Holzminden
Oct, 2019Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Photo Contest Volume5
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 50
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Volume5
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was shot in Holzminden, a small town in Germany. The location was actually near to to the hotel that I was staying, within a 15 minute walk.Time
As this shot was taken on a business trip, I woke up especially early to catch the sunrise before the blue hour. It was a cold morning but worth braving the weather to capture this shot, which has now become one of my favorite images. As you can see, this shot was taken before the sun rose up the horizon, somewhere just before the blue hour was fading off.Lighting
The hour of the shot was important for this scenery. My aim was to capture the beautiful blue hour just before sunrise, as this would complement the warm light of the prominent building on the left side of the image.Equipment
In order to capture the image with dramatic effect of moving clouds, a tripod was used for that perfectly still camera setup. I did not use any neutral density filter as the brightness of the sky was relatively the same as that of the water reflection. My camera was the Sony A7Rii full frame, with a Laowa 10-8mm to capture the skyline as much as possible. Well, this was taken at the riverbank and I actually wore a pair of booties to keep my shoes dry. I found it to be an indispensable kit as it allows me to position the tripod in the water if necessary.Inspiration
This was a small town and I was hoping to capture the building as seen in this image, which was a prominent landmark in this location. Since this building was located along the river, I decided that I should cross over to the other side of this building to capture a wide angle shot of the building with a reflection from the river. I was lucky that the water was relatively still from the spot where I landed.Editing
Since I did not use any neutral density filters (ND, GND, reversed GND etc) I had to shoot it under exposed in order to avoid a clipping of the highlight coming from the sun just below the horizon. Post processing was necessary but reducing the highlight and recovering the details of the buildings. The color temperature was tweaked to get that blue hour shot feeling. Basic touch up was applied to saturation, sharpness, and removal of noise to get to the tonal quality that I liked.In my camera bag
I carry a Thinktank bag that would house 2 carbon fiber tripods. Inside this bag are usually tow of my favourte cameras, the Sony A7Rii and the Sony A7Sii. Both cameras are sometimes deployed, one for shooting stills while the other for timelapse. My two most favourite lens are the Laowa 10-18mm and the Laowa 15mm lens. The 10mm lens is great for capturing massive landscape or cityscape while the Laowa 15mm is usually deployed for timelapse shots. Spare batteries, SD cards, remote shutter release cable, Leofoto clamps, and a lens cleaning kit are also packed in this bag. A headlamp is also kept in the bag for shooting in dark conditions.Feedback
For a blue hour shot such as this, you need to ensure you have enough time to get to the location before the sky gets too bright. Do your homework on the route to take, the position of the sun, etc using widely available apps. Bring along your headlamp as it would free your hands to setup your camera and tripod. be mindful not to intrude into any private land or space and keep your volume to a minimum. Be adequately dressed for the weather you would face.
