thextrathird
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a street called The Shambles in York, UK. A fantastic place, steeped in history, which has kept all the charm of the old ways. As a self-taught photographer, each time I go out I face new challenges; sometimes it all comes together.Time
This is one of my favourite places to shoot; you can spend hours walking along the cobbles of this short stretch. As you can see, the buildings get closer the higher they go; a step in any direction can change the way the light and shadows fall so you have to be alert to all possibilities. This was taken on a January 13, 2013 just before lunchtime. A cold day with a bright winter sun, perfect conditions really.Lighting
All the lighting is natural and was very concentrated down by the buildings surrounding the scene, creating the rim light on the lone gentleman walking in the centre of the image. The high contrast made me think immediately of black and white and I believe this is what makes the image.Equipment
This was shot on an Olympus E30, with a 14-54mm F2.8 … and a wall to steady myself from the chilly weather.Inspiration
The whole atmosphere on The Shambles is one of “the land that time forgot”. Apart from the obvious, and unfortunately necessary, modern extras like building alarms you get a feeling of stepping back in time when you are there. Everything seems to slow down, people dawdling along, browsing the shop windows. The curve in the cobbled pathway and the way the buildings seem to lean in very much focuses the eye, you get drawn in to the street wondering what is just up ahead. It is almost as if you are going to walk into a black and white movie as you disappear around the corner.Editing
The only post processing was done in LR5 and that was a black and white conversion followed by lowering the highlights and raising the shadows slightly.In my camera bag
When I took this shot the only equipment I carried was my E30 and my trusty 14-54 f2.8. It was just as I was starting out and apart from a couple of kit lenses it was all I had. I still have the camera and lens and they get used occasionally but I now predominantly carry my Olympus O-MD E-M1 along with 75mm, 45mm and 17mm f1.8 primes. The m4/3rds system is a significant weight reduction over the 4/3rds DSLR but the quality of the camera and the glass is second to none; throw in the weather sealing and I find it covers all I could want.Feedback
Be prepared to spend a lot of time in the same place and don’t be afraid to walk backwards and forwards through your scene looking and framing different shots. The way the light falls can change very quickly and will completely alter how things look. A lot of people say early mornings or late evenings are the best times to shoot, but you need to assess your surroundings and see where the light is coming from in order to discover what will work best in your situation. Most importantly, be patient.