peternestler

Day of the Dead

Sunset in Mexico City just before the parade of the day of the dead. Of course I didn't know that when I was shooting this, but the massive crowd that gath...
Read more

Sunset in Mexico City just before the parade of the day of the dead. Of course I didn't know that when I was shooting this, but the massive crowd that gathered below at sunset had me wondering what was going on.
Read less

Nov, 2017

Views

2241

Likes

+331

Awards

Contest Finalist in My Favorite Building Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in My City Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 28

Contest Finalist in Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 12

Peer Choice Award

Peer Award

+113

Superb Composition

+19

Absolute Masterpiece

+19

Top Choice

+10

Magnificent Capture

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Superior Skill

Genius

Virtuoso

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This was taken in Mexico City from the ledge of a cafe that overlooks the Palacio de Bellas Artes

Time

I spent the entire afternoon wandering around the city looking for a comp that I liked. My friend mentioned this cafe had a great view and he was right. We timed our arrival at the cafe so we would have some time before sunset, but we also wouldn't be taking up table space for too long (since they limit how many people are allowed on the balcony). I originally was going to use a blue hour shot, but the color and life in this image just before sunset was perfect.

Lighting

The last rays of light lit up the upper part of the city perfectly. I shot a bracket in case I needed to get more detail in the lower part of the image, but I didn't end up needing it. The light changes quickly during sunset so shooting every minute or so through the sunset will give you some options to choose from.

Equipment

Canon 5dsR, 16-35mm f/4L lens set on my gitzo travel tripod.

Inspiration

When traveling to a city, my goal is always to find a way to capture the life of that area. Mexico City has many famous buildings to choose from, but this particular one had a great viewpoint to work with. I wanted to capture a sense of the lively nature that the people bring to the beauty.

Editing

I brought up my shadows and lowered the highlights to give a more even tone to the image. I didn't want any deep shadows or blown out highlights to draw the eye. Some sharpening and color correction were used to give the overall image the look I wanted.

In my camera bag

I always travel with my tripod since I am totally incompetent when it comes to taking handheld shots. For this type of shot using an ND filter with a long exposure can eliminate the people moving around if you want a clean street. I decided that I liked the look of people so I didn't end up using that image. When traveling, it can be tough deciding which tools to take. I always have my 16-35, a couple ND filters, a polarizer, extra batteries, cleaning cloth and trigger release.

Feedback

Get your comp setup then use an intervalometer to take the images. This allows you to choose from the best moment during the sunset. It's really easy to try and capture 50 different shots during this time frame, but I would rather have one amazing picture than 50 ok ones. If you can't sit still, get a second camera body and let your main one do it's thing while you run around and try different shots. Be considerate of other people when you're in a public place that's busy. I made sure to setup my camera so that it wasn't in anyone's way and others could still get a great view of the city. It also helps keep your camera safe since others will be less likely to bump it if it's not in the way.

See more amazing photos, follow peternestler

peternestler

peternestler

Day of the Dead

Sunset in Mexico City just before the parade of the day of the dead. Of course I didn't know that when I was shooting this, but the massive crowd that gath... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow peternestler

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Sunset in Mexico City just before the parade of the day of the dead. Of course I didn't know that when I was shooting this, but the massive crowd that gath...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.