Golden Cathedral
A long exposure shot of the Berlin Cathedral during the golden hour.
A long exposure shot of the Berlin Cathedral during the golden hour.
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Jun, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This picture was taken in Berlin at the shore of the river Spree. It shows the famous Berlin Cathebral (Berliner Dom).Time
This is another great spot in Berlin. I really like water (such as rivers and lakes) to be included in a picture. Walking along the river Spree, I came across this spot, which is also a tourist hot spot of course. As the sun was about to set, I setup my gear, grabbed a bear from a nearby vendor and started a series of long exposures. A lovley summer day was about to end and this was the picture I liked most from series I took that day. I took this shot about 8:30pm on August 6, 2015, approximately 30 minutes before sunset.Lighting
While shooting this picture I had the sun lighting up the scene from behind. During the golden hour you will be rewared with soft lights and warm colors. I used a neutral density filter to smoothen the water of the river and make the people in the streets disappear. But you have to be careful not do over or underexpose your picture. Usually I do take a proper exposed shot before attaching the neutral density filter and calculate the final exposure time depending on the neutral density filter I'm using.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon 5D Mark III, with an 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM mounted on a Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 055 tripod with a 498RC2 ball head. To triggered the shot I used a cheapo remote control. As mentioned before I did attach a B+W 10-stop neutral density filter to my lens.Inspiration
This is a very popular spot in Berlin. So almost every photographer in Berlin will end up at least once at this place. I saw many great pictures of this place taken by other photographers. So with those images in mind, you will try to capture a version with your very own style. So there might be thousand pictures of the very same spot but still they are all different.Editing
You often have to correct the white balancing in post-processing even with high-quality filters. So I corrected the white balance and did recover some details in the dark areas of the image, e.g. within the trees. I applied some sharpening, reduced the noise and adjusted the saturation in the sky.In my camera bag
When going out to shoot architecture and landscapes I have one body and two lenses in my bag. Landscapes usually require a wide-angle lens. About 80% of the time I'm shooting with my 5D Mark III and the 16-35mm f/2.8L II. I's a great combination. I love wide-angle shots. The second lens in my bag is the amazingly sharp 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. This lens is tack-sharp even at large apertures and even in the corners of the frame. It comes very handy when I face situations where I need more focal length. It happens quite often to me when shoting from high vantage points. Besides the cam and the lenses I always carry a 10-stop neutral density filter and a polarization filter with me.Feedback
When shooting long exposure images you will need sturdy tripod. And don't get a cheap one. At some point you will regret it and a get a better one. In order to reduce unneccessary movement of the camera, which would have an impact on the sharpness of the image, I trigger the shots using a remote control and also activate the cameras mirror lock-up function. If you are confident, that your exposure is going to be fine while using a neutral density filter, use the cameras noise reduction function to eliminate as much noise as possible. Keep in mind that this process will double your "exposure time" as the camera will take a second shot with a closed shutter. You might use an App for your mobile phone which helps you calculate the proper exposure time when shooting with neutral density filters. This process can become very challenging, especially when the light is changing (e.g. during sunrise and sunset).
