Underwater City
Jan, 2018Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken by the Camden Locks in North London. I had been taking a leisurely walk on my day off to take in the scenery and vibes of the nearby markets and restaurants. Camden is one of my favourite places to go to relax in London because of its' beautiful canals and upbeat atmosphere.Time
I'd taken this photo during the hours of the early afternoon after a delicious lunch by the locks, which I was walking off! There was a cold fog that had just begun to clear, with the sunlight shining through as the day went on, making it a beautiful walk.Lighting
I wanted the lighting to have many layers of depth, reflecting both the shadows under the bridge and a transition to a vibrant, jungle-like light at the end of the tunnel. I particularly focused on creating a spotlight on the guitarist who was playing by a collection of colourful urban graffiti and whom I wanted to be the centrepiece of this artwork.Equipment
I unfortunately did not have my tripod with me on this occasion, which made it difficult to attain a sharp image without sacrificing the amount of light I was letting in. As a consequence, much of the lighting was retrieved during post-processing, although this surprisingly gave a grainy effect which I think added to the hipster scene I was aiming to capture. I used my Nikon D80 model camera with a 35-70mm lens that, despite having cracked glass on the surface, did not limit my photography.Inspiration
This photo was inspired when I was taking a walk along Camden canal and stopped to listen to the music of a guitarist and singer that I had enjoyed. I had a chat with the guy, who actually had some interesting stories to tell and shared his music page with me. I wanted to capture the moment that I had been so moved by his music and actually ended up emailing him the pictures when I got home.Editing
The main aspects of post-processing in this photo were the lighting and the colours. I had to reduce the shadows under the bridge a lot to increase the lighting of the picture, due to the lack of flash. This made the picture grainy but I think in this scenario it suits the scenery well. I increased the vibrance to portray the contrast between the dark tunnel and the brightness of the graffiti and the canal boats in the distance. I also feel that this brought out the reflections of the bridge in the water.In my camera bag
As a newbie to photography, I'm sad to say that I don't have much equipment to work with. I have my Nikon D80 with a 35-70mm lens, which has served me well but has unfortunately developed a crack that interferes with my pictures. I've since upgraded to a Canon EOS 550d, with a nifty fifty lens. I oddly think I took better pictures with my Nikon and so I'm still gutted about the lens and honestly considering going back to it.Feedback
If I were to take this picture again I would definitely have been more equipped with a tripod to enable a longer exposure. I would also advise having a flash and potentially some lighting props to add to the scene. It always helps to get to know the subject so you can really capture the moment.
