DaveKochPhoto

Eiffel at Dawn

A shot at dawn of the most iconic monument in France.

A shot at dawn of the most iconic monument in France.
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NIKON Z 7_2

settings

Aperture 13/1 ISO 100 Shutter 4/10 Focal Length 165/10

location

Paris, Ile-de-France, FR

upload_date

Jul, 2022

Views

190

Likes

+21

Awards

Winner in Highly recognizable Icons at Night Photo Challenge

Absolute Masterpiece

Peer Award

Superb Composition

Top Choice

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 30 rank week 2

Behind The Lens

Location

I have to laugh at this question! If you do not know where this image was taken, well, you must lead a VERY sheltered life! :) That said, the specifics of where this image was taken have a LOT to do with the image. I was in Brugge on a photo assignment and decided to spend a couple days in Paris on my way back to the US. As I was alone (that is, no family with me), I could get up and shoot when I wanted... and so I did. One morning I was at the Louvre at 5 am, and this morning I had to take an Uber to get to the palais du chaillot before sunrise The famed Metro was not running early enough for me!) I had pre-vised a shot from above the Champ du Mars and the tower from above on the right bank. So I get there and the Trocadero is under construction. MASSIVE construction.... and there was no way I could get the shot I pre-vised. I looked at a lot of options, but the construction went across the center line so I could not get the symmetry I wanted. So I wandered. Grabbed a couple images from the fountains. Blah.... I went along the banks of the Seine for a bit, and got something interesting, but still not "it". And honestly, I thought that was going to be as good as it got. Then I crossed the river and started working my way around the base. Paris is NOT like it was pre-covid.... there are ugly barricades and fences all over. You used to be able to just walk underneath the tower as a tourist- but no more. Regardless, by now the sun was rising, and I only had minutes until the light (and the hordes of tourists!) would be back... so I was almost running around the base. Then I saw this angle, and even from back 50 feet I could tell it would work. So I got as close as I could and started shooting brackets. No tripod here, I was working fast! As I recall, the bulbous end of my w/a would not even fir through the fence, so I had to remove the lens and put the camera back together THROUGH the fencing! But then the fence also helped with stability. So this was made from three consecutive brackets 2 stops apart, handheld.

Time

As implied above, early. This was for the light, and to avoid tourists. I dont know the EXACT time, but I had easily been shooting an hour at this point...

Lighting

The lighting was a gift from above, thats all I can say. 1/2 hour earlier, the skies were bland and empty. Where the clouds came from I don't know, but thanks!!!!

Equipment

As I knew I was shooting for archive purposes, I used my Z7ii for the biggest negative possible. I had a backpack, so I had 70-200, 24-70 and some primes with me, but this was most assuredly a 14-24. Did not have time to make a tripod happen here, though I had one with me (Peak Design travel tripod- just AWESOME for light weight travel)

Inspiration

I was NOT inspired, I was just trying to make something out of a very poor morning. Here is the lesson of this image. You can't always make chicken salad from a chicken poop day, but you DO have to keep trying. Sometimes you get it.... and all that time and work pays off... sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you're the windshield.... sometimes your the bug. (Hint: you can usually be the windshield if you work it long enough) But don't try and force it when it doesn't happen. I have seen a LOT of images with bad skies or poor sunsets, and people try and save them by cranking the sat or vibrance. You're not fooling people, at least not people who know photography. If it does not happen, come back the next day. But don't think vibrance and clarify will save a poor picture. If you want an image like this, you HAVE to work for it.

Editing

Tons. I LOVE post. First, I developed each of my three exposures for the parts of the image they showed the best. My base image was the underexposed one, which I developed for the sky. Then I layered over the mid exposure, and brought the tower in from that exposure. I think I made the highlight go gold in wb, and then brought that in to define the trees and parts of the tower. That was 1/2 the editing. There were scaffolds I had to remove. There was a fence along the foreground path- that had to go. A lot of little things got edited to make the image work as it does. Look at your images. Its OK to edit, and to remove. Things that take away from your story, that distract the eye. ALL have to go to make a good and memorable image. Cheating? No. Its following my vision of what I want to see.

In my camera bag

This was a trip, so I was VERY mobile with my gear here.... plus it all had to fit in an overhead bin! Camera body and b/u, the three main zooms (14-24, 24-70 and 70-200) and a t/s 24. Plus the aforementioned Peak Design travel tripod. Carbon.

Feedback

Have a vision for what you want to capture. And be ready to throw that vision out the window. The best laid plans change when you are on set or on location, and you have to be able to change things up. You have to be ready and willing to do something completely foreign to that original vision.

See more amazing photos, follow DaveKochPhoto

DaveKochPhoto

DaveKochPhoto

Eiffel at Dawn

A shot at dawn of the most iconic monument in France.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow DaveKochPhoto

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