P1000720
Jan, 2016Views
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People's Choice in Brooklyn Bridge Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is one of the first ever photos I took just after I bought my first camera (Lumix G F1 and only one 14-45 lens). It was also the first time I had visited the USA with and it was a sight seeing trip around Manhattan with some of my family. I wanted to take up photography and bought the camera just before the trip. At the time that's what I had, just this one camera and the lens and a few ideas about how I wanted to shoot my pictures but had very little by way of technical information.Time
This was taken sometime in the afternoon. I can remember it was at the end of a long day mostly walking and taking in the sights and stopping to take pictures along the way. We took a detour particularly so we could walk on the bridge and see it for ourselves.Lighting
At the time I took this photo I was a complete beginner and appreciated very little about lighting. Although I don't do any 'studio' photography I did, as part of my learning curve, take a course in studio lighting through my local photography club. This helped my understanding about lighting a great deal and reminded me of some of the things I had learned about the nature of light when studying physics at collage. I still find it helps with both my indoor and outdoor photography. For example it makes me think about the direction of the light and makes me move around the subject (when I can) to try and make the best of the light. Nowadays I particularly like to take pictures of natural light shining through a subject such as a leaf or flower as it often shows up the structure.Equipment
Just my Lumix G F1 and a Lumix 14-45 lens. I had nothing else at the time.Inspiration
I wanted to take a picture of this Bridge as it is famous. When I visited I had no idea of its structure but when I saw how it was constructed I had the idea to take a shot using one of the metal support ropes as a 'line' up to the top of the structure. I thought it would be a different and more interesting angle. At the time I did very little to plan ahead. Although I often do more planning now I still think it's important to be observant and take advantage of opportunities as they arrive.Editing
Yes a little. Being very new to photography at the time, I took a lot less notice of how I was setting up my shots. I pay much more attention to that now. It was only afterwards I realised my horizon was a little out and I have adjusted this. Also, although it's not a colourful shot, there was some colour in the metal work of the bridge which came out when I improved the saturation.In my camera bag
Now I have a Lumix GH4 and two lenses (still my old 14-45 and now a 45-200) ND and polarising filters, remote shutter cable, cleaning cloths, waterproof covers, tripod. I may also have notes about where I'm going and possible settings if I have needed to research the site. Appropriate clothing for me and food and drink.Feedback
New York is a great place to visit and there are lots of interesting sights and people to see and capture. It's very busy at all times of day and night and if you want to take a picture without the crowd you need to be patient and observant and be prepared to move in and take your shot when the moment presents itself. I had no tripod with me and when I first attempted the shot I rested the camera on the rope and then discovered it vibrates slightly due to the traffic. I quickly raised it a little camera and took the shot just before the crowd moved in again. So I only had one chance that day and was lucky to be able to take it. In retrospect, I would now try and do some research before visiting if I could. For example, to get a better idea of times to visit when it may be less crowded.
