye-catching image.

In my camera bag

I've recently switched equipment and primarily shoot with my Canon 5DS R with a Canon 24-70 2.8 lens. While I pack my 70-200, 85 1.8 and a flash, they usually stay in the bag on my back, and my camera always in my hand. It's important to keep the camera as an extension of your body so you can always have it ready in an instant.

Feedback

Havana is a photographers dream. The colors, architecture, people, etc all create a unique shooting environment that is constantly changing and merging with itself. To shoot in Havana one doesn't have to look far to get a good photo, but to get a great one patience is required. It often helps to find a place that is particularly eye-catching, then sit idly and wait for many of the other beautiful variants to merge into your photo (cars, bikers, people, etc).

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lukegram

Man on Bicycle infront of Havana Mural

On a walk to buy rum, I noticed a large painted mural on one of the crumbling walls of Havana. It was the key buildings and charms of the city all crammed into ... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow lukegram

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On a walk to buy rum, I noticed a large painted mural on one of the crumbling walls of Havana. It was the key buildings and charms of the city all crammed into ...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.