Waiting
Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I love this shot - it's one of my favorites. I captured this image in the Perth Underground station in Perth, Western Australia in winter 2016. I used to work in the city so I spent my lunch time walking the streets looking for subjects and taking street images, and on the weekends I would go back in for the weekend activities.Time
This weekend, I had spent the afternoon in the city to take some street images. The station was unusually quiet and the train was boarding. This service didn't stop at my station and there was only a couple of people left on the platform. As the last of the passengers boarded, I saw this opportunity and grabbed my camera for a quick snap. As I composed the shot, the brakes were released and the doors closed moments after I took the image.Lighting
I had only a few seconds to get this shot with the light emanating from the empty, open doors. All the lighting was artificial from the train and the platform. No flash used. I was focused on capturing reflections that day and the cleanliness of the station and the train made for a great composure of reflected light. I really like the repeating light on the platform coming from the open doors. If the train were full of people, this wouldn't have been so clean.Equipment
I took this shot hand-held with my Nikon D7000. No flash, or peripherals were used. I didn't have much time to set-up my camera and compose the shot (about 15 seconds) so I just set it to shutter priority at 1/60sec to avoid motion blur and took the shot. The final shot was 1/60sec f/1.8 at ISO100.Inspiration
Seeing the light, reflections, emptiness of the station and how clean everything was. I just had to capture it.Editing
There was no cropping or straightening needed. I converted to Black & White and boosted the contrast and tones to make it pop. I used some noise reduction because there was some grain in the image due to the dim lighting and the need to adjust exposure in post. I dropped the highlights, boosted the shadows and added a little clarity. All this was done in Lightroom.In my camera bag
When I took this photo, I used to take my Nikon D7000 everywhere I went - including work. I liked to travel light so my simple 35mm f1.8 prime was perfect and didn't draw too much attention. It's very versatile and I would just stuff it into my backpack whenever I went out or simply sling it over my shoulder. A cleaning pen and cloth usually accompanied me just in case that I could stuff in my pocket. Now however, is a different story...Feedback
Always be on the lookout. Trust your gut and be patient, the moment will come. It's kind of like fishing to me, being that it's hard to find a great catch. But unlike fishing, once caught, it can never get away and is always there to share and enjoy! Just keep looking and be ready.
