Friday, September 30, 2016

Cleaning The Square - Santorini

Welcoming An Unexpected Guest

There I was, spending a beautiful morning in an exotic location trying to capture as many shots as I could before the light faded to the bleached drab of mid day. I didn't want to waste time, so I moved from location to location as quickly as possible.

This square is adjacent to a famous church. When I finished photographing the church, I noticed this coral-colored wall with two benches. I thought that it would make an elegant composition if I could get a shot without people in the frame. (This spot is along the main pathway to the bus station. Lots of people pass through.)

Since, I wasn't planning to include people in the shot, I set my camera to base ISO and a slow shutter speed. I put the camera on the tripod and framed the composition. Just as I was about to take the shot, in walked this gentleman.



a photo of a man cleaning the square in santorini
Cleaning The Square - Santorini



Now, I had a choice to make. I could move on to the next spot, but that would mean losing a composition which could never be repeated exactly.

I could have waited for the man to leave, but I wasn't sure how long he might stay, and the tourist traffic was increasing by the minute.

The final option was to include the man in the photo. I figured, what the heck? I can try to get a shot when he leaves; I might as well try to get one that includes him, as well. When I get home, I can select the one that I prefer.

I knew that I had to make an adjustment to capture the shot with the man in it. My original shutter speed would be too slow. People move, and movement at slow shutter speeds is rendered as a blur.

I made a quick calculation and boosted the ISO from 100 to 400. This enabled me to quadruple the shutter speed with minimal impact to overall image quality.

After the man moved on, I dialed the ISO back down to 100 and took a shot of the original composition with no people. I prefer the shot with the man included, so I'm glad that I took the extra steps necessary to capture the moment. I would like to thank him very much for dropping by. His presence made the shot.



Camera:    Nikon D800E
Lens:        AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II



Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2016 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved