Golden light
Mar, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I was at a corporate event in Malmö, Sweden and this was taken from the nearby viewpoint called Luftkastellet at a very much needed "catch some fresh air" break.Time
It was late in the evening at 9 PM May 16th 2008 and I was frustrated not being able to catch a fantastic sunset due to the event but as soon as I got a chance to get a break I went for the nearby viewpoint.Lighting
At first I was disappointed that the sun was already too low, almost below the horizon but after a few shots I turned around and got this shot of the bridge glowing golden red. In less than a minute later the glow was gone. The lighting was perfect and if I have had the chance to prepare for this shot in advance I would have used a tripod and another lense (70-200 f2.8).Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D200 and a Sigma 28-70 f2.8 EX lense. I did not have my tripod with me and I had little time to prepare anything but I cushioned the camera with my jacket on the wall of the viewpoint to get it steady enough for a good aperture and low ISO (f8 1/250 ISO 200). From this experience I always have a lightweight tripod in the trunk of the car.Inspiration
I love when the sun sets and golden shine that are being reflected from structures and the sea but it is very rare to catch this view. I have returned to this exact location many times over the years in order to get another shot with better equipment but it has never been the same.Editing
As the D200 is not known for its good low noise perfomance I had to clean and balance the image. Processed in Lightroom to remove the noise, balance the lighting and in Photoshop to get rid of a few disturbing objects in the water before the final cropping in LR.In my camera bag
The most frequent setup for my photography today is a Nikon D800, and 3 Nikon lenses: 60mm f2.8 Macro,16-35mm f4 and the classic 24-70 f2.8. Wireless remote, extra batteries, lense cleaning kit, a polarizing filter, bean bag and for rainy days a rain cover for the house and a mounted lense are always in the bag. In the back of my car I have 2 tripods, one lightweight SIRUI and a heavier Manfrotto.Feedback
Plan ahead and be patient. Use tools like Google Maps,a compass and apps similar to PhotoPills (IOS) that help you predict where and when the sun will be in the right position. If possible visit the location at other times of the day in order to see if there are anything that may disturb and to decide which lense is best for the job. Be at the location in good time, do not have anything/anyone nearby that can distract you from the subject as the lighting might be perfect just at the second you look in the wrong direction. But foremost be patient.
