Under the Tree
This was taken at Puerta del Sol in Madrid during the Christmas holidays
This was taken at Puerta del Sol in Madrid during the Christmas holidays
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Jan, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain. It was the day before Xmas and we saw this giant golden tree in the middle of the square. You can get in and see the tree from inside it.Time
This was taken around lunch time. I remember we just arrived at the hotel and we had the whole afternoon free, so we headed out to get our bearings of the place and find us some lunch.Lighting
As you can see the sky was clear, not a bit of cloud. It was just after noontime and the sun was above, or rather due south since Spain is in the Northern Hemisphere. That allows me to still get a shot facing the sky without having the sky too blown out.Equipment
I only had my mobile phone at that time since we were just out to have lunch. I had an iphone 5 with me. As they say, the best camera is the one that's with you.Inspiration
When traveling, especially when I travel solo, I've learned to look up, look down, look left, look right, look outside, look inside hahaha! And I manage to discover many things. Though shooting up is very normal for many people, I thought it was interesting to actually look up while your inside a Christmas Tree, and this is not something that is very common to do as you rarely encounter a hollow one like this.Editing
I don't think I did any post-processing with this shot as it was perfect. Sometimes, I do some minor editing such as adjusting the shadows and highlights, and doing a bit of cropping but this shot was pretty much perfect out of the camera.In my camera bag
I pick my mobile phone based on their camera quality as well as features and functions that allow me to control the lighting. While this was shot with an iphone 5 pretty much in automatic mode (the only one I had back then), I have switched to a new mobile phone for the last 5-6 years with a camera that can be controlled manually. I also had my Nikon D60 at that time which I brought with me during the trip, paired it with an 18-200mm travel lens. These days, I carry an Olympus micro four-thirds as I target to even downsize further the weight of my gear.Feedback
As proven by this shot, the best camera is the one you have with you. You do not need to have sophisticated cameras to capture something nice. First of all, learn how to properly use your camera, even if it's just your phone camera. Also learn to use advanced features, you'll be surprised how much you can do and still be creative with your shots. Learn to move around, step forward, step sideways, etc and find different angles, do not let your camera do all the work. And lastly, learn how to shoot with the various lighting conditions.
