DSC_4231_2_3_tonemapped
Feb, 2015Views
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People's Choice in A whole new level of graffiti Photo Challenge
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at about 2pm on a cloudy day in downtown Johannesburg. This part of Johannesburg is part of a cultural precinct that has seen some revival in terms of buildings that have been renovated, market places that have been converted into theaters and an old electricity power station that's been converted into a conference centre and museum. This building is situated underneath a double decker highway, with most of the supporting pillars and surrounding buildings having received a treatment of glorious artwork in the form of illustrious graffiti.Time
I met up with a few friends who were very keen to explore the graffiti scene. I was just as excited as I missed a golden opportunity about a month prior due to other commitments. I remember the mood being solemn as we all arrived. The chances were good that we would have to cancel the shoot due to persistent soft falling rain. We decided to not let the inclement weather get the better of us and decided to push ahead anyway. Because of the fact that a lot of the buildings that had graffiti painted on it, were situated underneath the double decker highway, the rain did not affect us that much and we were free to shoot some of thee most glorious scenes through the course of the afternoon.Lighting
I wanted all my images, including this one, to literally pop right out of the screen. With the graffiti being so bright, there were scenes that had to be toned down. What really helped with the less bright scenes, was that it was cloudy, so post production work could come into good effect and allow me to edit to my hearts' content. I shot all my photos on 3 step bracketing allowing all areas of the scene to step right out of the scene and greet the viewer in the most lucid of ways.Equipment
I used my Nikon D5100 coupled to a Nikkor 18-200mm F./3.5-5.6 lens. No tripod was needed as there was enough daylight to evenly light the scene.Inspiration
Graffiti inspired us. The bright graffiti painted onto dull structures is a real draw card. It was also the opportunity to try something new and get the bright colours living and transfer that to the eyes of my wide audience who was looking at me to shoot something different from the usual. It's even gone as far as one of my clients wanting to use the same location for me to shoot photos of his imported pedigree dogs. So, watch this space!!Editing
Yes I did and I used a combination of Lightroom and Photomatix. Having shot in brackets I first imported into lightroom and then exported to Photomatix, to process there first, and then back to lightroom to do the final editing.In my camera bag
I travel very light with one Nikon D5100 and a Nikkor 18-200mm F./3.5-5.6 lens as well as a Nikon Coolpix P7100. Besides that a Hahnel tripod for when the light gets low and a Nissin Di866 Mark II Professional flash for when the light completely disappears.Feedback
Get out there. I'm sure every city has it's own graffiti "hot-spots". Make sure you are prepared for inclement weather by packing a raincoat for your camera. Be prepared to get down on your knees for some shots and always carry your tripod. You don't want to get caught having to shoot at high ISO when the light gets low and end up having to doctor the shot just to get rid of noise. Look beyond the visible....look at street signs and see how they tie in to what you are photographing. Down town always has plenty photo opportunities. Also, make sure you have some form of security with you. One can never be guaranteed that the area will always be safe, no matter where in the world you are. Apart from that, have fun and enjoy!!!
