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Drama at Whissendine

DMC-GX8

Aperture f/10 ISO 100 Shutter 1/160 Focal Length 120/10

upload_date

Apr, 2017

Views

881

Likes

+30

Awards

Action Award

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Legendary Award

Member Selection Award

Superb Composition

+10

Peer Award

+10

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

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Top 20 rank

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in the village of Whissendine n Rutland where they still have a working windmill. It was just one of those days when I go out for a drive with my camera and see what I chance upon.

Time

It was taken at about 2:30 in the afternoon on a bright sunny day

Lighting

I had to work with the natural lighting and chose to edit the atmosphere in post processing

Equipment

This was a hand-held shot with my Panasonic GX8 and the kit 12-60mm lens

Inspiration

I had a good look around the Windmill, both inside and out, and found it a fascinating building. This particular shot came to me as I back away from the Windmill and looked for some more unusual perspectives. I wanted to convey the sense of it towering over me and the landscape in general.

Editing

I post-processed the image using Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and Skylum Luminar to get the impact I wanted. I personally love the post-processing element as, for me at least, this is where I get to turn a photograph into a piece of art. I know there are some people who are more 'purist' about this aspect of photography, but I believe what we create is art and that the camera is just one of the tools we use. I chose to go Black & White with this image to help convey both the drama in the image and also the age of the structure. I used the 'Dodging & Burning' techniques to help create more impact in the image.

In my camera bag

If I take my backpack (Lowepro Pro Runner BP 350 AW II Bag for Camera), with me, I have my Panasonic GX8 and the following lenses: Panasonic 12-60 mm/F 3.5-5.6 LUMIX G VARIO POWER OIS ASPH Lens; PANASONIC LUMIX G LEICA DG VARIO-ELMARIT PROFESSIONAL LENS, 8-18mm, F2.8-4.0 ASPH, Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds, H-E08018; Panasonic H-H025E-K 25 mm/F1.7 ASPH Lens; Panasonic 100-300 mm f/4.0-5.6 Mega O.I.S Lumix G Vario Lens (H-FS100300) my tripod which is the Benro FGP28A SystemGo Plus with the SIRUI K-20X Ball Head my full set of Cokin P series filters, my PlatyPod Ultra and a lightweight ballhead to use with it (what a fantastic bit of kit), a couple of estensions tubes to enable some lenses to be used for Macro more effectively, my X-Rite Colour Checker Passport Pro, A wired & wireless shutter remote, along with a variety of other bits and bobs including a spare batteries, in-car charger, lens wipes, microcloths, rain cover, torch, knife, etc. Oh and more often than not, a flask of hot Bovril on those nippy winter days. Also, I always use the Geotag Photos Pro app on my smart-phone to GPS locate the photographs I am taking, and I would highly recommend it as a simple, cheap and really reliable piece of software.

Feedback

Architecture and buildings, in general, can be a great source of inspiration for capturing a shot, but the perspective you choose can, and often will make the difference between it being a potential wall hanger or simply a 'record' shot proving that you were there. So when you find a piece of architecture that catches your eye I would promote that you stop and think about who you want the finished product to look and use that thought to choose a position to take the shot that really gives impact through perspective. I also believe that the sky plays a huge part in giving your image the impact that you desire, and the truth is that every time you are out with your camera the sky isn't going to play ball and be as dramatic as you would like. So, my advice is this; When you are out and there is a beautiful sky, take plenty of images of the sky so that you can build up a library to use later. Then when you are out on the days with poor skies, as long as the light is ok you can still take the perspective shots that you want and then replace the sky back in Photoshop or your preferred software to create your art. With this particular image I had the sky on the day and so it worked out, but if you check out more of my work there are images where I have replaced the sky completely to turn an 'ok' photo into something worth hanging on a wall. The key thing I would say is to find the architecture you like and then having thoroughly envisaged what image you want to end up with, take plenty of shots and practice the post-processing element to achieve what you want. This learning curve will have two great benefits. 1. you will get what you wanted and 2, that knowledge will inform your shot taking in the future with great results.

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Drama at Whissendine

Behind The Lens

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