Gateway to the West
The Gateway to the West, the St Louis Arch, located on the Mississippi River, in downtown St Louis, Missouri.
The Gateway to the West, the St Louis Arch, located on the Mississippi River, in downtown St Louis, Missouri.
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Aug, 2014Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Superior Skill
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at Gateway Arch National park in downtown St Louis MO, one of the most iconic spots in the city. The park around the Arch is actually pretty big and offers plenty of places to photograph the Arch, the Mississippi River, and the downtown STL skyline. For this shot I was on the west side of the park facing east towards the Arch, l was laying flat on my back in what turned out to be a icy puddle in order to get it framed the way I wanted it.Time
It was late afternoon in December. It was the absolute perfect time of day and year to be there.Lighting
Since it was later afternoon in December the sun was already dipping towards the horizon and reflecting beautifully off the Arch. This version of course is black and white, but in the original version, the light reflecting off was a bright gold that contrasted very nicely with the perfect blue of a late December sky in the Midwest.Equipment
I was still very new to photography at the time and didn't have a whole of options when it came to equipment. This was shot on a Nikon D5100 with a 55mm prime lens. Other than that I used no other photography equipment to capture this shot.Inspiration
Most of the time, shots of the Arch look very similar, capturing it from the same angles or framing it the same way. I wanted to capture it as uniquely as possible. So I found a spot where I could lay down(sure it was in a icy puddle, but it was only freezing for a moment before I was too numb to feel it) andEditing
As I mentioned, at the time, I was still very new to photography and even newer to editing. The only thing I really did to this shot was changing it to black and white and playing around with the various color channels to make that happen.In my camera bag
My bag has greatly evolved since I took this shot. My go to camera for the last 5 years has been my Nikon D750. The lens selection has changed a bit over the years, I'm currently regularly packing a Nikkor 24-70mm 1:2.8G and a Nikkor 200-500mm 1:5.6E. I have found that what I usually end up photographing, these lens will serve me well. I also have several prime lenses that I will pack along if I feel I need more variety. A SB-700 speedlight along with a SU-800 commander make up my typical lighting equipment. And then there's a variety of odds and ends; SD cards, batteries, gaff tape, a gerber multitool, etc that goes into my bag. Depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing, for a bag I flipflop between a GoRuck GR1 Shooter, a North Face Recon bag, or a Maxpedition Mongo shoulder bag.Feedback
Something like the Arch has been photographed innumerable times. Try to look for something unique instead of the same general shot that every tourist goes for. Train your eye to look for angles that aren't typically taken. And don't be afraid to go off the beaten path to take that shot.
