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chriswhittier

Skeleton of Prague

A night tour guide in skeleton costume points up the Astronomical Clock Tower in Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic. The dramatically lit Cathedral of Ou...
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A night tour guide in skeleton costume points up the Astronomical Clock Tower in Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic. The dramatically lit Cathedral of Our Lady Before Tyn provides a perfect backdrop for this otherworldly character.
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Canon EOS 5D Mark III

settings

Aperture f/2.8 ISO 6400 Shutter 1/60 Focal Length 59/1

upload_date

Sep, 2017

Views

1984

Likes

+117

Awards

Runner Up in Europe Stalking Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in People Monochrome Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Spooky Halloween Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Halloween Photo Contest 2018

Contest Finalist in The Urban Shooter Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Fashion And Costumes Photo Contest

Peer Award

+175

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Genius

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

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This capture was taken in Breheimen area "Home of the Glaciers" on the summit of Hestbrepigg V3, height 2078m.
In the background far away by Morgan-Lou

This was taken as part of an executive shoot. by jamesloving

Night light in the city by KrzysztofKasek

A Bonobo Concert where Kid Fonque was performing. by Cae_foto

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Took a couple of shots on my friends newborn . by Tommyshot

IG: LuciCalvi
Shot this with Luci on an active street - we had to keep jumping out of the way of cars by Bella_Vista_Boudoir

With Ciara - @modeladventurer by rostand

Behind The Lens

Location

I shot this next to the Astronomical Clock Tower in Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic.

Time

The Astronomical Clock had just struck 7 PM a few minutes prior and then this character took center stage in front of the clock to entertain his tour group...and lucky tourists standing around like me.

Lighting

I was lucky to have enough light to make this image work. Ninety nine percent of what I shoot is daylight wildlife, so shooting people at night in an urban setting was a way to challenge my skills.

Equipment

I shot this with handheld, no flash with my Canon 5D Mark III and a Canon EF 24-70 mm f/2.8 L zooms lens...which have been stolen since =(.

Inspiration

I was in Prague for the night and seeing some sites and enjoying European street life in this very touristy area. I'd been focused on the Lady Before Tyne Cathedral in the background that had really dramatic, foggy light this night but wandered over to the clock for the hourly display when I spotted this character with his tour group. I positioned myself to get him with the Cathedral in the back when he reached up to point something out to his group- magic!

Editing

I try to minimize post-processing and keep my images to what I actually saw. There were really nice yellows in the background but here I converted to black and white because it seemed more mystical. I also dehazed a little, adjusted the exposure and tones and bumped the clarity and sharpness to try to make his costume pop a little.

In my camera bag

I normally shoot wildlife and carry just my 5D Mark IV, and one telephoto zoom lens, either a Canon 100-400 L or Tamron 150-600. I only really use a wide angle/normal zoom like this 24-70 mm when I'm doing other things like shooting landscapes...or challenging myself to find interesting night scenes in Prague.

Feedback

As I always say- being in the right place at the right time with the right kit is half the battle, the rest is about waiting for, or better- anticipating, the right moment. I've never been one to rattle off a 100 frames hoping for one that is ideal (especially around wild animals). Here I was lucky to find this fantastic costume but the rest was thinking about composition and timing. I'd been shooting the background Cathedral so really wanted to get this guy in a shot with that background and I was ready when he struck this pose. Obviously being lucky to visit places like Prague also helps!

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chriswhittier

chriswhittier

Skeleton of Prague