Street Scene Cinque Terre
Apr, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Early September 2015 in Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy, we wandered from the ferry up through the colorful village streets.Time
As we were ferry hopping, our timing wasn't ideal. I kept climbing higher on the street, trying to leave the crowd that had ferried with us behind. I ended up shooting this from a shaded spot when the sun was full-out and high, and quickly because the street suddenly cleared and there was some distance in the foreground.Lighting
It was the worst of times from a photographic point of view to be shooting pictures. The sun was straight up overhead, the sky hazy. Shadows were deep. But the building's colors were not deterred by the brightness. I remember looking for shade to stand in while I waited for the perfect time (when people were not streaming into the foreground), and wishing my short lens had a good shade.Equipment
My trusty D3200 Nikon, 18-55mm, handheld.Inspiration
In all the time I've been admiring photos from Cinque Terre, I had not seen this view, the street, shot from fairly high, the layering of buildings, and the gorgeous colors of shutters and walls. I felt like I was in the midst of a familiar scene, a part of the action. I fell in love with the perspective, and with the few people in the shot, from the woman noticeably walking up the grade, to the fellow gesturing to his friends. I was primed to take it for the view, but the accidentals made it even better.Editing
Apparently I had been shooting in the shadows and did not make an adjustment for this scene, so it was shot wide open, 100 ISO, f4.5, 1/250 -- so it was quite bright. I basically dropped highlights, increased shadows and saturated. Cropping was confined to a shave off the left and eliminating too much pavement from the bottom.In my camera bag
My bag contents consistently include my Nikon D3200, the 18-55mm and 55-200 lens, a circular polarizer, and a graduated neutral density filter. Traveling with more is a hassle. I keep a tripod in my luggage for planned shots, but for day to day movement on foot, especially if it's a day that promises lots of light, I don't carry it.Feedback
In a world where everyone has a camera and you sometimes feel like every angle has been captured, every lighting possibility exhausted, stop and look around. What haven't you seen on the computer or in print? Where are your fellow travelers pointing their cameras? In this case, I saw all kinds of people taking pictures, but almost all of them had their lenses pointed to the sea, or the hills. No one but me was looking back down the street. And then there is patience. I probably waited 10 minutes or more, holding my ground in the middle of the street (which seemed like forever!), until the crowd thinned to get this shot. And don't forget, as I did, to fix your camera settings. I got lucky on this shot. I could have raised the aperture by a half dozen and maybe ended up with some blue in the sky. The great colors came out in post-processing, but it was a great lesson--pay more attention.
