Blog | 53 - The Wrong Type Of Leaves
| Freelance Photographer in St Ives Cambridgeshire: Food & Drink Photography; Commercial Photography, Product Photography & Packshot Photography; Event Photography; Portrait Photography; Corporate Photography & PR Photography; Engagement Photography & Wedding Photography and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Bedford, Ely, St Neots, St Ives and London. Professional Photography Services in St Ives, St Neots, Huntingdon, Bedford, Peterborough, Ely & Cambridge. | |||
 
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Alistair Grant Freelance Photographer Cambridge & London |
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bokeh photographic: Blog No: 53 → TIP: Click any image to view in LightBox |
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The Wrong Type Of Leaves Of all of the market towns along the Great Ouse (NB: the Cambridgeshire Ouse and not the Ouse in Yorkshire or Sussex) St Ives arguably makes the most of its river frontage. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner wrote: ‘St Ives has put its river, the Ouse, to good use visually. The river is indeed good enough to be made a feature of it’. The medieval bridge (Pevsner: ‘the most memorable monument of St Ives') is probably the most photographed aspect of the town albeit from the opposite side to that shown here so that the chapel on the bridge is fully visible. The spotlights that illuminate the bridge at night are on the chapel side and although they have been changed since this image was taken they present several issues for inexperienced photographers. There is a very contrasty postcard for sale in the town where the scene has a lurid orange colour cast. This is a shame as the bridge is especially attractive when lit up at night. I have photographed the bridge in different seasons, different weathers and at different times of the day and night. This is one of my favourite images. It sold extremely well as a limited edition photographic print. It’s no coincidence that it was shot on a foggy December night. Although photographing the bridge from an Easterly direction (i.e. downstream) in early morning or from a Westerly direction (i.e. upstream - Hemingford Meadow) around sunset always produces superb images, IMHO you can’t beat a long exposure at night. Especially a foggy night as - compared to the muted low-contrast colours of daytime fog - night fog generally intensifies colour saturation. I don’t always shoot from the ‘wrong’ (i.e. Dolphin Hotel) side of the bridge but on this particular occasion I wanted to capture the highly atmospheric effect of the fog in terms of the bright yet diffused light streaks through the bridge arches. Additionally, I figured that not only would the side of the bridge facing the camera be reduced to a near-silhouette but that there would be a dramatic drop-off in depth-of-field perspective due to the fog. I should point out that a bit like the ‘wrong type of leaves on the railway track’ the conditions this particular night were different to the normal fog that sits just above the river. Whilst still an evaporation fog (which occurs when cold air passes over relatively warm water causing some of the water to evaporate, thus warming the air close to the water’s surface so that it rises and then cools as it mixes with the cooler air which produces fog via condensation of water droplets) the fog was extremely thick at building height whilst the river was relatively clear. Fog has the potential to produce highly atmospheric images although it can be tricky to get right. Many photographers meter incorrectly. Whilst objects are less illuminated overall shadows tend to be more illuminated due to reduced contrast as a result of water droplets in fog scattering light like a giant soft box. Camera metering usually suggests underexposure due to increased reflectance. Therefore ½ to 1 stop positive Exposure Compensation is generally necessary. Although shot under foggy conditions this is a high contrast image that completely fills the camera’s dynamic range: note the pure black in the very darkest areas of the bridge and pure white in the light sources (NB: I allowed the brightest artificial street lights in the middle of the frame to clip). It is not a High Dynamic Range composite but a single bulb exposure: 15sec @ f/14; ISO 400. Perhaps crucially, unlike the postcard, the colour temperature of the spotlights is correctly rendered. It seems orange isn’t the new black! |
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Call Alistair Grant on 07775 365507, Email [email protected] or click Booking Enquiries if you have any questions or would like to make a booking. |
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bokeh: "the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens" Freelance Photographer offering Food & Drink Photography Cambridge; Commercial Photography Cambridge, Product Photography Cambridge & Packshot Photography Cambridge; Event Photography Cambridge; Portrait Photography Cambridge; Corporate Photography Cambridge & PR Photography Cambridge; Engagement Photography Cambridge & Wedding Photography Cambridge and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge. Also covering: Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ramsey, St. Neots, Peterborough, Bedford, Stamford, Newmarket, Sawtry, Alconbury Weston, Brampton, Hartford, Warboys, Houghton, Wyton, Godmanchester, Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots, Fenstanton, Whittesley, Yaxley, Needingworth, Somersham, Chatteris, Ely, Bar Hill, Grafham and Buckden. |
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bokeh photographic - Alistair Grant | Freelance Photographer | Cambridge, London, UK Food & Drink Photography | Commercial Photography & Product Photography | Corporate Photography & PR Photography | Portrait Photography (inc. 'Active Portraiture', 'Naturally You' & 'Poptraits') | Event Photography | Engagement & Wedding Photography | Photography Training Courses & Camera Tuition | Videography & Film Production Tel: 07775 365507 | Email: [email protected] |
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