Two Titans in Shanghai
Two of the world's tallest buildings stand almost side by side in Shanghai. They are extraordinary when viewed from afar, or up close like this...
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Two of the world's tallest buildings stand almost side by side in Shanghai. They are extraordinary when viewed from afar, or up close like this
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Dec, 2015Views
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Awards
Contender in the Photography Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Contest Finalist in Tall Structures Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Architectural Masterpieces Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Towering Buildings Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in the Pudong area of Shanghai. Once neglected, this is now the most heavily developed part of the city with numerous massive buildings. The "Two Titans" are the Jin Mao tower (left) and the World Financial center, known to many as "the bottleopener" for obvious reasons. When this was taken, these were two of the world's tallest buildings. Its almost impossible to come up with an interesting and original image including both buildings in their entirety, so I tried to find a detail section that would highlight what I found to be interesting about both buildings, and nothing more. The two buildings are actually some distance apart, but appear next to one another.Time
Taken in the morning, during a walk around Pudong with my wife. She had never been to Shanghai before, and is used to travelling with me on such excursions while I carry a tripod and camera bag, requiring many stops.Lighting
The lighting was not the best, being late morning and somewhat cloudy. Often that's the case when we walk together, so I learn to try and take advantage of what I get. Many of my best shots were not taken during golden or blue hours. My own opinion is that cities create their own shadows and light and the need to work only in early/late daylight is less significant.Equipment
I used a Mamiya 645AF on a tripod with a Leaf Aptus II digital back and a 150mm Mamiya lens. The amazing resolution of the Leaf digital back enabled taking a crop from a larger image while retaining excellent detail.Inspiration
The ultra-modern landscape in Pudong is so striking, particularly when juxaposed with the far more traditional architecture of the rest of Shanghai. It begs to be photographed but is challenging to capture in an interesting way.Editing
I did a bit of post processing, mostly in Adobe Lightroom. I cropped the image to focus on the details of interest, burned the sky, and enhanced the color of the structures somewhat to maximize contrast between them.In my camera bag
One camera, one or two lenses, a lightweight compact tripod, and associated ND filters are my main tools. I carry these in a very generic nylon bag. I don't like to lug around a lot of equipment and I don't like to call attention to my equipment. These days I use all Leica equipment. The Mamiya is wonderful, but bulky and more demanding.Feedback
I don't do a lot of photography in big cities (see my portfolio), but when I do, I focus on details, trying to isolate the elements that carry interest. In the case of "Two Titans", you don't need to show your audience an entire building to let them know you are photographing a building. They will visualize the context without your help. For landscapes, this may not be the case: an interesting landscape often requires showing a larger space, since that larger space is what is of interest and is necessary for context. I admire urban photographers who can successfully capture a large, grand urban scene, but that's usually not me (I do try though).
