Denver Union Station
Jun, 2017Views
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Contest Finalist in My Favorite City Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo from a walkway high over the railroad terminus at Denver's historic Union Station.Time
It was around 10 o'clock on a warm summer evening.Lighting
The canopy of the train station itself is very brightly lit, but I wanted to be sure to capture the detail of the city skyline outside the canopy, so I manually selected camera settings that would allow for good exposure of both the scene below and above the canopy. The key here was the use of a tripod and a manual shutter release so that I could slow down the exposure to one second.Equipment
I used my Nikon D750 camera body, a Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 lens, a tripod and an intervalometer to remotely release the shutter.Inspiration
I love the juxtaposition of the modern design of the train station canopy and the Beaux Arts architectural design of the historic train station building. The old and the new cohabitating harmoniously. I wanted to show off the beauty and scale of these structures at night when they really shine (pun intended). I also really love the contrast of the brightly lit canopy against the dark night sky.Editing
I did some minor post-processing in Adobe Lightroom to crop the photo to the exact composition I envisioned, plus I adjusted the white balance and brightened the exposure, then added a little contrast and clarity.In my camera bag
I usually carry my Nikon D750 and two or three lenses, depending on what I am planning on photographing for the day. I also make sure to carry a UV filter for my lens, and again depending on the subject and time of day, I'll carry a polarizing filter and an ND-filter. For night photography, a sturdy tripod and remote release will be in my kit.Feedback
For photos of a city at night, make sure you bring along a sturdy tripod, a remote release for your camera, and an adventurous spirit. There are unlimited opportunities for unique compositions in the city at night, so don't limit yourself, try new things like long exposures for car light trails or capturing images of what may be hiding in the deep shadows down an alley. Having a grasp on how to manually adjust the settings on your camera will be very helpful as well. Get out of your comfort zone and play with the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed and see what art you can create through the lens of your camera!
