West Lake Hangzhou
Boats on West Lake, Hangzhou in the evening.This is part of a World Heritage Site.
Boats on West Lake, Hangzhou in the evening.This is part of a World Heritage Site.
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Jul, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken at West Lake, Hangzhou, China. The lake is right on the edge of the city with large international hotels along one edge.Time
The day was passing quite quickly since it was autumn. The sun was about to set at 6pm so this shot was time critical at about one hour before sunset.Lighting
The lighting was slightly diffused due to a slight haze over the scene. Shooting straight into the sun like this is a bit of a gamble and a little haze helps keep the lighting a bit more balanced than otherwise. It does not always work!Equipment
This was shot on a Canon EOS5D MKll fitted with the Canon 50mm F1.8 lens set to1/1000sec F4.5. The camera was hand held.Inspiration
The pergola and boat backlit made a visually impressive scene. It was a bit of a longshot but sometimes unusual lighting does not result in a disaster.Editing
I have to admit that this type of shot requires a lot of post processing. One layer for the sky and one for the subject. Just taking the photo is the least of the skills needed!In my camera bag
On a foreign country photoshoot my bag would contain everything needed photography wise, even a spare pair of socks! If the opportunity was there to leave the charger and cleaning cloths in the hotel, my bag would contain 135mm and 35mm prime lens, spare battery and a memory card or two.Feedback
Backlit shots are very time critical and affected by weather conditions. I have revisited this spot and have never been able to recreate the effect. The time of year, time of day and weather are so important.
