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St. Pauls At Night
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St. Pauls At Night



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Love the colour in this photo. Taken looking across the Millenium bridge towards St. Paul's on a very still night.

Love the colour in this photo. Taken looking across the Millenium bridge towards St. Paul's on a very still night.
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cameraCanon EOS 1100D

settings Aperture f/9 ISO 800 Shutter 4/1 Focal Length 50/1 

upload_dateMay, 2016

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2410

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1 Comment |
ovosphotography
 
ovosphotography September 08, 2016
nice!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#50mm #Canon 1100 #eos #St. Pauls #blue #bridges #cathedral #london #night
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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken from the South Bank of the Thames, on the Millennium Bridge looking towards St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England.

Time

We'd spent the majority of the day in Greenwich Park but stopped for a drink at the Globe Theatre on the way back to the hotel. We decided to walk back to the hotel which presented this opportunity. Being 11:05 at night, London is pretty much a ghost town apart from the main thoroughfares, and with this photo being taken on a Tuesday (30th Sept 14), not many late night revellers were about apart from the couple framed centrally at the peak of the bridge.

Lighting

Being Autumn, the naturally overcast, block of cloud isn't something most photographers like, but I think it adds something to this picture which we don't normally appreciate, that blandness can be useful. I loved the way the spotlights which appear to be from the bridge, are actually on the roof of the Cathedral. The blue from the bridge cools the image for me, but when friends have looked at it, they have commented that it warms the image. I like the way people are taking different elements from the image.

Equipment

For this shot, I used what was at the time, my standard equipment; Canon 1100D, Hama traveller light tripod. As this was a night shot, I needed as much light as possible, so I used the best of what I had - the Canon nifty-fifty (50mm f1.8) set to f9, 4s exposure with a remote trigger. I had to dial up the ISO to a point where it didn't get too grainy, so had a couple of test-shots at 400, but it didn't give me what I wanted, so cranked it to 800 which was as far as I dared go!

Inspiration

The inspiration for this photo was a memory. My parents took me and my brother to London when we were young, where we walked round the Whisperer's Gallery inside St. Paul's. I've always had a love for domes and columns, maybe it comes from this childhood trip. For years I had no desire to go back to London until I started shooting film locations (post-movie release), this particular bridge has been used in many films, most notably the opening sequence of Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. Combining the two, it was too good an opportunity to miss while walking through the deserted city.

Editing

It's terrible to admit this, but I have no time for editing!! No post-processing at all on this image. I was taking both Raw & Jpeg files at the time, what you see here is the jpeg. I attended a Colin Prior Landscape Photography course in 2012 where I learned that sometimes, if you know your subject, your equipment and what you really want, then if you achieve that, then editing isn't always required. Subsequently, there are some photos I have which could definitely be improved, but I really need to learn how to use Lightroom properly while not relying on it. I'd prefer to be more natural - if it's right, well done, if not - try again.

In my camera bag

Things have moved on significantly since this was taken. Nowadays I use a Canon 5D MkIII, 17-40mm f4, 24-105mm f4, 70-200mm f4, still got the nifty-fifty. I've learned that the glass is more important in terms of image, but moving (slowly) towards prime lenses is a step which is inevitable. Not changed the tripod, still using the Hama traveller light (great buy on Amazon - other providers available) as it's great value for money, light and portable. One more item I've learned to use more is the iPhone. This is an invaluable tool when paired with the right App, such as sunrise/sunset timers, stellar trackers etc. something everyone should consider.

Feedback

Advice for others? Never stop taking photos! It's a journey, on which we never stop learning. Sometimes the preferences of some, such as not having bland backgrounds, don't always work in an image. Think about what you want to capture, try to create the image in your mind, think about your equipment and it's limitations, then practice taking your image. With digital, sometimes we get it wrong, so I'd always suggest adjusting and re-taking, if you have the memory space available. Look for leading lines, distinct and recognisable primary subjects, vibrancy of colour, or contrasts of light and shade. Last item of equipment you'll need is a tripod with a shutter release mechanism - it's your best friend for shooting long exposures, so don't leave home without it! Finally, always remember, if you like it, that's what really matters.

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