Eiffel Tower
May, 2014Views
453
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in Paris Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Great Find
Outstanding Creativity
Exceptional Contrast
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 2Top 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Paris France while walking down the Avenue of New York. I was specifically trying to frame the picture when I can upon this group of trees that worked beautifully with the canal boats on the water.Time
We were on a day trip to Paris with our daughter and her family so this was early afternoon or so.Lighting
Very overcast day - no sun to speak of. Clouds were just shades of gray. Fortunately no rain which had been drenching the city the previous day.Equipment
No tripod as we were walking. Canon EOS 5D Mark II with the EF24-105mm f/4. I increased the ISO to 400 since the day was so gloomy. Fairly wide at 28 mm and wanted as much sharpness in the water so very fast shutter speed 1/1500 sec at f8.Inspiration
Trying to get a unique view of the Eiffel Tower as we walked. You cannot go to Paris and not get a picture of this landmark and a photo for our memory book of this trip.Editing
In Lightroom5 I created two virtual copies of the photo. One lighter and one darker leaving the original with mid tones. I then processed all three in Photomatix Pro to create a tone mapped HDR to bring out the clouds and add more depth to the tower. Back to Lightroom where I converted it to a B&W as the day was already gray, added a bit more contrast, clarity and sharpening before outputting the photo.In my camera bag
I travel with my Canon 5D Mark III with various lens. The 24-105mm is my all around walk about lens that I use 80% of the time. I also carry a Canon 17-40mm for wide angle and the Canon 28-300mm for long shots. My tripod is a Gitzo GT1541T travel tripod that is very light and a Really Right Stuff Ballhead and L-clamp. My travel flash is the Canon Speedlite 320ExII as it is light and it also doubles as a movie light. For quick shots I use the Lumix DMC-LX7 or my Olympus Pen E-P3 micro four thirds with a 14-150mm lens. Lens cleaning kit, flash light, bubble, spare CF cards packed in my Think Tank bag.Feedback
When traveling you don't always have the opportunity to take pictures at the best time of day so my camera is always in my hand. In a city like Paris you want to give the photo something more than just a flat image - add interesting elements to your picture that tells a story and brings back memories to you. This trip was an amazing experience with my daughter and her family - the youngest was just 10 months and they carried her on their backs the whole time. We had just walked up the two levels in the Eiffel Tower and this picture makes me think "Wow", that was quite a hike. Lovely memories of a fantastic trip.
