Merchant Seafarers War Memorial.
Mar, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Cardiff Bay, by myself. I was supposed to be going to the carnival just behind the memorial but it changed into a great photo opportunity.Time
This photo was taken on an evening in August 2016, I seized the opportunity and escaped from my family at the above mentioned carnival to shoot back to the car grab my gear and get the shot!! Taken 20.40 August 2016.Lighting
Luckily enough I'd packed one of my speedlights, the Yongnuo 560-II which is great to just grab and go.Equipment
I used my Nikon D7200 for this shot with my Tokina 11-16mm mounted on a MeFOTO backpacker tripod and a Yongnuo 560-II speedlight.Inspiration
I had seen the memorial at Cardiff Bay a few times but for some reason when I was there this time the conditions looked perfect. Always the same when you are not going out specifically for a shoot!!Editing
There wasn't a lot to do with this photo in post-processing due to the great conditions. I did have to remove an annoying blurry seagull mind. This was done in Lightroom as well the usual adjustments to contrast, saturation and a bit of sharpening.In my camera bag
My equipment changes for different environments I'm shooting in. But my normal day to day bag would consist of my Nikon D7200 with my Nikon16-85mm 3.5-5.6vr. This is a great lens for an all round walk about zoom, super sharp and a joy to use. I've also got my Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 in my bag, this is a great lens for wide angle and low light situations, this is also a super sharp lens and great fun to use, I probably do most of work with this lens. The third lens is my Nikon 40mm Micro lens. It's a great little lens, I use it as a normal prime and if I need to get extremely close to a subject then this is just the ticket. I've also got a few filters in my bag, a 10 stop Zomei filter for my Tokina and a step down ring so it fits my Nikon 16-85mm, which I've also got a Hoya HD polarizer for. I've always try to take a tripod with me too, usually being my MeFOTO backpacker as it's light at 1.2kg and folds down to 32cm just the right size to pop in your camera bag. I also always take a maglite mini AA led pro+ for light painting in long exposures.Feedback
My best advice to anyone is always have your camera with you because you never know when the opportunity to get the shot you want will pop it's head up, even if you weren't looking for that shot at that time, always be prepared. .....and it's always handy to chuck a cheap speedlight in the car just in case!! For this shot I was lucky I had brought the speedlight, I used it off camera to light the face of the memorial, without that this shot would not have been possible.
