Pump Station
Old water pumping plant.
Old water pumping plant.
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May, 2015Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award
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Contest Finalist in Black and White Mysteries Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at the old Columbia, SC city-water-pumping station. It pumped water from the Columbia Canal to the water purification tanks. This system provided water to at least 150,000 residences. I love old machinery and this fit the bill!Time
I had just gotten my new Canon camera and wanted to to put it through the paces. So I headed out to the Columbia Canal, one of my favorite places, and arrived early afternoon. I wasn't too concerned about the time of day since this photo was to be taken inside.Lighting
There was enough lighting coming through the windows that caused the ambient light to be just right for what I wanted: to express the age of the pipes. While some the lights from the windows were "blown out" this gave the overall capture a sort of ethereal look.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon EOS 6D camera using a Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L lens supported by a Manfrotto tripod using a Giotto head.Inspiration
I like mechanical things and this old pump station really had all the elements I was looking for: The rusty old pipes; the eye leading lines of the pipes that subconsciously lead the eye through the capture and the lighting giving that surreal flavor.Editing
A capture of this type almost always needs post processing. This was taken as a bracketed exposure of seven images. I transferred these images into Photomatix Pro and processed. I then took the resulting image into Adobe Lightroom and adjusted the exposure, hue, tone and contrast. Then I sent the image to Adobe Photoshop to adjust the whites and blacks and then to Topaz DeNoise AI. With all the processing the image gets pretty noisy. After all that I removed all the color to make it a black and white image.In my camera bag
I love my gadget bag and probably have too many things in there. I now have a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with three main lenses: Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L, EF 17-40mm f4L and my pride and joy my Canon EF 70-200 f2.8L IS III. I usually carry my 70-200 in a separate bag. Also included are batteries, a flash, lens shades and remote timers.Feedback
The main thing is to take your time if possible and survey the surroundings to make sure you get the optimal shot with the optimal lighting. If these conditions aren't what you want, come back when they are right. You will be rewarded for your patience. Save up and get yourself some decent lenses and Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom; these two applications will greatly enhance your photography. Now, you can have these apps for a nominal yearly fee which is much better than forking over $800.00 to buy. Most of all, please have fun!
