jeffcooneyphoto
FollowViews
2091
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award
Featured
Contest Finalist in Playing With Symmetry Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Classical Architecture Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Genius
Top Ranks
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This is directly beneath the Arc Du Triomphe in Paris, France.Time
This shot was taken on a Friday afternoon while on vacation.Lighting
Nothing special about the lighting. This is a 3-shot HDR so lighting doesn't matter as much in this scenario.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon d90 with a Sigma 10-20mm lens. This was taken while on a tripod placed as close to the center beneath the arch as I could get. I then spread out the tripod as low as it would go and opened up the lens to 10mm to get as wide a perspective as possible. Finally, set up the camera to fire with a remote to remove the chance for camera shake.Inspiration
I knew I wasn't going to get a shot of the Arc Du Triomphe that I would like with construction that was going on around it at the time so I looked for a more unique angle. I'm a sucker for symmetry and geometric patterns so the ceiling looked very interesting to me.Editing
This is a HDR composite shot processed in Photomatix using the default sliders increasing the contrast and clarity.In my camera bag
I've since switched to Sony so I use a Sony a7rII with a 55mm 1/8 lens attached.Feedback
I try to get a bit ODC and look three times in camera before taking a shot that I want symmetrical. First, line up your subject initially and fill the frame. Second, look at all of the straight lines and make sure they are as close to vertical or horizontal as possible then use those lines to judge whether you have the same "amount" of the structure on either side of the lines. Finally, look for any distracting elements (either in the subject or background). Sometimes you can reframe your shot to keep the symmetry intact but remove those elements. Thankfully there is always cropping and cloning in post if needed.