At the Opera House
It was an unusually nice and sunny november evening we met at the Opera House, situated at the Oslo waterfront. The low sun and reflections from the sea created...
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It was an unusually nice and sunny november evening we met at the Opera House, situated at the Oslo waterfront. The low sun and reflections from the sea created such lovely lighting conditions. The shadows were lifted a bit with a flash.
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Dec, 2020Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Treasure Award
Winter Award 2020
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
My photo "At the opera" was taken, perhaps not so surprisingly, right at the Oslo opera house in Norway.Time
It was a late afternoon in mid November, in Northern Europe, so the sun was very low and nicely diffused already. As the opera house is so close to the sea, reflections from the water also spilled into our scene in front of the building. Normally, the weather in Oslo at this time of the year is quite different: Dark, wet and gloomy. So the contrast was formidable at the time.Lighting
The beautiful natural light was balanced with a Profoto A1 flash opposite the sun, to lighten up the shadows a bit.Equipment
In this shot I used my Canon 5DSR with a EF 11-24mm f4 lens. Not a lens I use so much when shooting models, but this time I wanted to include a lot of the environment as well. As mentioned, I also used a flash (on a light stand, camera left).Inspiration
My model Maria and I decided to shoot at the Oslo harbour, and we soon ended up at the opera, which turned out to be a great location for this shoot.Editing
For this shot I only did some basic post processing, as the pics were so close to my envisioned results, straight out of camera.In my camera bag
In my bag, I usually carry a lot more than I really need, haha! The 5DSR, 11-24, 24-70, 100-400, and a couple of primes I think might be useful are often in the bag, together with the Profoto A1 flash (when I want to go light with the lighting equipment). If I go on a planned, location shoot, I usually bring my 1DX mk2 and the Sigma 105mm f1.4 (favourite portrait combo), and I also carry 2 or 3 Profoto B1 units with a couple of modifiers, gels, and light stands. If I have someone to help me carry all this, I typically throw in a tripod, as well.Feedback
The most important ingredients for a great shoot, I think is the model. A talented and/or experienced model you have a good connection with, always trumps any superior equipment. Then, if the shoot is outside, you have to work with the weather conditions you are given, of course. Everything is easier if the sun is weak, diffused or low, or make interesting shadows. Otherwise, it helps to "bring your own sun", e.g. in the form of portable flash units and a collection of gels to go with it.
