Hearst Castle pool
can't help but imagine the parties that happened here and who swam in this incredible pool!!!
can't help but imagine the parties that happened here and who swam in this incredible pool!!!
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Dec, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is the pool at Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CaliforniaTime
I had finished the organized tour of the castle and we were allowed to roam around the grounds and I made my way down to the tennis courts and indoor pool complex. It was about 2pm in the afternoon and it was a beautiful cloud free day. I was hand held and had to grab shots from behind a cordon and was dodging the other visitors who were roaming around the walkways as well. The large windows allowed that wonderful side light to enter the space and the water was perfectly still.Lighting
The room was washed in a mix of blue and gold reflections from the tiles and the light fittings so I had a challenge to control the color cast, the reflections and the mix of tungsten and sunlight in the shot. Somehow it all came together quickly, I was pretty rushed as I was also wrangling my daughter who was getting pretty bored by this time. :)Equipment
This was shot hand held with available light at 1/25, f8, ISO1250 using a Pentax K5iis with my trusty Pentax-F 50mm f1.7 auto prime lens. no other equipment was used. I am shocked looking back at the meta data to realize that the shutter was 1/25 on this. I had to work fast and was probably use TAv mode. I must have been in Zen mode physically to avoid shake in this shot!Inspiration
This pool area was where William R Hearst and "Rosebud" used to do a lot of entertaining. So many famous and interesting people have been in this space and that history was palpable in the room. I wanted to capture the unique decor, the color and stillness of it's current state. It was like a time capsule and a window onto another world and time. Somehow the perfect surface of the water seemed to convey this sense of timelessness.Editing
I cropped this down a bit and adjusted the levels to make it crisp and punchy. I did a some slight adjustment to balance the color and bring out the golden tone of the room. I typically develop in Lightroom and use the Topaz Collection and/or the Macphun CK range of tools for specific adjustments if required.In my camera bag
I carry my Pentax K 5iis, a Pentax-F 50mm f1.7 prime, a Pentax DA 10 to 17 mm f3.5/4.5, an old manual Pentax-A 50mm f2.8 macro prime (totally awesome lens!!!) and a Sigma AP0 DG 70-300mm f4-5.6Feedback
This space is often crowded with tourists and people are moving and jostling around. You are at the mercy of the bus and tour times in terms of when you can get into the pool complex. But there seems to be waves of people as each tour ends. If you hang around to in between the tours then the crowd thins and you have a bit more freedom to get the composition you want. the early afternoon light worked extremely well for this shot but that was totally unplanned. I would to go back and see the space in the morning or late afternoon light but that may not work as it may not hit the windows at the right angle.
