Egypt 1
May, 2013Views
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Staff Winter Selection 2015
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is the Tarra Warra Museum Of Art near Healesville in country Victoria, Australia. It is a gallery that displays local and international artists, rotating on a regular basis. The building itself is impressive, which led me to photograph it for a Photoshop project. It took a little patience to photograph the building with no visitors visible.Time
The image was taken at about 2pm , and in summer (important fact for lower climates).Lighting
I was interested in the high contrast between the bright pillars and the shadows they cast. Some of the lighting was done in Photoshop, however I try to get as much in the camera as I can from the start. Very high contrast is always a problem when trying to get an accurate rendition, yet sometimes the abstract-ness of what comes out can be a plus.Equipment
I used a Nikon D3200 with a Sigma 10-20 lens @10mm, no data for the settings. Hand held, so probably around 1/100, f8.Inspiration
This image was only one of about 50 taken at this site, the many aspects of the shape of the building really lending itself to a wide range of options. It has long tall walls, sweeping curves, the pillared courtyard, vineyard, gardens... I liked the unusual placement of the pillars, the starkness of the concrete, and how it reminded me vaguely of the pharaohs tombs in Egypt.Editing
The image is Photoshopped, a process I use in nearly everything I produce. Most photos I take are seen with this transformation in mind. The original photo is sometimes a bare canvas for me to lay a fantasy or abstract over, sometimes leaving the original obscure, sometimes enhancing it.In my camera bag
I have a very limited bag. One body, my Nikon D3200, because it has high megapixals, and the Sigma 10-20 for the way it distorts at wide angle. A sturdy Manfrotto tripod is a must for long shots, night work, or multiple images that will have to be overlaid together later.Feedback
I would recommend trying very wide angle if you have not gone there before, for the distortion it produces. Even something like a seascape can become wildly different by moving the flat horizon to the top or bottom of the frame. Change your camera angles, take recognizable objects and see them in unusual ways. Go high, go low, go crooked, have fun. The big thing nowadays is it is Digital. You cannot waste film like when I was a kid. Pick a subject, photograph it in as many ways as you can think of.
