File63414 - Afterdinner stroll, Amsterdam, 2014.
OLYMPUS E-P5
Aperture f/1.8 ISO 1600 Shutter 1/20 Focal Length 75/1 
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, NL
Mar, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Amsterdam, just out of the NieuwmarktTime
Around 7:30pm, after an early dinner at an outside cafe.Lighting
This was very early in my education of shooting urban environments at night. Most shots like this are just lucky accidents for me - I propped the camera on garbage cans or balustrades, parked cars and statues. I carry a small tripod, now, but you have to start somewhere.Equipment
At the time, I was using Micro 4/3rds Olympus gear; E-P5 with the Olympus M.75mm f/1.8, ISO 1600 at 1/20th sec shutter.Inspiration
Essentially, I take photos to share as much of my life with my friends and family as possible. Some of them capture the emotional state, I think, better than others.Editing
Some photos only require very basic post processing - levelling and cleaning up. This one was just cropping and straightening. I use Lightroom and Capture One.In my camera bag
I tailor my 'carry' for the environment. Night Urban, I have a couple of fast f/1.2 - f/1.8 primes and maybe a medium zoom, 24-70 f/2.8. My primary body is now a Sony a7R3. If I'm going after birds or something fast moving, I use some heavy long zooms 100-400 with a Sony a9. When I get the right shot, my goal is a large print, usually 3' x 4', so the full-frame is helpful for that.Feedback
If this sort of shot is appealing to someone, and they want to try it themselves, it's pretty easy. Take a camera and a durable, small tripod, on a nice, quiet evening with clear weather. If you have manual setting, try them. If not, what the heck, go for 'auto' and see what happens. Take lots of pics, make some notes, go home look at them on the big screen, look at what your settings were, and modify your technique to match what you like, and reduce what you don't like. Don't be afraid to fail. I experiment all the time. Slowly, bit by bit, I get better at getting the results I want. Then, when I travel, I'm ready to get the shot I really like.
