close iframe icon
approved icon BistraStoimenova avatar
BistraStoimenova
Banner

To see the world in a puddle of water...



behind the lens badge

Or what William Blake would have said if he roamed around St.Alexander Nevski (church in the centre of Sofia, Bulgaria) with a compact camera......
Read more

Or what William Blake would have said if he roamed around St.Alexander Nevski (church in the centre of Sofia, Bulgaria) with a compact camera...
Read less

Views

1016

Likes

Awards

Action Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Member Selection Award
Spring Selection Award
  View more
Outstanding Creativity
neethumoljoseph yahyaayob adrianamanguerra gasserissa trevorprudhomme hlublosuachawnco jorispicard +17
Top Choice
Surujin suzicorbett arturasstanevskis KsanaOu srinaathjhari Mglotfelty fwy--- +13
Absolute Masterpiece
louieisaga mabygordonarandia DogwoodStudios Aukjehagenauw88 regissaucier gordonnore markdobrzeniecki +8
Superb Composition
Caroline231265 7278449616 roncoraf myerickson88 MikeK77 swatson718 Unicorn_95 +7
Peer Award
Robalka Mohan_photos photoABSTRACTION kandieksweeney livioferrari Nidogop wels
All Star
CodyKoT

Top Ranks

Color Explorer Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Color Explorer Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Inspiring Landscapes Photo ContestTop 20 rank
All About Water Photo ContestTop 30 rank
Change Of Seasons Photo ContestTop 30 rank
Change Of Seasons Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 1
Architecture And Reflections Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Architecture And Reflections Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Epic Puddles Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Epic Puddles Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Anything Reflections Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Anything Reflections Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Image of the Year Photo Contest 2016Top 10 rank
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 9Top 20 rank
Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 9Top 10 rank week 2

Categories


See all

Behind The Lens

Location

I was just strolling around my native town, Sofia - the capital of Bulgaria - with the idea to capture something interesting. The church in the picture is one of the symbols of Sofia - the church-monument St. Alexander Nevski. Since it is a really popular location and you can see thousands of shots from different perspectives, I was quite discouraged and started circling it. Then I had to circle a puddle - the area around St. Alexander Nevski is a big parking for the government buildings around it but it's generally not very well tended. When I turned back, cursing whoever was responsible for road maintenence in downtown, I saw it. The reflection in the puddle. I've seen similar ideas for capturing the same place - as I said, it's very popular - but this particular puddle was less than a meter wide and I couldn't fit in the church AND the sky. Still, I decided to give it a try. I was looking for some pigeons to come to the puddle but when they did I found out the idea isn't as good as I thought it was. So when I reviewed the images on the computer I saw that the edges of the puddle create a sky far better than the one I failed to capture as a reflection.

Time

It was in the afternoon - around 3 p.m. I am not a fan of early risings and even though I have to get up every once in a while to get the right shot, I try to sleep as much as I can. Besides, at that par day I was out hunting for street shots, not landscapes (or cityscapes) so I was quite surprised. Funny thing is, that even though I didn't think of it at the time, 3 p.m. was quite close to the Golden Hour at that time of the year. Let's say I was quite lucky.

Lighting

St. Alexander Nevski is a big church but you can't get it all in light in one shot. So I had to make sure that the sun was shining at the same angle at the puddle as it was at the church (you know, physics and reflection rays - truth be told, I never ever thought I'll use anything of my high-school lessons in physics when on location...) I couldn't really fit in the whole building but I somehow managed to capture the upper part of it. I really wanted it to look as imposing as it is in real life and yet have something of the Christian faith in it - not mysterious maybe, but at least something that would make you think twice. Nature did it's trick for me, all I had to do is to kneel down.

Equipment

The irony of the whole shot is that I took it with a simple compact camera, Canon PowerShot SX 200 IS, which is my first digital camera but right now not my primary one. When we talk about great shots we almost always imagine a sturdy big Canon 1DX a big lens and a tripod to carry it all. Nothing of the sort here. Just me and that small little red (I'm a girl, I love colours) compact Canon PowerShot on full Manual (yes, it has one and that's why I still use it) No other equipment of any kind.

Inspiration

I rarely have a set title for any of my shots. Actually that's the toughest decision to make. When I saw the reflection in the puddle, the first thing that came to my mind was a quote by William Blake 'to see the world in a grain of sand' and I immediately thought that if he had seen what I saw he'll say something like 'to see the world in a puddle of water'. I am not exactly a fan of Blake but this quote (along with a few others) has stuck and really speaks to me - what life and photography is all about - seeing the world through a different viewpoint, noticing the details that create the scene and showing all that to others. That was the immediate motivation to bend down and see if the reflection is worth it. Of course I had seen St. Alexander Nevski as a reflection in a puddle (the picture was by a Bulgarian colleague whose name escapes me right now) and was curious if I can do better. That was the other motivation for the shot. When I saw that the puddle is too small to get the reflection of the whole church in it, I decided to take the shot no matter what because it would be my own version of the shot I've seen and not a mere copy of what someone else did.

Editing

I played with the file a bit. From what people say about it, though, it looks way more post-processed than it actually is. It was shot in JPEG (the compact I used cannot shoot RAW) but either way I pulled a few sliders in Lightroom ( such as clarity and shadows and vibrance - I wanted it to look punchy. Then I rotated the image (180 degrees) so that the reflection is not upside down. The final touches were done in Photoshop CC where Detail Extractor brought out some more details. Otherwise it's the same image - nothing added, nothing removed and way less post-processing than you think it is.

In my camera bag

I always carry my Canon EOS 650D along with my favourite lens - Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. These can handle most situations. When on location, I take the small Canon PowerShot I used for this image as a spare camera (you never know) and another lens - more often than not it's Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM. I always carry a spare battery and a lot of memory cards (I mean A LOT). If it is a long trip or I'm visiting a cave, I usually take a tripod and the remote trigger with me (again - you never know). Still, since I am not a weightlifter, 5-6 kilos of gear is as far as I go. Main point is to know exactly how to use what's in the bag and to try not to take some things you don't need with you. Depending on the situation the equipment (mainly the lenses) vary a bit but gene these are the basics.

Feedback

OK. Let's start with Bulgaria as a whole. If you want to capture the same place, you'll have to visit Bulgaria. My advice is - learn a few phrases (good morning, evening, thank you, I don't understand, that kind of thing) and be careful on who you are hanging out with. Bulgarians may look very welcoming and hospitable to you but tourists are regarded as easy money so they'll try (at least once) to trick you in some way or worse still - rob you. So be careful. Sofia is a relatively peaceful city compared to many others so you won't find it very dangerous to stroll around the downtown area around 10pm. St. Alexander Nevski is right in the centre of Sofia so it's really easy to find - basically everyone would be able to give you directions. To get a reflection like this you'll need a puddle - don't worry there are plenty of them around. Be careful with traffic - you may have found the perfect spot but the area around the church is right in the centre of Sofia so there are a lot of cars and busses. No shot is worth getting hurt. Look for the angles - as I mentioned earlier, physics and reflections go hand in hand so you'll have to circle around the puddle to see where is the best view. Don't try if it's cloudy or if the sun shines from behind the church - it won't work, trust me. Best time for shots is around 10am or late in the afternoon. Sunsets or night shots would also work but are a bit tricky. I can't give you any advice about equipment because, as you can see from the equipment I used for this image, it doesn't really matter. The best camera is the one you have with you so just use it! Last but not least, St. Alexander Nevski is a Christian Orthodox church which is open and can be visited every day. You can take pictures of the outside facade all you want (no tickets or anything) but keep in mind it's a temple and a place of worship so be respectful. Same goes if you decide to visit the insides. Wishing you luck and a lot of amazing shots :)

See more amazing photos, follow BistraStoimenova

It’s your time to shine! ☀️

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Already a member? Log In

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, and acknowledge you've read our Privacy Policy Notice.