Sharing a ride
A couple cycles underneath one of the main bridges in Seoul
A couple cycles underneath one of the main bridges in Seoul
Read less
Read less
Dec, 2015Views
217
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Moderator Award
Great Shot
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 30 rank
Top 30 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this under one of the big bridges in Seoul, South Korea. It was on a multi-trip vacation and one of the first ones since I started dabbling more seriously with photography and I was so happy to grab the shot. I was still learning how to use my first camera (the first one I'd had that wasn't a simple point-and-shoot, and so was playing around with different effects.Time
It was early afternoon. Maybe 2:00PM or so. My friend and I had spent the day mostly just wandering, eating, taking in the city with no real fixed destination. I'd suggested we walk across the Mapo Bridge, which I'd read about for having a really interesting method for deterring suicide attempts using printed panels of photographs and sayings. When we walked to the other side, we spotted a riverside park and just strolled along it for a bit. It was cool seeing all the people just going about their day-no big tourist sight, just regular city life.Lighting
The day was overcast, but not too dark. Overall pretty bright, but even lighting. We'd not seen much sun in Seoul, so the backdrop in some of the shots was a bit dull and monochromatic. But I think that probably helped in this instance.Equipment
I was using a Sony NEX-5n. I'd bought my first ever lens (not counting the kit lens that came with the camera): a 50mm f/1.8 prime (also by Sony). No flash, no tripod, just handheld and waiting for the right moment.Inspiration
I'd seen numerous couples cycling along on these tandem bikes, which I believe were rented freely by the city. It just looked so carefree and fun, and as a cyclist, I loved seeing the smiles and laughter on the faces of those going by. I was only just starting to understand framing and composition, but the striking lines of the bridge immediately grabbed me. I'd happened to be in the spot when one couple went by and saw the opportunity. So all I had to do was frame it and wait for the next couple on their tandem bike!Editing
I was at this point very new to photography, and even newer to post-processing. I used the built-in "High Contrast B&W" mode (I now shoot in RAW and post-process to B&W if I want it, but didn't then). So very minimal processing-just some cropping and maybe a little exposure adjustment.In my camera bag
I now have a Sony a6000, a nice step up from the NEX-5n I had at the time (but without a need to buy new lenses!). I pack into a shoulder bag the camera, my 50mm f/1.8 prime (my favourite for portrait or any bokeh shots), a 55-210mm telephoto I bought when going to Africa (and am tempted to replace with an 18-200 for greater versatility), and a 16mm f/2.8 pancake lens (tiny and wide-angle); all these are Sony. My newest addition is a Samyang 12mm f/2.0, which is mostly for Milky Way shots, but has proven to be more versatile than I'd expected for all sorts of landscapes and interior shots in close quarters (takes longer to use, though, as a result of its manual-only focusing). On top of that, I have a variable ND filter, a few macro adapter, a remote trigger, a couple extra SD cards and a cleaning cloth.Feedback
The main thing for this sort of shot was to identify the framing. The strong lines and perspective of the bridge leapt out at me, and the cyclists provided the perfect foreground subject. So always be on the lookout for anything that provides a defined leading line and what might work as subject matter in front of it. Then, bide your time. I was fortunate that there were lots of cyclists around, so I was able to get the shot I wanted without much waiting (good as I'm not as patient as I should be and was travelling with a non-photographer friend). But being able to put the two pieces together-foreground and back, was what really made the shot work for me.
