IMG_9840
Abstract detail of the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California
Abstract detail of the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California
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Feb, 2018Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Contest Finalist in Metal Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in My Favorite Building Photo Contest
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Simple Architecture Photo Contest
Runner Up in Geometry And Architecture Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Geometry And Architecture Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
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Superior Skill
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Virtuoso
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ronaldwebb
April 12, 2020
This is the Disney concert hall in downtown Los Angeles. I got there very early in the morning, at first light.
ewill
December 04, 2019
Awesome photo, I love the lines, composition, and shadows. I have some nice photos from the Disney Concert Hall, but I love this one for sure. Great work!
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ronaldwebb
April 13, 2020
Thanks again...It was definitely worth the early morning rise to photograph the concert hall.
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was captured at the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, Calif.Time
I shot it in early morning light before the direct light of the sun illuminated the structure. The air was cool, clear, and crisp which meant no smog and lots of detail. This image was shot in the early fall of 2009.Lighting
On a building like the Disney Concert Hall, I knew it was best to capture it in indirect light to avoid undesirable hot spots reflecting off the metallic surface of the structure. With a little coaxing, I encouraged my wife to get up early (last day of a vacation trip) so that we could arrive before the sun rose on a Sunday morning. (note: the early Sunday arrival also made it very easy to find parking nearby and not have to lug my camera and tripod great distances. Free parking too!!!)Equipment
For this image, I used a Canon 40D with a 24-70mm f-2.8 Sigma lens. I also used a Bogen 3040 tripod with a 3047 head to steady the camera. This is a big and bulky tripod, but I knew the camera wouldn't budge. To release the shutter, I used the mirror lock-up feature and cable release so that I didn't touch the camera an cause unwanted vibration during the exposure. These shooting habits were developed in my early days of shooting with large/medium format film cameras. The image was shot as a RAW image file and the camera settings were: ISO - 100, Shutter speed - 1/30sec, Aperture Size - f/16, Focal length - 45mm (35mm equivalent) White balance - set for open shade (to account for the heavy blue cast of morning indirect light)Inspiration
I am a sucker for architectural abstracts and I knew the Disney Concert Hall would not disappoint. I knew I would be passing through LA (returning from a trip with my wife) and remembered that the Disney Concert Hall was going to be nearby. It was a building on my "bucket list" of places to photograph. I love unique contemporary architecture with interesting surface features and eye-catching design. The architect, Frank Gehry, is widely known for his similar contemporary structures like the Guggenheim Museum in Spain and the Brain Institute in Las Vegas.Editing
This was one of those rare images that didn't require a lot of heavy post-processing work. The vast majority of my post-processing work was and is done in Adobe Lightroom. I converted the image to B&W, cropped, vignetted, adjusted contrast, and sharpened this image. Any resizing/unsharp masking I do to make large prints is primarily done in Adobe Photoshop. Do let anyone fool you into believing that images you shoot don't need additional post-processing enhancement. Ansel Adams felt the negative and the resulting print were 2 distinct processes. His job was to reveal the information in the negative as he visualized it the moment when he shot it; much like a conductor who sees the musical score then directs the musicians to produce the sounds that make it come to life.In my camera bag
When it comes to photographing, I consider myself a generalist. I taught photography for 38 years and still do contract work for a variety of clients. Personally, I gravitate towards landscapes/travel/people images. The broad variety of subject matter and projects I do leads to having lots of equipment on hand. Currently, I'm using a Canon 1Dx and a Canon 7d. My lenses range from 8mm to 400mm plus a 1.4x teleconverter. I also carry a couple Canon flash units (but they are getting less and less use all the time). I also like to travel with a Sony rx100 point and shoot camera and always, a sturdy tripod (gone to carbon fiber to cut the weight!). I still occasionally shoot with film with medium/large format cameras.Feedback
If you want to get better, my advice to all my former students was to find subject matter that inspires you, pay attention to light, look for simplicity in your compositions, and don't stop shooting. I was a stickler for technical execution. Sharp, well-focused, and properly exposed images makes your life as a photographer so much easier. The word "photography" literally means "light drawing" so light is the essence to all your images. Pay attention to where the light is coming from, how it reveals your subject, and the mood/feeling it evokes. If you want to emphasize texture, look for angular/directional light. Low light intensity and back-lighting emphasize. mood. Revisit the times of day and year that you shoot a subject to see how it changes your interpretation of that subject. Most of all, have fun visually exploring the world around you!
