Flip

Architecture, Whsitler, Canada

Canon EOS 500D

settings

Aperture f/7.1 ISO 100 Shutter 1/50 Focal Length 125/1

upload_date

Mar, 2015

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Behind The Lens

Location

I was walking up to Lost Lake in Whistler, BC, Canada to take some photos of the frozen lake when the footpath took me past some apartments on the outskirts of town. The symmetry of the buildings distracted me from the impressive mountain views and brought me back down to Earth. Everyone was out skiing by this time of day so I didn't have to worry about any people in the shot so i found the best place on the path to frame the buildings and took the shot.

Time

It was around 10am and I had just walked up a pretty long hill at altitude so I had to wait for my breath to recover so I could keep the camera steady. I also didn't want to cloud up the lens with my breathing because it was -10C and I was very grateful for my fingerless gloves.

Lighting

It was a very grey day when I took this shot so the sun was acting like a huge light source in a massive soft box of clouds. I remember reading in a book that if the sky is boring (plain grey this day) then take photos without the sky included.

Equipment

I used a hand-held Canon EOS 500D with a 70-300mm f4.0-5.6 zoom lens.

Inspiration

Whistler is well-known for it's skiing and it's excellent snow conditions. But to get snow, you need clouds (lots of them!) and this shot was taken on a particularly grey day. It was snowing on the mountain but I was determined to go out and try to get some great shots regardless of the mist and cloud. Even though it wasn't considered a good day for photos, the weather challenged me to look for something different.

Editing

I used Photoshop to do a little sharpening and colour boosting then cropped to get a better composition.

In my camera bag

I normally do more event photography than outdoor photos so I have my Canon 500d and my Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens with me, along with a 50mm f1.8 Canon prime lens. But while I was on holiday I swapped the expensive 200mm zoom for my 300mm kit lens.

Feedback

To start with I'd say that if you look outside at the weather and think it's not a good day for photographs then think again. Mildly adverse conditions force you to think harder about your shots and open your eyes more because the easy shots are just not available. I'm a self-taught photographer and find that one of the best ways to develop is to challenge myself because out of the mist and greyness, you can find a shot that your really proud of taking.

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Flip

Flip

Architecture, Whsitler, Canada

Behind The Lens

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