they lead you in
Been meaning to go down here for a while now and when I did those glow worms led me. A dark and eerie abandoned train tunnel lined with beautiful glowworms and ...
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Been meaning to go down here for a while now and when I did those glow worms led me. A dark and eerie abandoned train tunnel lined with beautiful glowworms and super sticky mud.
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Dec, 2015Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Empty Railways Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the abandoned train station in Helensburgh, NSW.Time
Abandoned tunnels can get a bit scary as you go further and further in but uckily there are glow worms at the entrance of this special tunnel. This photo was taken just after sunset one evening. As the light dimmed the glow worms were then able to be seen from outside.Lighting
You can go to many caves and tunnels around the world where you can see glow worms at any time of the day due to the lack of light inside. However to capture them here in the setting of the train tunnel you have to wait for just the right time of day. The little bit of light enters from above letting the greenery pop.Equipment
A tripod and gumboots are definitely needed for this shot. It was taken on my Sony A7 II at 16mm using the Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 lens.Inspiration
Glow worms have a magical element to them and not many people get to see them. The conditions have to be just right. I've been to another tunnel and also cave to see them but Helensburgh is special. The brickwork used for the old tunnel is not how they build them any more coupled with the lushness or even muddy-ness of the surroundings makes it pretty unique.Editing
As with most of my processing the first step I do is adjust the levels in camera raw. For this photo I also used the Orton effect to give it a slightly ethereal feel. I masked this in to many affect the shadows.In my camera bag
I don't think you need to have much equipment in the bag to take a good photo. Usually I will have my Sony A7 II, 16-35mm f/4 and 70-200mm f/4 lens. I like to have my Lee little stopper and 0.6 soft grad filter but it won't make it out of the bag all the time especially for shots like this when then at night.Feedback
If you want to capture something similar seek out the places that interest you, get there and have a go. Try different settings and compositions. Sometimes the classic compositions although done a lot really do work so you shouldn't let that stop you. Know your camera and what ISO is acceptable in low light because it annoying getting home and saying "it's too noisy, maybe I should have taken a longer shot with lower ISO". And if you don't get what you want the first time, be it you setting or even the conditions (sometimes there are no glow worms here, or the area leading to the tunnel is completely floode), go again. Every time you go to the same location is a chance to improve on what you have done in the past and have fun at the same time.
