Orchestra of architecture
Adelaide Medical Research Centre often referred to as the cheese grater next to 4 air-conditioning outlets looking very reminiscent of musical instruments...
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Adelaide Medical Research Centre often referred to as the cheese grater next to 4 air-conditioning outlets looking very reminiscent of musical instruments
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May, 2016Views
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Awards
Winner in Shapes and Shadows Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph was taken in front of the South Australian Health and Medical Institute (SAHMI) which is an adjunct to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australia. The Medical Research Centre exterior has been given a number of nicknames including The Cheese Grater and The Beehive and the Bumper Bar http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/give-us-your-naming-suggestions-for-the-new-south-australian-health-and-medical-institute/story-fni6uo1m-1226765067710 . Throughout the day the angles and shapes give a great opportunity for a photographer to come up with something innovative.Time
The shadows and reflections across the SAHMI building are best early in the morning to highlight the large external hooded air-conditioning vents. This shot was taken at 8 AM on a Sunday morning to avoid pedestrians walking across the photograph and the photographer!Lighting
The building and hooded air-conditioning vents are such strong features that I chose a day with high cloud so that the sky was not a distraction. This did pose some difficulties in ensuring that there was still sufficient light and shadows so that the triangular cheese grater vents were shown at their best. It also took some experimentation to ensure that the sharp angles leading to the horizon points on the top of the building could be shown clearly. Taken again, a very different image would occur if the photograph was taken at a different angle. The look of the building dramatically changes through the day e.g. http://www.viewbug.com/photo/64368579Equipment
The photograph was taken hand held over a series of 21 shots. 7 panels of HDR shots across a panorama. Aperture f 14. Shutter speed 1/160. ISO 400. Camera Nikon D 90. Lens Nikon 18 – 200mm.Inspiration
The building has had a lot of publicity and a number of photographers have taken up the challenge of creating a photographic composition. My aim was to show a new image of the building. I have taken a number of single frame photographs highlighting early morning and evening light of the SAHMI building but saw the opportunity of taking an HDR panorama as a means of fully highlighting the unusual shapes and angles combining both the building and the tuba like air-conditioning vents adjacent to the building.Editing
For this shot I uploaded 7 groups of 3 exposure photographs. Using Lightroom I created the 7 pictures that I then set in a panorama. I then completed editing in Photoshop selecting the inverse of the uneven edges and then modifying the edges by a factor of 40 and then filling the exterior so that I could then proceed to crop the photograph to its finished look and then converting to black-and-white with enhanced contrast to bring out the high cloud. I also noticed some trees between the building and the last air-conditioning vent which are removed.In my camera bag
There is nothing worse than being on a location and finding that the simple basic issues trip you up. My equipment bag starts with being able to check and recheck that the camera lens does not have dust or a spot or a fingerprint. Taking a lens cleaner is top of my list together with ensuring a fully charged battery. As I take many photographs in less than perfect conditions, I always include a large plastic blanket so that I can rest my camera gear onto something dry and when I put my knees down, don't stand up with wet legs. Keeping dry and comfortable means my concentration stays focused on the next shot. I also enjoy taking some shots where you need a prop. Having a spray bottle of water to create some mist or dew drops really helps.Feedback
When tackling a photographic shoot of a building with sharp angles and shadows, best to take some time to think through what is the ideal camera angle. In planning this shot, it was clear that securing the camera on a tripod and panning for a panorama was going to be quite technically difficult. I reverted to waiting for a day which was bright enough to allow for a handheld shot but after some experimentation the best angle was from absolute ground level. Hence the need for a quiet day as I needed to lie on the ground and use my head as the rolling point as you would if you're using a tripod. So it was essential to have a quiet day when no one would step on me and a dry day so that I was not lying in a puddle of water.
