Steelly Blue Docklands

ChristopherJAshdown

Docklands, Melbourne, Australia

ISO 100 | f/22 | 8 sec

I took this tonight - water and city had a steelly blue look about it. City lights might have made the shot more interesting maybe?

NeilL

I LOVE it, Chris. Congratulations! It's a very fine view of the Melbourne Docklands, very fine composition and execution (does it list a little toward the right, Telstra Dome doesn't look exactly level?). Tell us some more about the making, please. It is shot through with many subtle blue and blue-related tones. Beautiful! With the city lights it would have been another photo, and I drool to think about it too.

The last time I was there I was celebrating my birthday with about 20 family and friends at the Greek restaurant at the waterside somewhere in that centre cluster.

Neil

schmoo

Really nice take on a cityscape! Frigid and cold, and the desolation and lack of people really emphasize the mood.

Miguel Delinquento

Outstanding
That is one fine photograph. Like Neil, I'd like to know more about how you did it--it is a very intriguing shot. Nice work.

M

dseidman

I really like it and quite the fitting title.

ChristopherJAshdown

NeilL wrote:

...Tell us some more about the making...


...The last time I was there I was celebrating my birthday with about 20 family and friends at the Greek restaurant at the waterside somewhere in that centre cluster...

Neil

Saganaki - Great place - love the cheese!


How I made it... Visualized the shot, trying to find a way to lead the eye to the city - hence the right side boats and wharf - I've been down there a few times and had many attempts. This took 7 Digital vertical shots over lapped 30-40%. Maybe I would get lower down next time, and make more of a feature of the wharf. Working with RAW, I keep my white balance on day light - thus what ever the real temp of light is shining is what I will capture - usually don't change this in PP.

Sun was setting behind me, but rays where screened by clouds - thus the blue tones shining on the water and city - looks like twilight really. I have a tripod setup that gives me the nodal point on a 24-105 @ 35mm. The scene was actually very bright, but I used various ND filters to slow the exposure - give that glassy look on the water.

I converted in Lightroom - not much adjustment, just a deepening of the blacks. Light was captured at 3200 kelvin - I didn't change it.

Stitched in PS, added a curves adjustment for contrast (lumination blending mode, so there is no color shift) - there is a high pass sharpening, but very subtle and local on the city buildings, not the sky or water.

I cropped in a 3:1 ratio - mimics that of a 617 film camera. This is a ratio that is easy for the eye to take in.

In all honesty the lighting at the time seemed very ordinary - goes to show that if your there, might as well take a few shots.

roentarre

simply gorgeous work in deed!!!

Congradulation!

Travis

I can almost imagine flying cars zipping about the city. Very engaging image.

NeilL

ChristopherJAshdown wrote:

Saganaki - Great place - love the cheese!


How I made it... Visualized the shot, trying to find a way to lead the eye to the city - hence the right side boats and wharf - I've been down there a few times and had many attempts. This took 7 Digital vertical shots over lapped 30-40%. Maybe I would get lower down next time, and make more of a feature of the wharf. Working with RAW, I keep my white balance on day light - thus what ever the real temp of light is shining is what I will capture - usually don't change this in PP.

Sun was setting behind me, but rays where screened by clouds - thus the blue tones shining on the water and city - looks like twilight really. I have a tripod setup that gives me the nodal point on a 24-105 @ 35mm. The scene was actually very bright, but I used various ND filters to slow the exposure - give that glassy look on the water.

I converted in Lightroom - not much adjustment, just a deepening of the blacks. Light was captured at 3200 kelvin - I didn't change it.

Stitched in PS, added a curves adjustment for contrast (lumination blending mode, so there is no color shift) - there is a high pass sharpening, but very subtle and local on the city buildings, not the sky or water.

I cropped in a 3:1 ratio - mimics that of a 617 film camera. This is a ratio that is easy for the eye to take in.

In all honesty the lighting at the time seemed very ordinary - goes to show that if your there, might as well take a few shots.

Yep, that's it! They have some very interesting wine, too!:D
Fantastic information about shooting this, thanks very much, Chris!clap I look forward to trying the technique.