minifa
Aug, 2015Views
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Awards
Summer 2020
Outstanding Creativity
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Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
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Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken near Salzburg when I was wandering around the city with my girlfriend searching for a nice view of the castle. We have instead found this nice passage on the hills guarded by a long concrete wall. At one point on the top of the wall there was this small tree growing in a tiny slit.Time
This photo was taken around noon. The light was perfect, so I didn't even need a tripod for the shot.Lighting
I was disappointed by the burst of sunshine that ruined the entire sky above the castle that I wanted to shoot, but the passage led us into a small forest, so the scene was a bit shady, but at the same time was illuminated enough with gentle light.Equipment
This was shot by a Nikon d600 with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 prime lens; nothing else.Inspiration
It was like an accident. I walked by this little tree, almost missing it, then I decided to take some time and try out a few things with the lens that I bought shortly before the trip. I wanted to shoot a macro, (I had a long focus lens deployed, since I wanted to shoot the castle at the other side the river), but I was not happy with the initial results, so I chose to leave the subject. I was so disappointed with trying to make a photo of the castle from this remote site, that I changed my lenses and took the 50mm prime. I couldn't leave the subject, the colors were so vibrant and clean, I finally wanted a shallow depth of field shot...Editing
As this one is not a really complex shot, I only needed to play around with the color saturation a bit when I developed the raw.In my camera bag
I never leave without my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. I normally pack one more lens along with it, either a Tamron 28-300, or a Sigma 70-300. I like to have a few filters around, CR-PL at least, sometimes ND's for long exposure shots. My old tripod is almost always with me, it's a really old and relatively heavy - thus pretty stable - Topman piece. And, of course there's the body: a Nikon D600.Feedback
It's really not a complex photo, it does not tell a story, it does not deliver a message - except that the tree can grow in a small hole on top of a concrete wall, but I don't think it was intentional. What really grabbed my attention was the balance of the colors and shapes. The lighting was also perfect. I simply wanted to "use" these circumstances. Based on these, I should say that there's nothing special about this picture, it's only a mixture of colors and shapes with no secret ingredients. Yet, every time I take a look at it, I see something else - probably nothing, but the memory of those 15 minutes I was struggling to find the perfect angle, maybe only the peaceful effects of the green bokeh, I don't know, but I like to think that there is something behind the scenes I just realized when I was looking at that little tree. Any advice? Don't just look - try to see. And don't be afraid of changing plans, even if those plans were thoroughly worked out.
