robras

Lion eats jewels

NIKON D600

settings

Aperture f/4.5 ISO 400 Shutter 1/50

upload_date

Oct, 2012

Views

5977

Likes

+291

Awards

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Contest Finalist in Creative Visions Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Creative Reality Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in The Magic Of Editing Photo Contest

Honorable Mention in Photoshop World

Contest Finalist in Edited Photography Contest

Peer Award

+805

Outstanding Creativity

+22

Absolute Masterpiece

+14

Superb Composition

+13

Top Choice

Magnificent Capture

Jaw Dropping

Superior Skill

Exceptional Contrast

All Star

Genius

Emotions

Impressed

Happy

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Behind The Lens

Location

This image seems to draw the most attention of all my shots but I myself am a bit torn. You see it is full of contradictions, as I'll explain later. The first is where this image was taken. Many have assumed this shot was taken in a studio, but actually it falls under "street photography" as I took it on the fly while digging around lower Manhattan.

Time

I took this shot at about 10 am. It was a grey, overcast day so there was very little reflect light.

Lighting

The lion was in a display window with a single, large light hanging about 4' above. The store was small and shoppers could actually walk around it as they shopped. When I set up the shot I knew I was going to drop all of the background and focus on the lion and the necklace. I was close and shooting with a prime that let in a lot of light. I used the self-timer, a fairly log exposure and held the camera/lens firmly to the glass to avoid blur. I used a small but strong flashlight brings out the necklace. I propped it at the very bottom of the windowpane to bring out the teeth and create a strong highlight to define the necklace.

Equipment

I shot this with a Nikon D600 matched with a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4 with a hand strap. No tripod or flash. (See above for how the photo was taken.)

Inspiration

Some have asked whom I shot it for thinking the jeweler had been my client. Truth be told, I was walking the streets of SoHo, NYC, when I happened upon a trendy store that actually had this stuffed lion in their window, a stunning necklace dangling in its snarling mouth. I am an animal loving vegan and my heart cracked a bit when I saw it. I had to shoot this as proof of the atrocity! But I also got caught up taking a shot of an amazing cat and a stunning necklace. I knew as I took the shot I was going to compose it with the dramatic black background you see here. I imagined embellishing the image by adding blood on the teeth, dripping onto a pile of shredded hundred dollar bills and the political statement it would make. But upon seeing the composed image as it stands, I was compelled to stop. This is the shot. The take away is up to the viewer.

Editing

I've spent most of my life as a designer/art director and have spent the requisite ten thousand hours retouching photos before stepping behind the lens myself. I knew when I shot it what was needed. I did the majority of the color work in Lightroom and did the masking and final composing in Photoshop.

In my camera bag

I like to carry a pack that doesn't look like a camera bag but safely hold all that I need. When street shooting, I carry both a DSLR and a mirrorless. My DSLR today is a Nikon D810 with a Spider Pro hand strap. If I have a big enough bag I put in my holster/belt too. If I have to go on a roof, climb a structure or just want to be ready for golden hour I wear it and set my camera with two presets to be ready. I carry two lenses at all times: a prime, used to be my 50mm f/1.4 but have fallen in love with the Sigma 35mm f1.4 art lens and either my Nikon 105nn 2.8 macro when in a confined space or a Nikon 70-200mm f4, which is big but very light. Both lenses use 67mm filters so I carry a case that holds 4 (usually a polarizer and multiple NDs). The mirrorless I use is a Sony Nex-7 with a 19mm 2.8 which a great, small back up. The rest of the back is lens wipes, extra batteries, a flashlight, a multi tool and a Manfrotto Pixi table tripod.

Feedback

The best advice I can give is to be prepared. Think about the shot or shots you are going to take. What are the variables your left out the last time and missed in post. Imagine the final shot and if needed go online and study what others do and have done. There are many skilled shooters out there happy to fill you in. And if you don’t get the shot at first, then adjust your set up and keep going back until you do.

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robras

Lion eats jewels

Behind The Lens

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