Ghostly
Please click on the image to view full screen. It makes a significant difference when viewed on a darker background.
| Category | Monochrome |
| Settings | 0.5 sec | f/16 | ISO 800 | 32mm |
| Camera | Canon EOS 5D Mark 3 |
| Lens | Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L |
| Location | Next to Southwark Bridge, Southbank River Thames, London, England |
I have a bit of fear when street shooting and I sometimes feel very self conscious. I have other days when I'm very bold but I can never predict how I am going to be until I get there. This shot was relatively simple and I had no fear at all as no-one could tell when I was shooting. I was even able to engage in a little trial and error to find the ideal shutter speed to convey the movement.
The camera was set about waist height on a tripod facing the tunnel and I used a remote shutter release. There was a steady stream of pedestrians walking through so without having to crouch down to look through the viewfinder, I shot a few shots. Then I examined the results, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. I soon found that half a second was ideal so all that was left was to keep shooting until I found a shot I was happy with.
The more astute of you may have already wondered where the hell is the light coming from? There was a row of fluorescent strip lights on the ceiling of the tunnel roof. I gave myself artistic licence along with a tricky and time consuming job cloning them out in Photoshop, but it was worth it, they spoilt the image. I also did a little dodge and burn, particularly increasing the light on the shoulders and heads to draw my viewers eyes to the ghostly figures.
Any question you have about the editing or otherwise, please ask in the comments, thanks for reading.
Richee