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There's this fun tunnel that has these lights pointing up and opens up onto a rebuilt rustic china town. Finally managed to drag some friends over at an unsocia...
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There's this fun tunnel that has these lights pointing up and opens up onto a rebuilt rustic china town. Finally managed to drag some friends over at an unsociable hour to take quiet pictures with an off-camera light.
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Feb, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this picture in the archway under the Ningbo Drum Tower. The archway is still there, but the shops behind have all changed since then. It was actually a favour for a friend that wanted a picture of him and his then girlfriend and now wife.Time
I'd consider this the dead of night for the city I live in. It was somewhere around 10pm after a dinner at a nearby restaurant. I'd lugged the gear in a small backpack, lightstand sticking out of the top. I think the waiters were all looking at me a little weird.Lighting
This was one of my first outdoor shoots where I learnt why I should've bought a sandbag. The background is all the local lights, but the key light on the subject was a YN565 shot through a no-name white umbrella on TTL, camera left. Right after this shot, the wind caught in the umbrella. Luckily, it fell flat and only bent a few ribs, the flash still works.Equipment
Shot with a Canon 500D handheld. The saving grace was a 16-35mm F2.8II lens. The light was a mix of ambient and one YN565 in TTL on a Lumopro travel lightstand. The flash commander was a 580EX2 on camera that didn't change the exposure.Inspiration
A request from a friend to get a nice picture of him and his then girlfriend. Since I'd recently bought the lightstand, I also took it as a chance to play a little.Editing
As it was shot raw, the usual white balancing, a few contrast tweeks and some noise reduction, but the rest is straight out of the camera.In my camera bag
As my other day job has kept me busier, my bag is usually packed according to my trips. One thing I don't carry as often is the lightstand these days. I've also upgraded to a Canon 6D since this picture. My bag today usually involves my camera, 2 flashes, a 16-35II and 24-105, a clamps, some gaffers tape and plenty of spare batteries and memory cards.Feedback
Make sure to weigh down your lightstand or bring a friend to act as your VAC (voice activated lightstand). Otherwise, it's just to keep your eyes open for shapes that can act as good frames for your subjects. Also, having crazy friends that are game to going out and being models at 10pm until 1am pays off. I'll tell you that there's a lot less foot traffic at those hours, even at a tourist hotspot.
