Candid street shot outside a vape saloon.
Candid street shot outside a vape saloon.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the grand opening of "In The Clouds" vape shop last month in Martinsburg, WV. The event was heavily packed and spilled out in to the parking area where I snapped this image.Time
This image was taken late in the evening long after the sun had set.Lighting
The lighting is what you see. The outside lights, store windows and open sign are the only sources of light that were used in this shot. I felt that it gave a more dramatic and eye catching atmosphere without using a flash or alternative lighting.Equipment
This image was taken with my main go to camera being the Canon 5D MkIII. The lens was my 20-35mm F3.5-4.5 wide angle lens set to 1/30sec and F3.5. No flash or tripod used for the shot.Inspiration
I took this image when I saw the cloud of vapor rising in front of the group of people in the image. The play of the light on the cloud and intense contrast of the open sign and the shop sign above it caught my eye easily. With the people scattered into the center of the image, it almost seemed as if it were their little slice of heaven. The lighting and my position allowed me to capture the moment in a way I hadn't expected.Editing
Yes, I use Creative Cloud. The RAW image of course came out somewhat bland as is to be expected. Given that the image was taken at night, I brightened it up slightly and removed a lot of noise using Lightroom. I also took the lighting, contrast and intensity up selectively to bring out the areas of the photograph I wanted to be more eye catching. The open sign and the sign above I exposed a bit more than other areas of the photo to achieve this. I sharpened the cloud and dehazed it slightly. I tried to keep the colors as true to life as I could with only very minor alterations to hue and tone. The image was not cropped.In my camera bag
I normally carry a selection of lenses including a Canon 70-200mm F2.8, Canon 85mm F1.8, Canon 50mm Macro, Canon 20-35mm that was used to take this shot and a few others. I carry at least one speedlite, spare batteries, tripod, various filters such as neutral density and polarized filters, along with remote shutter release and support gear.Feedback
I'm not sure if this would qualify as advice or not. I can only say that I try to show the world how I see it through my lenses. While I do shoot portraiture and many classic styles, I like shooting things that are different. I took this image because I liked the cloud and the atmosphere. At the time, I had no idea it would turn out so well. We live in the digital age, so we are more free to experiment and push the envelope where photography is concerned than our predecessors were. A year ago, I never could have taken this shot. I never would have seen the beauty through the lens as I do now. I guess the best advice I can give is this... For a shot like this, don't think you need to have a flash or that the lighting might be too low. Back lit subjects can tell a really neat story. Don't be afraid to move around to get the lights in the scene where you want them.