Pont du Gard
DMC-G85
Aperture 100/10 ISO 200 Shutter 10/6400 Focal Length 140/10 
Languedoc-Roussillon, FR
Oct, 2018Views
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People's Choice in BRIDGE OF MANY ARCHES Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot is taken from the south bank of the Gard river, in southern France, looking to the northeast.Time
It was later in the afternoon, in September. We were on a bike tour, and I had elected to ride the longer route option that day, which meant I arrived here later than I had hoped, and I had less time to explore and shoot than I would have liked.Lighting
As seen in the photos, we had glorious blue skies, with some high, thin clouds. The sun was beginning to get lower in the western sky, which helped provide a nice warm light on the limestone of this 2000 year old structure, with excellent contrasting shadows.Equipment
Being on a bike tour necessarily limited the equipment I could keep handy. I was using my Lumix G85 mirrorless camera, with a Olympus 14-150mm zoom lens and a circular polarizer filter. I didn't have a tripod along, but didn't need it on a bright sunny day like this.Inspiration
This stop on our tour was one of the reasons I booked this particular tour, and it certainly was a highlight. I had seen plenty of photos of this aqueduct over the years, and I looked forward to trying my hand at capturing my own image of this icon. With only limited time on site because of my riding choices, I tried to make the most of my time. I opted to stay near the structure, foregoing the hike to the higher vantage point, and working for a good angle from near the river bank. After crossing the bridge, and then walking under it, I found that the best views were from the west side, with the sun at my back. From there, it was a matter of trying to find the best framing for the shot.Editing
I used the "Expressive Color" internal digital filter setting on my camera, but otherwise did not post-process the image. This is the output directly from the camera.In my camera bag
On this trip, I was carrying a macro lens and a selection of optical filters in the bicycle saddle bag, but found that I mostly was using the zoom lens. I also wore my chest harness to carry the camera while I was riding the bike, which kept the camera easily accessible when I spotted scenes I wanted to capture as I rode.Feedback
When traveling, always be aware of your time constraints. I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to ride the longer route, and I ended up short changing myself at our destination, Looking back, I think I would have been happier if I had opted for the shorter route, which would have given me more time to explore this impressive site and perhaps allowed me to capture other great perspectives on this impressive piece of ancient Roman engineering.
