gordonfollett

Winter Lights at Bowring Park

This was shot on a calm night during a fresh snowfall, which allowed the snow to stick to the tree branches. As a result the colours from the lights created a w...
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This was shot on a calm night during a fresh snowfall, which allowed the snow to stick to the tree branches. As a result the colours from the lights created a winter wonderland. This was shot at Bowring Park St. john's Newfoundland Canada.
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NIKON D7100

settings

Aperture f/13 ISO 100 Shutter 30/1 Focal Length 100/10

upload_date

Jan, 2016

Views

440

Likes

+32

Awards

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Creative Winter Award

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Member Selection Award

Great Shot

Absolute Masterpiece

+18

Top Choice

+14

Superb Composition

+10

Outstanding Creativity

Peer Award

Magnificent Capture

All Star

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was shot at Bowring Park Newfoundland, Canada. One of my favourite places during winter and summer.

Time

I work until 11:45 pm. I take my camera with me just in cast I get the urge to do some night photography when I get off. On December 28th, 2015 I just got off work. The air was still and the snow was falling steady. The conditions were perfect for shooting Bowring Park's Christmas lights.

Lighting

The key to the light in this scene was not the Christmas lights, it was the snow. I waited for a fresh snowfall and very little wind. It had to be the type of snow that stuck to the tree branches. The Christmas lights and it's colours reflect on the snow creating some beautiful light on the trees. Take the snow from the tree branches and you will not have the same effect. Also, you would not see the white branches in the reflection on the water. Patience, timing and snow on the branches are the key to the light in this scene.

Equipment

For this shot I used a Nikon D7100 with a Nikkor 10-24mm lense on a tripod.

Inspiration

As a kid growing up in Newfoundland, Christmas was my favourite time of year. Like most kids I loved snow, especially a fresh snowfall when the snow has yet to be disturbed. Add Christmas lights to that and you have what was a magical scene for me as a kid. Bowring Park and it's Christmas lights remind me of those times as a kid. I waited for a night when there was a fresh snowfall so I could recreate a magical scene of those times. Bowring Park is my Winter Wonderland, as it is for many from Newfoundland.

Editing

I did not spend too much time processing this photo. This was one exposure at 30 seconds. The long exposure and the Christmas lights created a glow with vibrant colours on the snow. Fortunately most of the beauty was already in the original Raw file. I did use lightroom for enhancing some colour, lightening shadows and brightened highlights. I used a brush to slightly enhance the reflection on the water. My last steps were to bring the photo into photoshop. I used photoshop to remove some unwanted light flares and a bit of sharpening. That's it.

In my camera bag

At the moment my two main lenses are a Nikkor 10-24mm and Rokinon 14mm F2.8. I have the Rokinon for when I upgrade to a full frame camera in the near future. I still use the Nikkor 10-24mm when I have issues framing a shot with the Rokinon. I also carry Wonderpana filters which are used for the Rokinon only. My camera is a Nikon D7100.

Feedback

Winter shots are some of my favourite scenes. If you want to shoot something similar, nighttime in the winter can be a great time to create a magical winter scene. Keep an eye on the weather forecast. Look for low winds and snow in the forecast. You want low winds so the snow stays on the tree branches allowing you to capture beautiful light on the trees. Look for something interesting in the foreground that will glow from the light. The bushes in this photo are a good example as they are covered in snow and are now a great reflector for light. Long exposures are an obvious thing to do for night photography. Shoot on low ISO as the longer exposures you shoot the more noise will be introduced into the photo. Try taking different exposures until you get the light you want. I shot this one at 30 seconds. I shot 6 different exposures until I settled on this one. The key to a shot like this is having patience to wait until the conditions are favourable for the light and snow.

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gordonfollett

gordonfollett

Winter Lights at Bowring Park

This was shot on a calm night during a fresh snowfall, which allowed the snow to stick to the tree branches. As a result the colours from the lights created a w... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow gordonfollett

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This was shot on a calm night during a fresh snowfall, which allowed the snow to stick to the tree branches. As a result the colours from the lights created a w...
Read more

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