Ruins
Nov, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture during my and my wife's outing to the countryside to shoot Aurora Borealis, which is very rare in Lithuania. We stopped on the road beside this abandoned farmhouse. When the effect of Northern lights has ceased, I had some time for this shot.Time
It was almost 10 p. m., when I took this picture. In October, it is enough dark and the moon is high at this hour.Lighting
Moonlight was strong but still insufficient to light up the ruins properly. For that purpose, I used off-camera flash. After activating self-timer, I ran to the creepy building and fired the flash several times to different directions during exposure.Equipment
For this shot, I used Nikon D300 camera, Nikkor AF 24mm f/2.8 D lens, a tripod, and a speedlight which was controlled remotely by radio trigger.Inspiration
The purpose of our trip that night was completely different, but I couldn't resist to take a picture of those creepy ruins lit by the moonlight. Similar places always stimulate my imagination.Editing
Post-processing was minimal: expose and contrast corrections, shadows and highlights adjustments in Lightroom, and further retouching in Photoshop to remove lens flare (Nikkor AF 24mm f/2.8 D is not very good in terms of flare resistance) and the shadow of myself walking beside the building.In my camera bag
In my bag, I always keep all my stuff all the time to ensure that nothing is forgotten in case I must leave in a hurry. I have Nikon D300 body and a set of old primes including Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.4 D, Nikkor AF 24mm f/2.8 D, and an old Russian Helios lens. I am in love for primes and, therefore, there is no place for zooms in my bag. At least, in the short run. For night-time shooting, of course, I always take my tripod with me.Feedback
If you would like to capture something similar, you don't need an expensive gear. By saying this, I would like to encourage those, who have no spare cash to invest in expensive equipment, to choose something already used by someone. Try to concentrate on finding the right light, to switch on your imagination, and to be ready to work patiently until you get the desired result.
