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Apollo oversees Theseus's triumph

J. F. Archibald Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park, Sydney.

J. F. Archibald Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park, Sydney.
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NIKON D700

settings

Aperture f/20 ISO 100 Shutter 250/10 Focal Length 460/10

upload_date

Apr, 2016

Views

200

Likes

+21

Awards

Action Award

Zenith Award

Creative Winter Award

Legendary Award

Spring Selection Award

Top Choice

+21

Absolute Masterpiece

+12

Outstanding Creativity

+11

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photograph is of Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park, Sydney. It was during the festival of light, named Vivid; that explains the beautiful light. The sculpture features Apollo at the top and Theseus & the minotaur below.

Time

The festival of light is a night time event. This was taken at about 8:00pm on a clear night.

Lighting

The light was the fountain's. The challenge was to find an exposure that would give the water a smooth flow without over exposing the image. The silhouettes of the sculptures needed to be as crisp possible given that they were set in strong water jets. So the photograph called for a small aperture with generous depth of field. Of course, no flash.

Equipment

I used a Nikon D700 because its pixel pitch is large. The lens was a zoom at 46mm focal length. Exposure was 25sec at f20. A tripod was necessary.

Inspiration

The story behind the fountain has always inspired me. I had to grab the rare opportunity to photograph it in a one-off light event. I have never seen any photo of this sculpture & fountain in this light.

Editing

The photograph was converted into black & white by a photo editor. But with the generous latitude from the camera's sensor, I did not have to enhance shadows or reduce highlights. The darkness of the night will have been deepened, that's all.

In my camera bag

I carry one of two bodies. A light Nikon Df with a prime 50mm for street or a Nikon D810 with a 24-70 f2.8 otherwise. I usually carry a polarizing filter and take a tripod if there's going to be low light. While I seldom take a 70-200mm zoom, it has served me well on account of its superb glass.

Feedback

Look for beautifully lit sculptures early evening and expose on tripod with small apertures. Use raw so that the colour temperature can be set accurately in post, if you can, else set white balance carefully

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eddyf

eddyf

Apollo oversees Theseus's triumph

J. F. Archibald Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park, Sydney.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow eddyf

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