GafapastaPhotography
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Lago Titicaca
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture on the top of the Cerro Calvario, a small mountain north east of Copacabana, Bolivia, on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It's only a small hike from the city center, but the altitude makes it an exhausting exercise.Time
We hiked up the mountain when the sun started setting so we were a little too late to get pictures of the sunset (which wasn't great anyway due to the weather). Instead, blue hour was in full swing when we reached the top. The hike back down was a little tricky but we were prepared and had brought a flashlight.Lighting
I was a little disappointed about missing the sunset, but the combination of the lovely blue light and the yellow street lamps in the town down below are what makes this picture special to me.Equipment
This was shot with a Sony A55 using the 18-55 mm kit lens. I mounted the camera on a small pocket tripod.Inspiration
Initially I wanted to take pictures of the sunset over the lake from the top of the mountain. Unfortunately we were a little too late and the sun had already set and all that was left was a really calming blue light. When I turned around I realized that the blue light and the dots of yellow and orange light from the street lamps made for a really nice combination.Editing
I did some very basic post-processing on this picture. I only slightly adjusted the curves and the contrast.In my camera bag
I am an amateur photographer and don't have a lot of equipment. On the trip where I shot this particular picture we were backpacking and I only brought the camera with the kit lens and a 70-300 mm zoom lens (which I kind of regretted halfway through the trip due to the weight of the lens). When I pack lightly I also usually bring a small pocket tripod for when I need to use longer exposure times. Often you will find something where you can put the tripod on so a full blown tripod is not needed. I also have a circ-pol filter and a 9 stop ND filter in my bag.Feedback
You just have to be at the right pace at the right time. For pictures like this one timing is most of the work, as you want to shoot right after sunset, when there still is some natural light.