Well, I did it, I took the shot in full manual mode again. I took the girls out for a bike ride at lunch time today, and took my camera with me, the plan was to get a shot of the girls riding through the series of tunnels that go under the road.
I like these tunnels, because they’re really close together, but far enough apart to have a load of light in between them.
The girls really like the bike ride route the tunnels are on, because there are play grounds at both ends!
I asked the girls to ride up and down the tunnels for a minute while I got my self together and tweaked the settings on my camera. It’s an interesting place to photograph, because of the dramatic changes in light, under and through the tunnels. The symmetry and depth is really cool too.
I was just about set when Izzy came out of the tunnel at my end, and Livvy was over her shoulder in the shadows. It looked great, like a kids urban chase. It had a playful and sinister look to it, all at the same time, and I framed the shot so Livvy was placed to catch your eye, but second to Izzy in the foreground.
I hoped this would give the sense of Livvy “appearing” in the tunnel, but that she hadn’t traveled through the light section in the middle – stealthily, causing Izzy to flick her head round to see who was there.
I set them both to the left of the shot, to give Izzy the perceived space on the right she was going to “flee” in.
Of course, in reality none of that was actually happening; both girls where whizzing up and down the tunnels laughing and giggling the whole time at each other!
Still, the moment was there, so I captured it and during editing emphasised the feeling I was aiming for.
I’m pleased with it, and even though I know how I’ve engineered the image and composition, I still find myself looking at it for ages, and just feeling the vibe it gives me.
Learnings – it was tricky to get the settings just as I wanted them, I wanted to grab the bright light between the two tunnels, but also the deep and the soft shadows underneath the tunnels.
I didn’t have too long to tinker in “live” mode though, before the opportunity presented itself and I had to act fast and take the shot.
It’s not perfect, but I’m pleased because in reality this “one shot” mini challenge was way beyond my abilities – but it’s done it’s job and I’ve gained experience, learnt new stuff and built confidence in myself.
Also, with my new found confidence with cranking the ISO, I could really crank the shutter speed up too; this is going to really help me capture action shots I feel. Thanks again to @boteche
Settings, for those who like this stuff:
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (3)
20mm focal length
F/4 aperture
ISO 3200
1/2000 shutter speed
Onegav 