ToadsInTheHole
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken at La Rochelle in France from the top of one of the harbour towersTime
It was 11:48 just as people were starting to gather for lunchLighting
It was a fairly overcast day, that actually helps as it prevents the extremely hard midday light from being too overpoweringEquipment
I used my trusty Canon 20D with the very useful 17-85 EFs lensInspiration
I was fascinated by the way people were getting on with their own business and I wanted to capture the sense of activity, but, being popular with tourists and also the fact it is nearly time for lunch there was a relaxed feel about the activity and few people were actually rushing aroundEditing
Yes indeed, I love the feel of tilt-shift as it does create feel of an alternate reality and with this shot I felt it would work well. The effect can be achieved very easily in Photoshop by simply creating a lens blur layer with a graduated mask plus an adjustment layer pushing the contrast to just beyond sensible. For me it seemed to accentuate the calm activity of the scene below meIn my camera bag
I will either have my Canon 20D or 40D plus my 17-85mm and 50mm 1.8. I love the nifty fifty as it is a sharp lens with lots of creative control and the 17-85 is a good workhorse lens. If I am out for a full on city day or long walks in particular hitting the hills and mountains I will take my little Canon EOS-m which is a fab little travel companion. I do occasionally take a Sigma 70-200 or my other favourite lens the Canon 85mm 1.8, but, I tend to know I am going to need those lenses specifically.Feedback
This type of shot is really fun, the trick to them though to to find somewhere that has lots of detail and people and a vantage point that gives the impression that the photographer is in an impossible position to normally take the shot. In this instance I hoped I gave the impression of flying over the water looking back into the scene. Try and take advantage where the light is a bit flat and the even lighting really helps, you can always warm the tones of the image to lift the mood to be more summer like.