macharose

Quran text - The Met

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 800 Shutter 1/13 Focal Length 51/1

upload_date

Jan, 2016

Views

191

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Awards

Top Shot Award 21

2020 Choice Award

Absolute Masterpiece

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Outstanding Creativity

Superb Composition

Peer Award

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at The Metropolitan Museum illumination collection, of Art in New York City. I had just bought my first Canon and found museums to be great places to practice. I especially love this photo because so few illuminations in the collection are of Muslim origin.

Time

This photo was taken inside, the exhibit room is dark and each piece has this amber yellow light over it for preservation. I was worried I wouldn't get a clear shot because I wasn't steady yet and it was quite dark, but it came out beautiful.

Lighting

I did not light or control lighting in this photo. The challenge was getting a steady crisp shot in a fairly dark room where each work has its own yellow light source. Another challenge was avoiding glare on the glass that was between me and the piece.

Equipment

I shot this with a Canon Rebel XS, stock lens f5.6 ISO 800 - no other tools used

Inspiration

I love illuminated works, and am a Muslim. I found this particular qur'an, a 9th century text, to be one of the most beautiful pieces in the collection. The calligraphy is interesting because it is a precursor to embellishments that come much later, as qur'ans became more and more decorative.

Editing

I did process this in lightroom, and added more contrast to make the blacks in the lettering pop.

In my camera bag

Today, I almost always have my Leica Q in my bag for daily street photography. But for work I use a Canon 5D, 24-105mm lens, this lens is great for video because it's crisp and flexible. For portraits I switch between a 50 and 85 lens. A typical light setup is a single flash, on a stand aimed into a silver umbrella & empty background.

Feedback

I've shot a LOT in museums and I highly suggest using a rubber or silicone lens hood on your lens. I didn't in this photo, but I found that you almost always get glare from an outside light source that you can eliminate with this attachment. You can press this right up against the glass for a great shot that looks like you were inside with it.

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macharose

macharose

Quran text - The Met

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow macharose

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