Fort Niagara Door
This door dates back to the late 1600s when Fort Niagara was built by the French. Although not called Fort Niagara at the time, the fort didn't get its final ...
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This door dates back to the late 1600s when Fort Niagara was built by the French. Although not called Fort Niagara at the time, the fort didn't get its final name until the British ousted the French back in the 1700s. You can see the rough hewn wood on the panels of the door, as if it had just been chiseled down from a tree trunk. The simplicity of the door is its beauty. I can almost hear the tree being axed down, carved and chiseled into pieces to made into something that man needed to survive the cold winters off Lake Ontario in Upper New York.
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Feb, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This door was the entranceway to the barracks at Fort Niagara in Upper State New York. This fort switched back and forth between England and the United States until the United States finally managed to keep control.Time
This image was taken several years ago around mid-morning which gave the really nice shadows around the door. It is one of my favorite photos of the Fort Niagara as the lighting gives the “feel” of the rough texture of the door built back when men only used axes and knives.Lighting
The best time for me to take images is before the sun is at its height in the sky. By shooting during the earlier hours of the day, one can get really nice shadows that help to give definition to an image.Equipment
I used a Canon 60D with a Tamron telephoto 24mm-75mm lens. This was a hand-held shot using a ISO of 3500 so I wouldn’t have to use a flash. Taken from the interior of the building, I had to deal with conflicting light issues, I.e. the darkness of the room and brightness of the sun hitting the door.Inspiration
I love to take photos of “old” items and try to bring out their history or story. This door seemed to shout history, with it’s rough hewn panels and pounded hinges.Editing
This image was shot in RAW. I manipulated the lighting a bit to tone down the harsh sunlight so it would balance with the interior darkness. In addition, working in Lightroom, I added clarity to bring out the texture of the door.In my camera bag
I don’t usually carry a lot in my bag. At most, depending on what I am hunting to shoot, I carry two lenses; a 14-75mm and a 55 to 300mm lens. Since I am in no rush to take shots as I am mostly about landscapes and artifacts, I have no reason to carry more than one camera body. In addition, I also have a monopod attached to my bag for those shots where it can be difficult to get a clear shot at a low setting without camera shake. It is always a good idea to have an airbrush, lens wipes and extra batteries/media cards, too.Feedback
Before I settled on this shot, I looked at it from many angles until I ‘saw” what I wanted to capture. To me the difference between a picture and a photo is that a picture is simply shot without any forethought. A photo is planned out to a certain extent, looked at from different angles, and only snapping the image when all falls into place for me. The most important thing to remember is to really LOOK at what you want to shoot and then decide what you want to capture. Is it texture, color, light, emotion? That is how I take my pictures.
