Super Computer
Network lines in a super computer.
Network lines in a super computer.
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Mar, 2013Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia. This was taken in the lab's Supercomputer—a 503 TFlops (trillion floating-point operations per second) behemoth that's used to accelerate energy analysis simulations. This photo is a shot of network and power cables accessible in the rear of the server racks.Time
This was taken indoors, with no windows, so time of day didn't have much bearing on the final outcome. It was taken in the afternoon.Lighting
Lighting seemed to be a secondary consideration when they built the Supercomputer, especially in this particular section of it. Not to mention all the cables that run along the ceiling, blocking what light there actually is. Time to bust out the flash...Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 50D and a Sigma 10mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. I also used a Canon Speedlite 580EX II. No tripod was used, this was a handheld shot.Inspiration
I had been shooting the Supercomputer for about an hour using a different lens and I was about ready to call it a day. As I was leaving, I turned around and saw the ridiculous amount of blinking lights, cables, and server racks that you see in the photo. I considered shooting a panoramic photo (which I'd later have to stitch in Photoshop) but I suddenly remembered I had brought along the fisheye lens. Perfect! I threw the fisheye on the 50D and took two quick shots. That was it, I knew I had just taken the shot that really defined this mammoth piece of high tech machinery.Editing
I do most of my photo processing using Adobe Lightroom, and this one was no different. I actually really loved the effect the fisheye lens had on the photo, so I didn't do any lens corrections. The photo didn't need much in the way of processing. The only adjustments I made in Lightroom were clarity, contrast and I added a bit of saturation and vibrance.In my camera bag
I used to carry a Canon 5D Mark II and/or a Canon 50D, but recently made the jump to the Sony A7R. I do a lot of photography while traveling, so my goal is to be as flexible as possible. I definitely always have the Sony 16mm pancake lens in my bag, because it's tiny, light as a feather, and comes in very handy when the need for a wide angle lens arises. One thing I'm really enjoying about the A7R is the ability to use existing lenses meant for other cameras via the use of an adapter. So I can really switch up what's in my camera bag depending on the subject matter I'll be shooting. Do I need a versatile lens? No problem, I could use the Canon 24-70mm. Do I need an ultra wide angle lens? Throw the Sigma 10mm fisheye in there. Am I shooting portraits? I can throw a Canon 70-200mm in the bag or maybe even go super old-school and use the old Minolta 70-210 "beercan" lens. It's honestly a lot of fun, and a lot of the old Minolta A mount glass can be picked up for a low price on eBay or even amazon.com. Other than that, I throw as many fresh batteries as I can in the bag (the A7R eats batteries), a few SD cards, a flash (if I know I'll be needing it) and a cloth to make sure my lenses stay clean.Feedback
This shot really demanded as wide a lens as possible, especially considering the cramped quarters. I'd suggest if you know going in that your subject matter is going to be something fairly large, make sure you bring along a nice, wide lens. If you have a fisheye, bring it! I was also very happy that I had a good flash with me (not on-camera flash, but an actual, external flash). The subject in this photo was a pretty large machine, and using a flash allowed me to properly light it as well as the entire room it was housed in. For composition, it seemed like a low angle really helped to emphasize the enormity of the Supercomputer. Shooting large objects from a low angle is a fairly common piece of advice, but it really did apply here. I'd also say if you get the chance to shoot high tech equipment such as this, don't be afraid to take some crazy, abstract shots. You can shoot close-ups of lights, cables, buttons, etc. You never know when those shots could come in handy!
