City Chrome | Weekly Photo #31
“Change is the only constant in life” (Heraclitus) and never a truer word was spoken when it comes to photography. Landscape photographers have to work with many variables such as the subjects they shoot such as this ever-changing cityscape and the conditions they shoot in such as the weather and time of day but one of the subtler changes that most photographers will experience is how their style changes over time and I’m no exception. The changes can be slight and change slowly over time, or, the change can be rather abrupt such as when the photographer shoots an image and although not their usual style, likes it and proceeds to shoot more like it. I’m pretty sure I have experienced both.
Fujifilm X-T30 | XF18-55mm | 30mm | 1/125th Second | f/5.6 | ISO160
I sometimes look back at older photos and think “Wow, that’s not a good photo” or “what was I thinking?”. The processing may be less refined, the colours too vibrant or shadows opened up way too much (yes, I went through the overdone HDR phase too). The truth is that they are not all bad photos (some of them certainly are) but it’s just that the kind of photos I like to take and the resulting style has shifted since that particular photo was taken.
Talking about this photo here. 5 Years ago, I may have binned the image based on it being a little mono and lacking in vibrancy. It doesn’t have the same wow factor I would look for back then. But I have noticed over the last 2 years or so, my tastes are changing. I’m starting to process my images with a little less saturation, not so garish with slightly deeper shadows and the style of shot shown here of the London skyline is now starting to push the right buttons for me. In life, I have always been one to be comfortable with change and in photography, it’s no different. You should have faith that your style is evolving for the better and If you notice your creative tastes are moving in a different direction, my advice would be to follow it and just see where it takes you.
So, about this photo. It was taken around 30 minutes before sunset from my current favourite rooftop location atop the Dome of St Paul’s Cathedral which provides some of the best views of the city. I’m a big fan of this composition which only works because the Walkie-Talkie building (aka 20 Fenchurch Street, aka The Sky Garden) is included to help add weight to the right-hand side balancing the scene against the cluster on the left. It also provides a subtle frame for Canary Wharf in the distance which I think is a nice touch.
This kind of shoot is ideal for my smaller Fujifilm X-T30 and 18-55 lens combination. When upon the Golden Gallery which sits at the very tip of St Paul’s dome, space is incredibly limited and having s smaller kit with a smaller bag helps you keep out of the way while others pass. If you are caught holding up the line, you will be told to move on so best to stay out of the way as much as possible.
Processed to emphasise the reflective glass buildings, I left the white balance “as shot” to keep those cooler tones and added a little contrast and clarity to give the buildings and those reflections a little more punch. Other than a few more subtle tweaks to the tone curve and HSL sliders, that really was about it.
I hope you like the end result as much as I do.
Until next week.
Trevor
This post is featured in my Weekly Photo series where I post a new photo every Monday. To have this delivered directly to your inbox, you can subscribe to the mailing list here.